Lifelong friends and supreme songwriters – Upstate capture the moment beautifully, with the eclectic and colourful, uplifting and refreshingly honest tracks of their latest project North & South.
Featuring a versatile arrangement of organic instrumentation including guitars, banjos, bass, and multiple vocals, the project bursts into life with the distinct and engaging voice, melodic appeal and scene-setting story of A Gamble.
The mood is high, the set-up pure and powerful in its folk to rock fusion, and the lyrics captivate with each new line. It’s an immensely strong start, and the entire project continues to reach that high bar set by the opener.
Mike Jeffery, John Contino and Chris Buckingham grew up in Palmyra, NY – an upstate friendship that saw them start making music together at just 13 years old. There’s plenty to be said about this depth of connection, as it really lets the music feel both honest and freely performative – a kind of fearless creativity that only true confidence in your surroundings and the support of your peers can really achieve.
Rounding out the current Pittsburgh line-up are Carrie Jeffery on female vocals, and Mark Sciaruto on drums.
Moonshine follows, a new dynamic, a brighter sense of poetic celebration, and a definite nod to the likes of Counting Crows in how the melody and story develop. Musically though, Upstate maintain their unique fusion of traditional folk and pop rock, and that quality is mighty amidst the strength of these songs.
Great guitar work, from catchy riffs to unexpected pairings and outright evocative patterns. 82 Stairs showcases this well, and grips you once again with a story that feels deeply personal yet strangely relatable. Having said that, the title and resolve are impressively unpredictable, and this gifts the song more of that character and identity that is Upstate.
Splinter brings the full-rock energy and the gritty, quirky tone of that first lead to the forefront in an infectious and compelling way. The meeting between acoustic and distorted instruments is beautifully blended, and suits the unmistakable sound of this voice perfectly. Then we move into the well-placed intimacy of Galaxy, something like an emotional rock ballad with a twist of folk-punk and singer-songwriter realism.
Landscape is stunning, folk rock and thoughtful writing elevated by a simple but striking melody, and a notably personal, vulnerable thread of lyrics that hold attention throughout. One of the album’s more gentle presentations, but something of an addictive highlight for its heartbreak and hypnotic progression.
Wanting to Leave follows on well, feeling like another page in this story, and uplifting for its gorgeous harmonies and the finely-crafted nature of the arrangement. Another definite favourite, from an album that naturally insists upon you listening more than a few times over.
Wrapping things up is the revealing title-track North & South. Third-party storytelling meets with an individual journey and some quirky fragments of sound, for a good-vibes musicality and chorus-led song that would no doubt impress all the more so in the live setting.
As mentioned, this won’t be the last time I listen to North & South. Upstate have created something wonderful with this project, and the music feels both timeless and original as it consistently strengthens its connection with the listener.
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