Girl at the Rock Shows

It’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed a full album. I’ve honestly just run out of time but there are so many amazing albums out there that I am determined to find a way to fit it back into my schedule. Instead of telling you about all of the ways I’m busy, how about I just tell you about Motherway’s new EP ‘I Curse Dead Stars’?

This all-too-quick four-song EP kicks off with the title track, “I Curse Dead Stars” and it instantly gave me a sense of calm that was so badly needed today. There’s something almost eerie and haunting about the beginning of this song. Slow, steady, and dark vocals joined by minimal instrumentation absolutely set a mood for this song but, with a length of six and a half minutes, I knew there was more in store for me throughout this song. There’s a subtle but intense build throughout “I Curse Dead Stars” that keeps you hooked until the epic song is over which was surprising as, with my current mental state, my attention span seems to be dismal at best. I feel like the fact that this song kept me engaged until the very end says all that needs to be said about this opening masterpiece.

The atmospheric vibe from the opening track continues into “A Mirage” yet the entire mood of the album seems to change with this second song. Although there’s still an undeniable sense of darkness and pain behind the vocals, there’s almost something whimsical about the instrumentation that joins the darkness. Chief songwriter of this band, Brandon Motherway, really has a way with words and I feel like that really comes to fruition in this track. The lyrics are equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking and Brandon’s delivery of said lyrics just really drives that point home. There are true high points scattered throughout this song (most notably around the two minute mark) that instantly gave me chills and made me feel the passion all the way to my core which was a truly beautiful moment.

I honestly wasn’t surprised when the mood shifted completely again as the album moved onto “Hippie Dippie”. This song drops that dark and ominous vibe and replaces it with a more folksy whimsy with a sense of optimism behind it. In the information I got about this album, Brandon mentions that this song “ruminates on key marks of hippie culture and practice of psychedelic hedonism”. This is a far cry from the two opening songs that seemed to be more about relationships and existential crises yet still seems to have the same amount of heart behind it which had me sold on this track. That mixed with the free-feeling that it gave my heart and soul made this a true stand out on an already stellar release.

‘I Curse Dead Stars’ ended with a sense of power that I wasn’t quite expecting from Motherway but, again, I wasn’t surprised by at all. “My Cactus” is anthemic and almost mainstream feeling (well, as commercial feeling as Motherway can get). With psychedelic undertones and that strong indie-folk vibe that Motherway does so good, this song will make you want to get up and dance while still blasting you right in the heart with the indisputable sense of passion and, well, heart, that Motherway has in everything they do. Just listening to Motherway and reading some of the information they sent me with this album, I know they had a reason for placing this more upbeat song last. Their reasons are probably way different than why I think they placed this song last but I can tell you that ending the album with “My Cactus” was brilliant because it made me want to drop everything and dig into anything and everything else I can find by this band.

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