"an unwavering grip..."
I live in the mountains and sometimes, like yesterday, a cold fog can sweep over you in a matter of minutes. One moment you are driving up roads against rugged unforgiving terrain and the next you are essentially blinded moving cautiously through what feels like a forever world of gray. It can be unnerving when you lose your bearings and literally can't see past your car. Floating in a void, you feel absolutely vulnerable.
I thought about this when listening to "Since La Vie En Rose" from the Canadian post rock band Down The Lees. Like a slow moving fog, the song begins almost imperceptibly, a sense of ambience preceding ramping up tensions. The angst and churning combination of throttling low tones and sprite rings (like metal bells in the distance) create an atmospheric cascade of memories against which Laura Lee Schultz's evocative vocals drone upon like an impending darkness. As huge guitar crashes against an almost animalistic bass and drums encroachment, the ringing seems to transform into a guitar squeals. What follows is both beautiful and terrifying in it's throttling stance, in it's eclipsing gothic rock power and resolve.
[The track was recorded in the Okanagan Valley. To perfect the drum parts, Laura took online drum lessons from William Goldsmith (Sunny Day Real Estate), while the song was mixed by Jesse Gander (Brutus, Japandroids, White Lung) of Raincity Recorders and mastered by Blake Bickel (Dynamic Sound).]
Ultimately, maybe it is the stalking cadence of "Since La Vie En Rose" that codifies the massive guitar / bass sound and mournful vocal countenance into something unstoppable. Like a cold dense fog it wraps around you and holds you in it's unwavering grip until 'it' decides to let you go.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://downthelees.bandcamp.com/
https://offwhitehouserecords.com/artists/downthelees/
https://www.instagram.com/downthelees/
Originally from Vancouver, BC, Down the Lees started out as a solo act and has gone through many iterations, with Laura Lee Schultz (Queazy, New Years Resolution, Skinjobs) at its core. As a result of releasing three full length albums, an EP and numerous singles, the project has forged an eclectic musical path with engaging and dynamic soundscapes inspired by genres such as post-rock, shoegaze, hardcore, slowcore, and no-wave.
With the move to Belgium, the project gained a new perspective and transformed into a live band tour de force. At the beginning of 2020, the European stint of the project, featuring Kwinten Gluehorse on bass and Jonathan Frederix on drums, began touring the critically acclaimed Steve Albini recorded album, 'Bury The Sun'. When the band toured Belgium, France, and The Netherlands, they played highly dynamic and energetic shows, and they were invited to tour with the Sisters of Mercy in Italy.
In the wake of the pandemic, the project was put on hold, and the move back to Canada was unquestionably needed. To cope with the turbulence surrounding the world, Laura Lee (LL) created more music to deal with the depression and isolation. In anticipation of the onset of the endemic, the idea to start a live Canadian version of the band was conceived. With Chris Carlson on bass and Andy Ashley on drums, the Okangan Valley trio weave a trail of thunderous guitars and pounding drums along with LL's voice, which carries the undeniable harsh truths of life.
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