What A Time To Be Alive

the take

theres something about being (almost) 30 that has brought me right back to where i was when i was 16 years old, but this time with greater appreciation and wisdom!! thank goodness the musicians i loved when i was in highschool are still grinding away. I first learned of low bellow in 2019 at my first music business internship. I was working on the publicity team and my job was to scrap the internet of any mention of our roster of bands that month- lone bellow included. i am not surprised to see them continue to make fantastic music a decade later. What a Time to Be Alive, their 7th album, is FUN! It doesn’t take itself too seriosuly and it makes you feel like you are in the pit at Terminal Five. This time around, i hear a bit of war on drugs influence, something a little mystical and floaty. maybe it’s the floaty vibrating reverb of the electric guitar, noticeable especially in You Were Leaving. Wow this song is magic. The country storytelling of this band comes through, and is lifted to another hilltop by its instrumentation. "I was busy making plans Trying to get my shit together You were trying to live in the end We just talked about the weather And I didn't understand You were leaving" Honeysuckle is another standout for me, slow, groovy, reminding me of laying back on a porch swing on a sweaty day in Louisiana. The perfect blend of dixieland, country, and blues. "Oh, I hope she's singing that late-night lookout song Got my led foot pumping and my fever burning in my bones Don't makе me late, can't make my honеysuckle wait" Overall, this album feels rebellious- begging for listeners to release the trauma of living in this world for just a moment. After 13 years in the business, the Lone Bellow have hit their stride like never before. Favorite Songs: You Were Leaving Staring at the Sun Honeysuckle Artists Like: Noah Kahan Shakey Graves Mumford and Sons Christ Stapleton vibes: porch swing, americana, a little dirty