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It is no coincidence that the premiere of June coincides with
trio Warm Weather's first release. The Dances EP
is an account of a year spent in the sunny and smog-filled city
of Los Angeles, the current home and playground of Justin Lerman,
Brendan Lynch-Salamon, and Ryan Pollie. The EP's
five tracks are covered in sand - they are gritty and lo-fi but
biting and eventful.
The EP-opener, "The Dance," is narrative of losing
perspective and perhaps of losing a close friend. A soft ballad
erupts into euphoric shouts as the band members beg to "stand!"
"Fall Through" digs deep into earthy tones. Banjo plucks
and chromatic slurs add a country zest to their rock approach
(much like the ballads of The Eagles or Hall & Oates'
fusion of R&B and rock). "I Only Know" tickles our
soft side as the delicate yet rhetorical question, "why don't
you tell me when I'm gone?" washes over us again and again.
The EP's future single, "So Far/ Vertigo" (a title
recycled from U2's 2004 smash hit), is an unabashed testimony
to lead singer Ryan Pollie's self-confessed Bono obsession.
"Bono's music has done to the world what Advil has done to
countless hangovers - relieved unnecessary pain and suffering."
And while many listeners will muster sensible comparisons to Vampire
Weekend, I believe Warm Weather should also not be considered
seriously. After all, the name "Warm Weather" can only
evoke images of playfulness, empty agendas, and a large pitcher
of tart lemonade. These impressions are certainly imbedded in
the trio's songwriting. The lyrics often reflect intimate confessions
of a vicarious youth - a blueprint on how to be young again: "I
fight my way through the crowd \ to spend my days in the ocean
\ and when I'm deep in the sound \ I don't feel like I'm older."
Certainly at the ocean Warm Weather arrives, as the vocal interplay
during the three-part round in "I Only Know" or during
the three-part harmony of "The Dance," is reminiscent
of veteran beach bums, The Beach Boys.
Now, these comparisons serve not as criticism to pin the sound
of Warm Weather but rather as acknowledgment that these beach
pals are doing the right things. Warm Weather is a conflation
of our favorite summer moments, ripe with nostalgia, yet refined
with age. Grab your beach umbrellas because the weather is about
to get warm - scratch that, it's hot and this is the indefinite
summer.
-Parker Tichko
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