LOS ANGELES, CA – Everest’s bold sophomore LP, On Approach [due April 20 on Vapor Records], soars to new heights, and reveals a band that is both confident and unified. “We weren’t a band for very long when we made Ghost Notes,†admits Russell Pollard (vocals, guitar, drums, lyricist). Ghost Notes was indeed an impressive debut for the quintet, one that carved a very specific slot in the current rock ‘n’ roll landscape, and offered them remarkable touring opportunities alongside peers and heroes including My Morning Jacket, Wilco and Neil Young. “We had songs, we recorded them in just two weeks, then immediately toured. On Approach has been a completely different experience,†Pollard adds.
Naturally, time on the road is a formative experience and Everest bloomed in a maximum capacity, finding their voice as a collective. “Now it’s guys who’ve actually struggled together and survived some tight spaces, cramped hotel rooms, some arguments and some really, really good times. There was a lot of collaboration, and we weren’t afraid to do anything,†reveals Pollard. From infectious and thumping opener, “Let Go,†to rocking, “House of 9’s,†or the sweet humming of, “Keeping The Score,†it’s apparent this is a singular unit that has creatively matured both collectively and individually.
With guitars that range from bright and chiming to tense and meandering, harmonies that are both delicate and pastoral, and Pollard’s gentle, hazy vocals, On Approach is reminiscent of a bygone era, a time before the Internet, when albums were still an art form and stories were told on vinyl. But as it exudes timelessness, as it ebbs from rustic grooves into hushed lullabies, it also asserts itself as something very of the here and now.
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