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Lowlands – The Last Call
It makes feel old to admit this, but I rarely hear music by new bands anymore that really moves me. But every now and then an album by some new talent finds its way into regular rotation in my stereo. And Lowlands’ The Last Call has been one of my most played albums this year, alongside recent efforts by longtime favorite bands of mine that I’ve been listening to for years. It is a dark, atmospheric, and striking debut album that hits you like a clear blast of cold air on a cold Tuesday night. Its songs of despair and hope should resonate with anyone who has loved, lost, and lived to see another day.
This is not your traditional “breakup album” so much as a “post-breakup fallout album.” The lyrics are personal and often confessional - painfully denying the reality of a breakup in “Ghosts in this Town” and “What Can I Do”; studying states of depression and lethargy on “In Between” and “That Me on the Page”; and recalling memories of places, moments once taken for granted, and good things that didn’t stand the test of time on “38th and Lawton”. There are images of cups of coffee clutched to warm cold hands, and rounds of beer bought to dull painful memories.
But the undying memories of lost lovers in the songs are not the only ghosts on the album. The album is infused with the spirits of rock n roll’s rich heritage – the most obvious to this listener being that of Springsteen. There’s the Nebraska-evoking album cover to start with, and a few choice lyrical references in “Leaving NYC”; “I swear I saw Sandy’s ghost/she was drifting, she was lost down thunder road.”
Obvious influences notwithstanding, Lowlands has carved out its own sound; highlighted by a rich blend of violins, lap and pedal steel, and harmonica that don’t distract from the lyrics, but rise and swell melodically between verses to fill out the songs. The music evokes nature at its most unforgiving, through chilling segments in between verses - like blasts of cold wind on the ominous “Lately”; or stormy rain on the restless, desperate “Friday Night”.
While the overall feel of the album is sad and resigned, Lowlands really rocks out on a couple of tracks, showing the band’s dynamism. The album may not become a party favorite, but there’s a rock solid rock band just waiting to be completely unleashed, perhaps with the next recording session? The most raucous of all, is the penultimate track, “In the End” which is sequenced a lot like an upbeat, self-ironic encore number used to reward an audience towards the end of an otherwise dark live show. Ultimately it’s just a drunken, honest, and vulnerable come-on to a stranger at a bar; but it’s also a rare moment of light at end of a dark tunnel. It captures a rare moment of resilience and survival, and showcases Lowlands playing some good, ragged, and punchy rock n roll. That’s a mode I’d like to hear them in again soon, and I’m looking forward to the next chapter of the story.
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