by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Brandon Can't Dance is ever mercurial project of Philadelphia's Brandon Ayres, a prolific songwriter with enamored with a wide range of influences that manifest in everything from dance pop to lo-fi punk. He's built a strong reputation with a slew of independent album releases, each one offering a diverse look into indie music, a collection of pop nuggets that shouldn't work together but always does. Set to release his upcoming album Graveyard of Good Times on January 13th via Lucky Number Music, Ayres' music continues to jitter around with simplistic energy and undeniable sincerity (and an incredible album cover). He elaborates on the record:
"I'm really proud of the song writing I did on this one more than any other album so far and I feel like it's pretty cohesive for the most part sound wise but there's definitely a few that off set it in a good way. That's kind of how my brain works. I always think I can stick with a cohesive sound for an entire album but it never happens haha. It's just nice to have some buzz around my music right now after doing it underground wise for so long with this project and other bands. It's the first album on that next tier of my career so to speak which is pretty special to me."
While we've already heard "Smoke & Drive Around," one of the album's synth based R&B leaning tracks, we're happy to share the record's second single, "Angelina". Opening with a grimy acoustic guitar line that sounds like the score to an ominous Western, "Angelina" is miles away from Brandon Can't Dance's smooth pop sounds, trading synth and sunshine for dust and heartbreak. As Ayres' vocals kick in with a Modest Mouse indebted doubled harmony, layers of twangy beauty and soaring melodies begin to pile, building toward an inescapably blistering electric guitar line. As "Angelina" hits its fuzzy apex, the song pulls back into the lush acoustics with a Elliott Smith like quality.
Speaking about the song, Ayres said, "'Angelina' is about a girl on her own doing her best to deal with severe depression during a period where her friends are starting families and careers. I drew from southern gothic writings and tried to bring that out in the music itself."
Brandon Can't Dance's Graveyard of Good Times is out January 13th via Lucky Number Music.