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If You Were Always’ 2007 debut EP, Since You’ve Been Gone, was like a gentle breeze in the falling leaves surrounding autumn’s trees, then their sophomore effort, Ghost Lanes is almost – almost! - like a summer storm with some gusts of rain going left-right instead of straight down. Ghost Lanes offers the same slowcore meets mellow indie as its predecessor except this time the band sounds louder, more comfortable, and much more confident on these five tracks. Earlier, singer/guitarist Cam Houser sounded sad, vulnerable, and afraid; now he sounds a little less sad, a little madder, and a lot less intimidated by whomever and whatever broke his heart.
On Ghost Lanes’ opener, “All The Books I Read”, the band sound energized (for another type of band, this song might be the “slow song”; for You Were Always, it’s a rolling opening tune complete with Cam having a brief guitar moment) with Aubri Hughes keys sounding like a Cars outtake – only slower. It’s a great teaser of what might be lurking in their inner most rock and roll hearts.
These moments of almost rocking pop up throughout the EP; on “Running Red Lights” and the closer “Clockwork”, Topher Hyink once again drums with a little more force and purpose and Houser’s guitar work becomes a little more determined. In particular, “Running Red Lights” might qualify as the most unabashedly rocking song in the group’s catalog and it’s a gem completely with a snaking synth line that reels the audience in.
For fans of the band’s softer debut, fear not: it’s there throughout. The second track of Ghost Lanes, “Wine Out Of Coffee Cups”, features more beautiful harmonizing between Houser and Hughes, Hyink’s subdued drumming, and Tim Faehnle’s pulsing basslines. The difference is that this time, instead of just rolling over and playing quiet, the guitars build, Hyink hits the skins a bit harder, and Cam – minus Aubri for a moment – sounds like he might want to scream. Just hope he doesn’t scream too loudly, because it’ll ruin the impeccable late night beauty that he and his band continue to craft and polish.
Websites:
www.youwerealways.com
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