In this edition of LITM Rock Picks, we bring arresting soundscapes from artists The Agency…, Radio Free ABQ, The Wichitas, The Open Flames, and 37AM.
The Agency…- Harbour Song
Harbour Song by the Newcastle-based band The Agency… featuring The Samphires is a mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful release with a cinematic indie folk sound. The gauzy beauty, alluring melodies, and pensive rhythms invite you into a dark, mystical story and soundscape. The gripping lyrics are inspired by the tale of Hero and Leander, and are brought alive through an equally absorbing and masterful musical production. Somber piano chords, gentle beats, and lush atmospherics creates a swaying, spell-binding musical backdrop. Atop this glides the hypnotic melodies from an affecting vocal duet. The melodies are sung with a ghostly, graceful and delicate demeanor, and both voices answer to the other in an impeccable symmetry, as though bound together by an ethereal, eternal waltz. The music ensnares you in its lingering spell, one you would not want to escape from. Listen here!
Radio Free ABQ - Tito (Far Away, Not Lonely)
Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Radio Free ABQ, craft a riveting blend of indie rock, Americana, and desert noir in their soundscapes. Tito (Far Away, Not Lonely) is the striking single from the band’s latest album, Destination. This song will get you revisiting your big dreams, contemplating about maybe, giving them another chance. The lyrical ode to seemingly impossible dreams, like going to space in your self-built device, is given the perfect soundscape, one that feels warm, essential-only, and softly inspiring. Radiant guitars, winding synth tunes, swinging drum rhythms, and expressive vocals converge into an adventurous and energetic musical space, one that is calling out for you to explore. R.E.M., Los Lobos, Calexico, and other similar musical influences can be felt throughout the sound, making it a compelling listening experience, if not for the already exciting and enlivening story. Listen here!
The Wichitas - Splinter
Inspired by the likes of The Black Keys and The Datsuns, The Wichitas brings a rock sound that is hard to forget and harder to resist. Their brand of raw, riotous rock is refreshingly new yet comfortingly familiar. The single, Splinter, from their self-titled EP gives you a taste of their style, one that you’ll keep wanting more. The soundscape is bursting with raucous vocals, gravelly riffs, urgent pounding drums, and searing tunes. It goes hard and heavy, unapologetically, much like the provocative and bold lyricism of this song. Behind the seemingly grunge-soaked sonic frenzy, there is an impeccably and deftly executed design. Splinter is a thrilling, uproarious track that showcases just how much talent and skill underlies The Wichitas’ soundscapes. Listen here!
The Open Flames - Eat Alone
The Open Flames are made up of members of New York-based Sleepy Kitty and Harvey Danger and London’s Say Yes, Do Nothing. Their soundscapes reflect their lengthy experience, both in life and music, bringing a rough-edged, literate alt-rock feel. The latest release, Eat Alone, delves into a poignant theme, the helplessness, pain, and grief of trying to save someone that cannot and does not need their saving, through a rousing story of a caregiver and their loved one in their final moments. The lush, glowing wash of distortion-soaked guitar riffs set to a punchy, driving drum rhythm creates an imposing, roaring, vitalising soundscape, much like life itself at the face of death. The singer’s emotive and emphatic vocal performance brings out that unrelenting spirit of life and the sheer intensity of catharsis. Eat Alone is yet another rousing release from The Open Flames. Listen here!
37AM - Too Young
Brussels-based alternative rock band, 37AM craft a captivating tapestry of sound stitching together ’90s grunge hues with psychedelic rock layers. The latest release, Too Young, gives a glimpse of this distinct style; the soundscape donned in textures of contemplative guitar melodies, dynamic drum rhythms, and commanding vocals. The reverberating guitar riffs, punchy and full, bleed in vivid, lush, dreamy hues illuminating the sound with emotion and enigma. The intricate, groovy drum beats and booming bass thump to a dynamic design, executed in deft, imposing strokes. Tied together with the absolutely stunning and spell-binding voice of the singer, the soundscape stands out as a one of a kind, moving piece. Be it the story or the sound, this song holds your attention hostage from start to finish. Listen here!
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