by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
It’s only been five months since Options released the excellent Wind’s Gonna Blow and in the same sense that you can’t stop the wind from doing just that, you can’t stop Chicago’s Seth Engel from releasing new music. Nor should you. The ever prolific musician, producer, all around swell fella is set to release his latest Options gem, Window’s Open, due out October 23rd. It’s another brilliantly somber record that blends intricate songwriting with a lo-fi warble that washes over Engel’s technicality like a blanket of accessibility. He’s a gifted songwriter in that regard, making music built on complex reactions and phrasing sound grounded and approachable, like sneaking prog rock tendencies into dreamy bedroom pop. While we are big fans of Options’ contribution to the Spring’s soundtrack, we’re even more excited about his addition to Autumn’s landscape.
“Warm” is the first single and the album’s opening track. It’s a fantastic first impression for the album, the band (if you’ve been missing out), and to the dynamics that make Options one of the Chicago underground’s best bands. Opening with a molasses tempo and a hazy melody that recalls the slow dripped beauty of Horse Jumper of Love, Engel swoons with a lulling performance, one that feels radiant while also fragile, as though it could crumble without warning. As the beautiful track ebbs and flows amid layers of sustained drift, the song makes a break for it in the second half, toppling forward and back again with amazingly detached fills and a unique pacing that is cause for repeat listens (it always leads perfectly into the next song, but you’ll have to wait for that). Options have been making great albums for years, but this one deserves to be the breakout.