Written By: Nick Garrastegui
Richmond, VA based band Downhaul have released their much anticipated second album “Proof.” The band have managed to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump with a positively stunning collection of songs.
The album kicks off with “Bury.” On my first listen, it sounded as if it were a brief intro track to set the mood for the rest of the album. Once the rest of the band kicked in however, I realized I was beginning a 7-minute epic of a first track. “Bury” is almost like the album’s cover; a gloomy, winding road that pulls you in.
The second song, “Dried,” picks up the pace musically and contains some of my favorite lyrics on its bridge. While the entirety of it is amazing, the closing words of “So tell me right now/ If I’m wasting my time here” are fitting to the melancholy guitars that surround it.
The first three tracks on “Proof” do a great job of showcasing the sounds explored across each track. “Scatterplot” is the first fast song you come across and offers a different sound than the two before it. At times it almost echoes the bluesy guitars found from bands like The Gaslight Anthem.
“Curtains” is a simple song instrumentally. It leaves space for the lyrics to come across similar to spoken word poetry. I particularly enjoyed a part towards the end of the second verse where the drums follow the vocal melody; it’s a nice touch musically.
The lyrics on each track do a fantastic job of complementing each gloomy instrumental and this is especially the case on “Standing Water.” The lines, “ I’m still standing / On slanted shingles / In Newport News / As it all / Slips through my fingers” paint a portrait that sets you up for the remainder of the track.
Track six, “Circulation,” explores the breakdown of a relationship. The lines “Another waiting room / Another chance for us to come clean / Another chance to say what we mean” followed by the refrain “But we don’t / We don’t / We don’t” at first appear to be about a romantic relationship. However we later hear the words “Well I’ve been a poor friend,” telling us it’s actually a departure from typical romantic breakup songs.
After six songs of somber instrumentals, the upbeat acoustic guitar found on “The Ladder” is quite jarring. The song acts as a turning point for the album; a turn to a more hopeful tune.
The words “The way the brightest of colors still flicker / Across your scaffolding as I search for something bigger” welcome us to the final stretch of “Proof.” “Eyesight” goes deeper into the newfound love we expect the narrator has found after “The Ladder.” We get our confirmation in the lyrics “Split second spotlights / Toy with my eyesight / But you’re all I see.”
To conclude this musical journey, we have “Interlude” which flows right into the closer “About Leaving.” Downhaul fans will recognize "About Leaving” as also being the title of the band’s 2017 EP. It’s a nice way to recognize how much the band has grown since then.
The song opens with the lines “I’m gonna stand up straighter / I’m gonna leave and I won’t come back / Until I feel better.” It’s a song of pensive reflection by the narrator with the line “I gotta learn to leave” repeating occasionally throughout. Eventually the instruments fade and the album comes to a close.
The production on “Proof” is incredible and each song comes across as stunningly clean without sounding overproduced. The instruments can breathe freely within each track and almost feel as though they’re surrounding your head in a warm, musical blanket. The songs feel spacious and every listen I felt like I was able to pick out a new layer of ambience.
“Proof” can be best summed up as an experience. It’s an album that deserves your full attention throughout your listen and provides beautiful imagery in return. It is also an album that grows on you and I felt myself enjoying it more and more with each listen.
“Proof” is available to stream wherever you listen to music. You can keep up with the band by following them on twitter @downhaulband and you can order merchandise here! Like the song? You can let us know what you think over on twitter @lgndsoftmrw!
Comments