(Cover by Caroline Alkire)
Pharma Bums - "These Towns" (self-released)
Pharma Bums has taken a long and unique journey to get where they are right now. A supergroup of sorts, the Minneapolis quartet consists of Nick Baker (Maria & the Coins, Fragile Canyons) taking lead on vocals and songwriting, with the talents of his twin brother Zaq on piano and keys, Karl Remus of 26 Bats! and Lucid VanGuard on bass, and drummer/engineer Christian Wheeler (of many projects). The entirety of their debut record Mood Poisoning was recorded and quietly uploaded to Bandcamp in June 2018. Shortly after, the group disbanded due to the myriad other projects with which each member was involved. Two years later and six months into a global pandemic, Pharma Bums decided to revisit their work. Mood Poisoning will be seeing a full, expanded re-release in the coming months, with a remixed/remastered version of the original record plus a handful of loose songs recorded in Auburn, IA just before the band's initial end.
"These Towns," Pharma Bums' second "new" single, introduces listeners to their warm, golden sounds. This is profoundly autumnal music. It's not quite rollicking — more like a quiet, reflective stroll through an auburn forest at dawn. Nick Baker's singing isn't perfect, but it matches the character of the song far better than any pitch perfect performance would have. His bandmates embrace that exceptionally human tone with tasteful and largely gorgeous augmentation. Their flourishes pop much more than they did on the original 2018 mix, which is indicative of the overall leap in quality the new Mood Poisoning will be taking.
Listen to "These Towns" below.
Colin Bracewell - "Don't Let Go" (self-released)
It starts with something that sounds like a less jittery take on the Temper Tramp's 2009 anthem "Sweet Disposition." But this isn't the soundtrack to 500 Days of Summer. Stillwater singer/songwriter Colin Bracewell has released his second (official) single of 2020, "Don't Let Go."
Bracewell and his collaborators have evolved from the acoustic coffee-shop vibes of prior singles to a significantly more produced sound. It's immediately apparent from the guitar tone that introduces the song. Ghostly vocal samples float around each melody. Anything ethereal drops away as soon as the chorus hits. Bouncing strings turbo-drive the song's emotional momentum to meet Bracewell's repeated titular plea: "don't let go."
A more studio-indebted sound befits Bracewell nicely and proves his ability to develop musically as he continues to explore his songwriting voice. Listen to "Don't Let Go" below.
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