Downhaul unveiled their single “Sinker” earlier this month. Today, the indie rock group from Richmond introduces their upcoming album, How To Begin, and presents another track named “Solstice,” which draws possible inspiration from “Santeria.”
Bandleader Gordon Phillips shared, “When I first shared our new record with friends after receiving mixes, some of my most trusted critics immediately picked ‘Solstice’ as their favorite. I believe this song showcases the band’s strengths in a well-rounded manner that both existing and new listeners will enjoy. Chandler contributed some fantastic harmonies. While writing the song, ‘Santeria’ by Sublime was on my mind a lot — not that I intended for this track to sound like ‘Santeria,’ but it certainly influenced me. We even experimented with giving it an exaggerated swing a few times, but we ultimately decided on a subtler approach.”
According to Phillips, for How To Begin, he aimed to ensure that the songs passed ‘The Campfire Test,’ which essentially evaluates if a song stands strong when performed solo on an acoustic guitar, stripped of any studio embellishments. Listen to “Solstice” below.
How To Begin is scheduled for release on 9/20 through Self Aware.
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