The Qualia's love song with dark poetry "The Exact Same Time"

 

"when the sirens scream by our bedroom window"

Sometimes dark times inform the most beautiful songs. "The Exact Same Time", a mid tempo indie rock ballad by NYC's The Qualia, on one hand feels like 70's-esque middle of the road radio fodder, the thing of wistful romance and slow dances but in other ways, especially within the dark poetry, the song feels as hard and anchored in real life tragedy as a headstone. 

"I don't know why,
when the sirens scream by our bedroom window,
why my blood runs so cold.
Did someone die tonight
by someone else's side?
Oh when the time runs out for us,
I hope we've got the cash
to get helicoptered off
somewhere nice where we go
gently at the exact same time."

Of the song, the band shares: 

"Over the last year, living in central Queens, one of the areas hardest hit by the Covid epidemic, I've seen dozens of ambulances carrying people off to the hospital, and it's put me in a specific mindset. This is a love song about living in a neighborhood in crisis."

Still the sparse piano, stellar vocals and an earnest garden rock sound (with art rock affections) envelopes you in surreal ways, just artful and surreal enough to keep those real tragedies at arm's length so you can do that slow dance. 

-Robb Donker Curtius 

The Qualia · The Exact Same Time

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The music of New York-based The Qualia is trying to deal with modern life, one gross feeling at a time. The music made by Lars Casteen, Rossen Nedelchev, Matt Raymond, and Will McCutcheon combines the strong melodies and down-to-earth honesty of R.E.M. with the playfulness of Pulp to create their own brand of heartfelt, smart indie rock.

Those who have followed The Qualia since their 2007 debut Nevada’s Greatest! will immediately notice their musical evolution. Whereas earlier releases were the solo work of Lars, defined by sequenced sounds and drum machines, the band has shifted to a more collaborative approach with a more organic sound. It is rare to find a group who play as much with style and approach without ever forgetting the importance of the song.