Home Stockholm is a stunning new project that sets the mood beautifully at the end of a long week. Bringing through the organic vibes of heartfelt, authentic Americana, the music leads with enjoyable grooves and holds you captive with uniquely expressive, consistently appealing vocals.
Stockholm as an opener is all of this, the perfect way to draw you in. What begins as a classic, nostalgic bit of blues-rock, soon evolves to become way more of an anthem than you could have expected. It’s subtle but effective, and brilliantly stylish – fit for the cinema, feeling a little Tarantino-like in many ways.
Comrade II follows and showcases a softer side to the band. A musically calming ambiance emerges, a little smoother and gentler as it surrounds you. Space allows the verse lines to really stand tall and tell their story in a fascinating way. I was reminded briefly of Rusted Root, this realness and this organic musicality – the band let the instrumentation work its magic, and you can hear that, and it’s a pleasure to witness.
An intriguing country twang steps onto the stage for Dunkirk, followed by another spacious yet deeply melancholic and mesmerizing vocal performance. The melody is simple but stunning – gripping as it pours through. A definite highlight, despite the strength of what came before – this song raises the band up way above their peers. That sense of mystery and depth is overwhelming, and the creative artistry of the musical set-up is all at once unpredictable and immensely satisfying. The intensity rises well, the changing pace feels cleverly poignant. Certain lyrics really stand out, lingering in your mind long after listening. A live show is absolutely the next step once you’ve heard this project.
The first thing that goes, as everyone knows, are the breaks…
One Of These Things leads with a sort of acoustic punk-pop, power-chord aura. A little indie-rock-like in nature, utilizing simple riffs and a raw drum-line to craft a genuine mood. The story-line and the images that follow work well in this setting and among this shuffle of a groove. A melodic highlight and easily the most memorable or quickly recognisable song on the project.
Ring Buoy finishes up the project with a fine balance between traditional folk-rock rhythms and electric guitar-led swagger. The song makes for a meditative few minutes, feeling familiar and comforting, yet still mysterious and compelling enough to re-capture a wandering mind once in a while. It’s a song you can play on repeat, again and again, just to see where your thoughts go – and to eventually let in the details of the story-line.
All This Huxley are incredible, refreshing and artful, fascinating, passionate. This project is everything you could hope for when the search for new music seems to have grown impossible. A total dream to escape within for a while.
Find & follow All This Huxley on Facebook, Soundcloud & Instagram.
