by Patrick Pilch (@pratprilch)
Railings are Queens’ best secret. The reliably unbounded New York outfit have been keeping a relatively low profile since their first release in 2012, producing a singular sort of genre-mashing music currently populating backwater Bandcamp tags like “fatalistic flangers” and “ambitious cargo containers.” Well, the ultra-specific jig is up because we’re here to tell you Railings kick ass. Today we’re thrilled to premiere “Shelving Pattern,” a ravishing prog-pop freefall that’s radiant and dramatic and rather difficult to immediately pin. Vocalist Alex Ian Smith fully commits to Railings’ freak-psych vision on “Shelving Pattern,” as the singer warbles through verses and wails across its chorus while the band leans into a twisted funk amalgamation and sinks into a bombastic groove that’s as baffling as it is catchy.
If this is your first introduction to Railings, you’re in luck. The band’s back catalog is incredible and definitely worth checking out. Railings don’t really sound like anyone else, but sometimes they sound like a fungus-stuffed iridescent pencil case or too much coffee. If you were into Spring Silver’s latest masterpiece and if Currents felt oversaturated, this just might be for you. Gnarling pop arrangements, psychedelic chord progressions and a rolling percussion that really stirs everything together; Railings are masters of their one-of-a-kind craft.