Acoustic guitar vibes in strong supply kick off the intimate and passionate live sound of River Knight’s new album Grow.
Featuring paired vocals and a clear sense of energy and warmth as the music builds, She Came Round makes for a catchy, organic opener, leading with a sort of Oasis indie vibe and folk brightness united.
Offering hints of harmonica, rhythms, glocks and other details that help light up the room, the sound is instantly likeable, and the songwriting proves engaging and even deeply calming for its structure, melodic progression, and the resounding optimism of the lyrics. An uplifting listen, and a great way to start the album.
As the project continues, the set-up maintains this acoustic strum lead and lyrics that dig deep into the human experience. Not How Your Mother is a fine example, suddenly melancholic in its descending melodic lines and profound contemplations, evolving again in a manner that tips its hat to the indie bands of a simpler era. The vocals seem a little off centre occasionally, but to be fair this helps reinforce the authenticity of the indie experience – the live sound, the raw emotion, the commitment to the theme.
Highlights from the eleven-track project include the finger-picking delicacy and contrasting rhythmic presence and synth-play of Regret My Goodbyes, heartache connecting for its reflective, fearlessly honest portrayal of struggle. Here we move towards the knees-up folk-rock bands who set the vibe perfectly well at festivals.
Sense Out Of Crisis is another, a multitude of vocals backing up the rise towards possibility with a choir-like level of unity. Then there’s the infectious groove and again fearless honesty of Something Gone Wrong, a hint of Americana adding versatility to the collection.
The single Mystic Miles represents the band’s sound well, with multiple vocals, a gentle acoustic build up, and poetic consideration that’s beautiful by imagery and deeply personal in the same instance.
There are plenty of potential hits in the set, especially when you consider the embrace of the live show – the added passion and devotion during those big choruses, when a real-time audience is on hand to share in and appreciate the moment.
There’s also plenty of meaning woven into the songs, the likes of which stand a little taller with each revisit. Elope, towards the end, and the again poetic Shades That Hide The Sun, both emerge at a time when minds may have wandered, but each have their own stories of depth and humanity at their core, and are notably worth connecting with.
Nostalgic as you could hope for, naturally crafted, confidently performed, even with an unexpected touch of hip hop during the closer. Grow delves into its underlying topic with heart, focus, and a defiant love for the process from all involved.
Check out River Knight on Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram or visit their Website.
