by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
While located in Cincinnati, Tedward, the solo project turned band of Terence Lee has roots in Newtown, CT, which will become immediately apparent to certain listeners. Lee started the project as a way to write songs during the pandemic, making home recordings that resulted in last year’s Burnt Ends, Tedward’s debut EP. Keeping a steady pace ever since, Lee has released a cover of Ovlov’s “Strand of Steve-O” and “Spencer Dr,” a new single released this past May. While the recordings remain solo compositions with Lee playing everything, Tedward has expanded into a full band for live shows, the trio comprised of Lee (vocals, guitar), Greg Olsen (bass) and Cole Hundley (drums). Set to release a new record in 2023, Lee is sharing his latest single, “Ablona,” a song about a pilgrimage to see a rare performance from a favorite band in a fictional Ohio town. With artwork from Steve Hartlett (Ovlov, Stove), those Newtown roots shine bright on this one.
From the warped pull of the overdrive to the sweetened vocal melody, Tedward set an immediate tone with “Ablona,” capturing the lo-fi fuzz and melodic heft of some of the East Coast’s favorite DIY bands. It’s a heavy rocker that plays it relatively soft, a blistering ripper that’s rooted in dreaminess, which is fitting as the song’s theme and concept came to Lee in a dream. Capturing the spirit of dream in realtime, Lee wrote and recorded the song the very next day, preserving itself forever in the journey to “Ablona” and that feeling of seeing that band, whomever they may be, once again.