witches! - Austin Town Hall

Sasha and the Valentines Share Witches Video

February 10, 2021 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

We tried to hip you to Sasha and the Valentines when they dropped their Green EP back in 2019, and now that there is a new LP on the horizon, we reckon you ought to hear for yourself why we’re so excited. I think it’ll be easy to draw some comparisons to early Beach House, particularly if you’re pulling your ears close to the blossoming of Sarah Addi’s vocal performance. Sure, those similarities can’t be denied, but I love the way there’s a bit more of a pull back on the reigns from the Austin outfit; they’re kind of allowing that sort of expansive sound to roll out across the great Texas landscape, rather than force hooks down your throat. Listen to the sound flow, like the smoke from the end of this song, billowing through out your speakers and into the great musical universe. So You Think You Found Love will be out on April 16th via Oof Records.

News
Tunes

SXSW Interview: The Black Watch

February 13, 2019 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Long have I loved the Black Watch, and this year, they venture towards our neck of the woods to perform during SXSW, so I reached out to John to see if he could spare a minute to answer our questions…and, lukcily, he obliged. Below you’ll find his responses and a the latest single! Read more

News
Tunes

The Black Watch Release Legerdemain

July 12, 2018 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Having spent a great deal of my time over the last fifteen LPs of the Black Watch, the thing that still strikes me is how willing John is to continuously attempt new things. He’s claimed that the entirety of Witches was conceived as a dance album…yet songs like the track below might lead you astray. In this number, he seems isolated, standing alone at the front of the mix while everything goes on behind him; you’ll hear the strum of acoustic guitars, matched by cascading lines, there’s faint hints of tambourines in the far off, bass just barely bubbles up from below. Then there’s John, bare before you with his poetry and voice. Witches drops on July 25th via Atom Records.

News
Tunes

The Black Watch Prepare New LP

June 25, 2018 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Having released an EP earlier this year, it only makes sense that prolific act The Black Watch return not too long after with news of a fresh full-length. I’m forever intoxicated by the guitar sound on their records, and the opening lines of this tune grab me immediately…just before vocals and band join in. There’s this calm that seems to hang in Fredrick’s vocal delivery; it carries melodic optimism that rises to meet up with the pace of the song. The accents on this track are pretty spot on too, from the cascading guitar in the distance to the plucking of strings in the front of the mix. Witches! will be released on July 22nd via Atom Records.

News
Tunes