#paperweight - smallpools

[callmegaith]

Since you gave us your HC for Dale's music taste, do you have a HC for what songs he and David would listen/dance to?

Hmmm I sorta do ig

Stuff that sounds like/has the same vibe as this:

[chorusfm]

Smallpools – Ghost Town Road

There comes a time in all band’s musical trajectory when they realize when things were lacking a bit of the magic they found early on in their career. That feeling of being “locked in” when the band is firing on all creative cylinders can provide the spark they need to carry on. Smallpools found early success with their debut self-titled EP that had a legendary single called “Dreaming” that was as infectious as it was refreshing. “I feel like our debut EP was a definitive body of work…we were dialed in,” vocalist Sean Scanlon muses. “With this project , we’re dialed back in.” Guitarist Michael Kamerman views it less like a sequel and more like a franchise reboot as he mentioned, “The other music exists and you’re free to revisit it. But we’re back and we mean it.” Ghost Town Road was preceded by an EP and while the original songs that were released from the EP are still here, and remain strong material, the other tracks that round out the vision that Smallpools were going for define a band completely locked in creatively. The band appear re-energized and poised for the next big leap in their musical career. Besides the previously released material, new songs like “Amelia” are well-crafted and have a vibe similar to other Alt-Rock bands, like Foster The People, while still remaining authentic to the music that Smallpools have been known for. It features some well-placed trumpet throughout the track to keep interest high in the music. One of the newest singles released from the set, “Socio-Empath” takes the listener on a journey with heavy synths paired with picturesque vocals from Scanlon, while Kamerman and drummer Beau Luther provide the right landscape of sound to complement the lyrics. The band does a nice job of matching the aesthetic of the cover art on smoky sounding songs like this that are perfect for that night drive into the city. ”Make Like A Dream & Die” offers a bright and shiny reprieve from the brooding synths with an intro that features the band singing mostly acapella before they gradually add in more instruments to round out their approach. The latter half of the song gets back into that comfortable groove of moody, synth rock to bring further context to the style they were attacking here. “Be Kind, Rewind” revisits the simpler times of the 80’s with a vibrant piano-laced introduction before launching into the shimmering chorus of, “Oh hey, are we out of time? / Can we go back to the title screen / Say what we mean and be kind rewind / So stay for another night / When the credits roll, our younger souls / They always know to be kind rewind (be kind rewind).” The metaphors found in the lyrics are well-crafted and showcase a band willing to embrace nostalgia with a blend of nuance to them to keep their sound feeling new and refreshing. The penultimate song of “Paperweight” is a solid reminder of the beauty of well-crafted pop songs that feature a great tempo to them to keep the audience engaged. The vivid lyrical imagery in the bridge of, “Like shattered glass / Bottled up and fractured / Broken past, beautiful disaster /One more wasted song / Washed out conversation / My head twisted off / No more desperation,” is well thought out and makes sense in the overall context of the song. Smallpools were brave to admit that they needed a bit of re-charge or a reboot from the songs they were releasing leading up to what I consider their best work to date on Ghost Town Road. When you realize things aren’t working the way you had hoped, the bravest thing you can do is take a few steps back, zoom out, and see exactly where the shortcomings were originating from in order to source out the issue. Smallpools have their mojo back and it’s a beautiful thing. --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/reviews/smallpools-ghost-town-road/