The wonderful Upstate return – a duo of lifelong friends, whose optimism and passion for the process shines beautifully throughout their music. The sensational new album, their second to date, kicks into gear with a kind of Counting Crows intimacy and bounce – Gain leading us into the soaring guitar solos and mellow organic grooves of You Keep Me in a way that’s quick to get you feeling free from the weight of the world.
Promising a full-band set-up, with occasional accompaniment from an Italian horn section, You Keep Me features a multitude of refreshing and clever lyrical stories, as well as some satisfying soul and blues rock inflections, melodies, and licks.
Connecting for the same kind of realness and fearless honesty as Counting Crows and fun., this album continues to reach for the heart. Internal is fascinating, boldly revealing in its vulnerability, and captivating as we meander through these reflections on the self and the struggles of modern living. It’s an easy pattern of self-scorn at first, rising into a higher energy, impassioned chorus, where ‘please… keep me alive’ resounds in bold and beautifully desperate fashion; reinforcing the album’s concept, and connecting on an all the more deep, poignant, and personal level.
A dash of Americana and darker observation takes hold for the acoustic urgency of This Isn’t Me, an organic ode to anger and separation, with a mighty dynamic between male and female vocals throughout the ferocity and confrontation of the dialogue. Fake Me then strikes up a gritty distorted rock riff, and a live sound that quickly sets a cool but lyrically thoughtful mood.
After this, Ain’t Been Me is a defiant highlight, the story and sentiments, the vocal vulnerability, the musical warmth, the hook’s resolve – it’s a perfectly written song, both interesting and satisfying as it rolls along. A personal favourite, followed well by the emo-pop-punk stylings of a broadly relatable stomp that is Break.
Influence is vast throughout this project, sometimes highlighting a playful and limitless guitar playing style, other times leaning back and forth between indie rock and folk and pop. Consider the changing pace of I Am, a hint of something Alanis-like to the introspection, a raw indie band vibe to the set-up and slide of the strings. A similar blending of qualities pours through for the wonderful My Own Advice, but it’s yet another completely unexpected and unpredictable original song.
Funk and harmonies unite for the rising energy of Up or Down, while the rhythmic lightness and intrigue of Loar gets all the more personal and gritty in its self-exploration. Then there’s a kind of pop-rock humility and warmth to the mainstream flavours and melodies of Past.
The closing song of You Keep Me combines all former strengths quite beautifully. A strong groove, a likable riff, an easy melody and complex self-reflections, all wrapped up with a bold and memorable repeating hook line. String is an alternative ode to love, and it feels both familiar and original in its organic but impassioned folk-rock setting.
“If I didn’t have you, I wouldn’t have myself.”
Easily a favourite album from this year, a collection of songs that are eclectic yet each intoxicating and interesting – lyrics that are unpredictable, melodies that satisfy but also meander in a freely expressive way.
You Keep Me is a gem of an album, a true ode to the album as a timeless artform, and a strong introduction to a band who consistently deliver on the promise of realism, melody, groove, and pure musical connection.
Find Upstate on Facebook & YouTube.
