"roamin' / with you / is all I / wanna do / no more / waitin' / just the ocean / holdin' / hands again..."
The crystalline tenderness of "With You" by Los Angeles based Plum is refreshing as it lulls you into a warm organic tea steeped from a blend of longing, melancholia with hints of 60's chai psychedelia. From the onset, the feeling is a lullaby that trust falls head first into vibey Fender Rhode-esque piano chords and beautiful electric guitar lines pushing their way into subtle jazz dipped dissonant places against a languid bass and shuffling drums. The vocals are dreamy, easy, lovely but a bit sad too. There are other lovely things going on too, mellotronic sounds, musical breaks and ambience soaked in 70's garden rock with, again, jazz inclinations.
"With You" mixed by noted musician and producer Sam Evian, is Plum's first release since last year's debut self-titled EP. As I mentioned, for me, the tracks leans into 60's / 70's sounds, kind of like psychedelia meets indie folk meets soul pop and it makes sense finding out that the band records with vintage analog equipment and tracks to tape. It gives their sound an added layer of dreaminess, a kind of sonic found footage quality. I love this formula, this aesthetic.
LINER NOTES (in brackets):
[The "With You" music video, shot by guitarist and songwriter Ken Chesler, is also an analog affair, captured on mini-DV tape during a trip through California. The video is a heartfelt afterimage of what it’s like to be alone with a lover after weeks of separation.]
[Plum’s debut self-titled EP was born at the height of the pandemic as a collaboration between songwriters Andrew Geroch and Ken Chesler. Eventually, the partnership grew into a group whose sound developed over the course of 2 years. The song on the album explore themes of moving forward after defeat, free will, sentimentality, and the shortness of life. The EP was recorded in the band's rehearsal studio in downtown Los Angeles and released in 2023.]
I am going to happily float on "With You" for about an hour while I nurse a quad injury today. It is sonic medicine for the soul and my leg I suppose. Oh, last thoughts... for whatever reason, and please note that these mental burst come quickly and off the top of my noggin but just based on this lovely track for some reason made me think of an amalgam of Fruit Bats and Chicano Batman. Who knows I might flash on other artists with some kind of similar sonic nucleic acid. Anyway, I love this track and this sound.
Be well. Be true. Be safe.
-Robb Donker Curtius
https://soundcloud.com/plum-music-693236160
https://thebandplum.bandcamp.com/track/light
https://www.instagram.com/thebandplum/
Plum’s music is the meeting point of opposites, sweet yet sour, soft yet brittle, seething yet serene.
Plum’s debut self-titled EP was born at the height of the pandemic as a collaboration between songwriters Andrew Geroch and Ken Chesler. Eventually, the partnership grew into a group whose sound developed over the course of 2 years. The song on the album explore themes of moving forward after defeat, free will, sentimentality, and the shortness of life. The EP was recorded in the band's rehearsal studio in downtown Los Angeles.
The Plum EP dropped on May 5th, 2023 through Anxiety Blanket Records.
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://soundcloud.com/plum-music-693236160
https://thebandplum.bandcamp.com/track/light
https://www.instagram.com/thebandplum/
Plum’s music is the meeting point of opposites, sweet yet sour, soft yet brittle, seething yet serene.
Plum’s debut self-titled EP was born at the height of the pandemic as a collaboration between songwriters Andrew Geroch and Ken Chesler. Eventually, the partnership grew into a group whose sound developed over the course of 2 years. The song on the album explore themes of moving forward after defeat, free will, sentimentality, and the shortness of life. The EP was recorded in the band's rehearsal studio in downtown Los Angeles.
The Plum EP dropped on May 5th, 2023 through Anxiety Blanket Records.
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