Phoenix, Arizona based 5-piece Herbert Walker return with the vibrant new single ‘Up Down’ taken from their upcoming album. We’re very excited to be running the premiere!
Taking a strikingly unique approach to making music, the band flawlessly blend elements of jazz, pop, indie-rock and folk into their material, spanning genres and jumping in style from track to track. The new single ‘Up Down’ is a fine example of this, steering away from the guitar led nature of much of their other material and instead leaning towards a more alternative soul-come-jazz sound.
Colourful, abstract and intricate soundscape of choppy yet buoyant piano, tight, tempo-shifting rhythms and beautiful layers of saxophones and wind instruments, ‘Up Down’ instantly captures a Black Country New Road-esque, jazz-come-post-punk-indie sound. Lazy yet effortlessly charismatic, biting and stirring vocal delivery tops the track adding a cool edge and giving the track it’s central pin.
Moving between long, engrossing instrumental sections and splashes of poetic lyricism, the single is breezy and beautiful before closing with a stunning sax solo just to truly hammer home what a talented bunch of musicians Herbert Walker are.
Speaking about the single, the band explain: “Up Down is about horror and banality and American life. To us, it is about childhood and escape and acceptance.”
An intriguing release from a band with huge potential, ‘Up Down’ is an exciting look at the upcoming album which is due next month.
Listen below:
