"I see you trying to make me leave / Bad talking things that I believe / Emotions in my head / Trying not to see red again / So maybe share your big reveal..."
The ebullient progressive art rock spaceship of "Together" by Late Cambrian, the Brooklyn-based future-pop /alt-rock core duo of John Wlaysewski (vocals, guitar) and Olive Hui (vocals) - along with Matthew Milligan (bass), Eric Zeender (guitar), Ben Weiss (drums) and Gaby Alter on keyboards, soars through cross generational atmospheres and multiple genres so effortlessly that you are pulled easily into the song's strong orbit. Every time I listen to LC, the sounds are vast and so artful that you feel as if 20 foot high velvety red curtains open as this is the case here as, the first 30 seconds (maybe a nod to the iconic prog rock of King Crimson) stirs your adrenaline and leaves you rising in your theater seats. This is the thing, "Together" is imbued with a stately kind of rock elegance and personally the blend of lush vocals as dreamy as Queen or The Beach Boys cast against progressive guitar attacks with power pop-esque keys makes for a dizzy affair. I thought of late 60's / 70's British prog rock mavens Gentle Giant and the elegant heavy hammer of more contemporary prog rock stalwarts like Porcupine Tree holding hands but blended in I also thought of the shine of early aughts punk / power pop bands like The Exploding Hearts as well as (in a power pop sense) Jellyfish's 1993 Split Milk album. I mean listen to "Joining A Fan Club" from that album before or after listening to "Together" and you will get it, the adjacent connective tissue, the attitudinal idea that progressive rock / power pop is not just 'one' thing.
"Together" has so many things to have you crushing on it and I am loving the differences in terms of it's songwriting architecture. I love how there is this dramatic rock passage that stitches things together, sort of a musical bridge that is also part of the chorus. A very clever and different take. I love the artful bi-polarity of styles, of soft pop and heavy rock instantly on a dime, on a heel turn. AND I love the sort of Andalusian rock stance that feels so perfectly exotic. I think the cherry on this sonic cake is Wlaysewski's exquisite guitar melodies and prowess (love the fiery fanning he does on his outro lead). His lead guitar work is absolutely killer and makes me think of Prince actually.
Just stunning and I just don't hear anyone else doing this kind of blendo rock, in this kind of way.
-Robb Donker Curtius
LYRICS
I see you trying to make me leave
Bad talking things that I believe
Emotions in my head
Trying not to see red again
So maybe share your big reveal
Or I’ll think the worst and make it real
I’m full of foolish pride
It’s dripping off the sides
I feel
I can see blue skies fade away
You need more time to fade away
There’s still a lot to love here to keep it together
But maybe not forever
No one told me I could cry
The stone exterior stays dry
Emotions fill my head
The living and the dead reply
(exquisite lead break)
I can see blue skies fade away
You need more time to fade away
There’s still a lot to love here to keep it together
But maybe not forever
(outro lead break)
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5HkefJhMRmCYoz6CV8yXCR
https://www.instagram.com/latecambrian/
https://www.tiktok.com/@latecambrian
https://www.facebook.com/LateCambrian/
Late Cambrian is a band that thrives in the tension between beauty and decay, stitching together sounds that feel both ancient and nervy-new. Drawing from art-rock, post-punk, and a low, humming undercurrent of experimental noise, their music moves like shifting strata—patient, heavy, and unexpectedly luminous. Melodies surface and erode, rhythms lurch and lock in, and the result is a sound that feels lived-in rather than polished, equal parts ritual and rupture.
Lyrically and sonically, Late Cambrian is fascinated by transformation: bodies, landscapes, memories, and the slow pressure of time itself. Their songs don’t rush for resolution; they linger, crack, and reform, inviting listeners to sit with discomfort and discover something strangely human inside it. Whether on record or onstage, Late Cambrian offers an immersive experience—music that doesn’t just play, but evolves.
Late Cambrian, Brooklyn romantic and power pop / indie rock duo, alt rock, post rock, glam, progressive pop rock, "Together",
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