by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
With a mountain of self released EPs and singles already released, it would seem that everything Connor Bush has been building with Aisle Knot has been leading to Play Like This, his third full length and the project’s first as a quartet. Due out October 13th via Window Sill Records (Russy, Boon, June Gloom), the bedroom folk project comes to life amid textures subtle and dynamic, the songs seemingly simplistic but lyrically resonant. Flipping phrases with new meaning, Bush’s words hit in relatable ways, capturing shifts in feeling, the thoughts that we’re all accustomed to as we do what we can to push onward, one day at a time. Aisle Knot create together with restraint, dipping into dissonance for pastoral effect but never submerging themselves in full. It makes for a gentle tension, consistently wondering if and when things may explode.
The band announced the album with lead single “February Rain,” a sparse track that focuses on clever turn of phrase and hypnotic minimalism. Album closer “On Your Phone,” their latest single, however goes for a more immediate ease, a front porch breeziness, that finds Bush’s songs drifting through the air. With inviting acoustic guitars and gorgeous harmonies, it’s a song that revels in love and strength, finding that sense of “home” after an album of uncertainty. There’s quirkiness in the additional vocals and the the whispy flutes, the elements all coming together to bring lightness to Aisle Knot’s open hearted ballad.