Essential Tracks:
The Lonely Wild, Apache Relay

Ahead of tomorrow night’s three-band bill at The Frequency, we take a look at a few songs to be on the hearout for. 

The Lonely Wild

An indie folk band based in Los Angeles, The Lonely Wild is a sad yet lovely daydream: a folk hymn, a purple sunset, and the orange sky of an industrial evening. Their new album, The Sun as It Comes, is touched with somber lyrics and shadowed with the image of wind blowing over a deserted landscape. In other words, it’s depressing. The band is anchored to their name and it fits them well. Their EP Dead End is adventurous and daring: more rooted in the idea of youthful open-mindedness.

“Banks and Ballrooms”
From the album The Sun as It Comes, the track starts with a soft drum beat and the lullaby of Jessi William’s soft voice. Made hauntingly beautiful by subtle distortion and the echo of a guitar solo at the end, the song sinks itself in metaphors and climaxes in clear indignation: for what reason exactly, it’s hard to say. Nevertheless, it demonstrates their potential with a confident and satisfying blend of folk and rock.

“Out of My Mind”
From their EP, this track is worth the listen just for the captivating, repeating sequence of high-pitched guitar. The song recollects convertible car trips and dusk falling over no-man’s land. Treasuring darkness and “feeling out of [your] mind,” the words and tone encourage the freedom of danger and surrender. Overall, it swells with a complacent feeling of loneliness. 

Apache Relay

Pictured above, Nashville’s Apache Relay is the indie band you want to set as your morning alarm. Their music is alarmingly passionate, alive, and freeing. The band has picked up musical elements from greats before them such as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Half the time they seem nostalgic for simplicity and a visceral grace, yet the other half of the time their sounds are searching for fulfillment and perfection in the present. Their choruses, usually accompanied by a mass of background vocals, will have you dancing, running, and yelling. It’s music doing what music does: making us feel damn great.

“Power Hungry Animals”
Bursting with a vision of happiness and self-enlightenment, “Power Hungry Animals” may just be about power-hungry animals. But it feels like so much more than that. It is completely ecstatic, and lends itself to a homegrown spirit of perseverance.

“Katie Queen of Tennessee”
Because it’s not what you would expect from a rock (and not pop) band, “Katie” is not only surprising but also terribly pleasant. A modern love ballad at its best, the track steals our attention with a perfect simplicity. It gives love back to the chase, the pursuit, and gives it a grace both original and soothing. 

Promised Land Sound

With their music imitational of CCR and Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Promised Land Sound is a rock-country hybrid bent on reviving an old sound. And for the most part, they succeed: their gumption pushes through with tracks that are daring and smooth, and even their voices fall within the confines of classic rock. They may not be highly innovative, but they sure are refreshing.

“Money Man”
With attitude and amusing lyrics (getting laid, getting high, etc.), what makes this song singular is its unforgettably catchy rhythm and style. It’s easy to ignore the somewhat silly words in favor of truly enjoying the terrific music which is dependent almost completely on drums and guitar, give or take a tambourine and some synths. It’s easy to forget that music was once that simple.