"you call it off sometimes / the house covers in vine / a bug caught in the light / with optimistic eyes / optimistic eyes..."
Listening to the crush of beautiful melancholia and surprising shapes of 'Optimist Eyes' by Atlanta based Strumbrush pushed me in a dreamy thoughtful place. I gravitated to founder / guitarist Foster Wells' vocal countenance and the nimble emotional moves of all the musicians involved from lead guitarist Jack Pace, to bassist Tyler Sherman to drummer Thomas Evans. This track is the B side of a single released this past September: 'Shedding, Tearing / Optimist Eyes' and the jagged / urgent A side 'Shedding, Tearing' feels equally interesting, maybe more art rock-esque. The single had me thinking of Stumbrush as an amalgam of artists like Pavement, Radiohead, Elliot Smith, Sparklehorse and a local (now defunct) L.A. band, Wide Streets. I probably will think of other artists that share the same kind of artistic DNA after I post this. It always happens.
Of 'Optimist Eyes' the band shares:
"This song embodies the exhaustion of missing opportunities for perceived growth as a human, and feeling stuck in a cycle of hope against uncertainty."
And I am struck by the chorus:
"you call it off sometimes / the house covers in vine / a bug caught in the light / with optimistic eyes / optimistic eyes..."
Maybe because these words strung together and sung in such an emotionally static way feel at once sardonic, depressive, wistful and hopeful all at the same time. The bug thing also makes me smile having lived in north Georgia for five years. 'Optimist Eyes' in it's totality feels elusive in a way but, beautifully complex, swimming in a pool of existential dread but luckily not a deep pool.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://strumbrush.bandzoogle.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6GkVu2fnaQ4zyIxPy8AXYy
https://twitter.com/strumbrush
https://soundcloud.com/strumbrush
https://www.tiktok.com/@strumbrush
https://www.instagram.com/strumbrush/
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/strumbrush/1426227693
Strumbrush is an exciting alternative project coming out of Atlanta, Georgia that is notorious for its emotive live energy and world-building capability in the studio. Founder Foster Wells started out solo learning how to produce in a bedroom, quickly gaining local attention for his songwriting capacity and unique production choices. Foster has been lucky enough to find himself surrounded by top tier musicians over the past couple years. Jack Pace plays lead guitar, contributes vocally, and is praised for his sound design. Tyler Sherman energizes Strumbrush through his melodic, yet punching bass lines. The reckoning that is Thomas Evans on the drums was the final piece of the puzzle, evoking passion behind each track. Thomas just joined the band in April 2022, which has already inspired a period of prolific writing. The band continues to turn heads in the local music community as fans anticipate where the project is headed next.
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