by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Last summer we introduced you to Baltimore's Calgrove and their debut EP. The quintet, led by the songwriting duo of Taylor Batton and Jack Stansbury (ex-Princess Reason), create warm Americana and "slacker" pop with an effortless feel. Everything is natural. Everything is easy-going. Their songs feel like lost memories, experiences you've lived over and over, and yet, it all seems new. Wind Vane, their sophomore EP, is due out on October 6th via Forged Artifacts and Gentle Reminder Records, an album that sets up Batton and Stansbury as two of the best up-and-coming songwriters.
"Flak Bait" is restrained and washed out with gorgeous lap steel to set the tone. A country leaning ballad built upon Batton's hushed vocals and the gentle guitars, the track's worn-in melody sweeps back and forth like the tide sneaking upon the shore. Joined by Stansbury throughout the verses, their voices play off each other's vulnerability, each creating their own path, never following each other's lead. Big of breezy twang, Calgrove's "Flak Bait" finds comfort where it can... at the bar, playing pool. It's an easy entry point to their latest EP, but wait until you hear the rest of this thing.
Calgrove's Wind Vane is out October 6th via Forged Artifacts and Gentle Reminder Records