"Look into the future / It probably won’t suit you / But hey, I’m singing now / Step into my garden..."
The hallucination drawn "New Ears", the title track from Philly's psychedelic dream pop outfit Son Step's new EP (due to drop October 8th, 2021) seeps surreptitiously into your brain, your heart, so much so that I lose track of time. I have literally listened to this track dozens of times and each time I get lost in the hypnotic sounds as I chase different sonic rabbits each time. By the time the song ends it seems that mere seconds have expired since I pushed play. This meditative quality might hinge on many things. This is the first Son Step release made in collaboration with with drummer and experimenter Ben Sloan (WHY?, Naytronix, The National) and his drum sound is intriguing. It is like the boom has been sucked out of them. The flat tones blend incredibly well with the percussive tone of the keyboards and other unidentifiable electronica, pulsations. While the drumming is ever shifting, (incredible in service of the song) after a while it feels like other things, at least to me.
The vocal aesthetic courtesy of Jon Coyle and Joel Sephy Gleiser blend into the sound and don't rest on top of it. They are beautiful flowing melodies and like all vox reveal emotions but here the flow also serves as continuity between the gently erupting musical breaks, guitar falls that add more texture, layers of intensity and within the dramatic stair steps of sound. The subtle bass work that may or may not be stand up but has the sound of a fretless bass that I would normally associate with a jazz combo both anchors and challenges the other instruments creating support and tension.
Son Step comprised on this EP of Jon Coyle (vocals, synthesizer, electrics), Joel Sephy Gleiser (vocals, synthesizer, electrics), Chris Coyle (bass, guitars, electrics) and Ben Sloan (drums, electrics) are (to me) not only amazing composers, songwriters and musicians but time benders.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.facebook.com/sonstep/
https://sonstep.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/SonStepSounds
https://www.instagram.com/son.step.sounds/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQrsKN7XFONY0MxbXmnmB7Q
Lyrically, New Ears carefully explores themes of systemic failure, modern challenges, healing and growth, with words and sonics weaving into something meant to be felt rather than immediately understood. The collage-like atmosphere of the release is further aided by carefully crafted, bending synthesized tones from Jon Coyle and Joel Sephy Gleiser. The same goes for Sloan’s efforts, tracked in his own home studio and produced with an ear for nuance and percussive crunch.
As a collection of new music, New Ears showcases a band trying to push every part of the creative process into intriguing, genre-defying territory.
Son Step, dream pop, experimental pop, indie rock, alternative rock, psychedelic pop, new EP, "New Ears", genre-defying territory, Official Video
No comments:
Post a Comment