Far Caspian - Ricky Lewis
Background - Emerging Leeds outfit Far Caspian deliver atmospheric pop offering The Place, the next single taken from their upcoming debut EP, out via UK label Dance To The Radio this autumn.
Staking their claim as one of Yorkshire’s hottest new indie prospects, the band’s latest hazy anthem sees the influences of Real Estate, Grizzly Bear and Band Of Horses seep into their sound, combining to dreamy effect and likely to draw further acclaim throughout the online community.
Lead by frontman and guitarist Joel Johnston, the Irishman now residing in Leeds alongside fellow band members Jof Cabedo (drums and vocals) and Alessio Scozarro (bass and vocals), Far Caspian’s infectious songwriting approach explores his transition to life in the UK and the upheaval that ensues.
“We wanted to have a track on the EP that was based more on intricate rhythms but instead we went for a pretty stripped back arrangement so it made sense alongside our other tracks”, the trio stated. “The song itself is about overthinking things in social situations and feeling like you aren’t contributing enough to conversation because you’re feeling awkward”.
With recent singles Holding On and Let’s Go Outside blowing up online, the three-piece are firmly establishing themselves within the indie landscape - support slots alongside Her’s, Indoor Pets and when young in the autumn following their debut appearance at Leeds Festival later this month. FACEBOOK.
Despite the stripped back nature of 'The Place' there is a richness to the song. It's tuneful and the laid back indie vibes are abundant, with the clever rhythm arrangement adding a further dimension to this piece.
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Background - Ricky Lewis shares the second track "TV on a Tiny Screen" from his upcoming album. Ricky Lewis has always been a sucker for romanticism and nostalgia. Maybe it has something to do with being raised by the television. A latch key kid of the 90s. John Hughes movies over microwave dinners. Mythical levels of youthful melodrama, its hope and its agony, blaring over car speakers on stoned summer nights in the middle of nowhere New England. The kind of town you either never leave or escape while you can. There was nothing to do but move to New York City.
Lewis dabbled in odd jobs all the while documenting this new life with an almost nightly ritual of songwriting, something he had stumbled upon as a teenager when his uncle gave him a cheap guitar and showed him a G chord. Burrowed in Astoria, what might as well have been a continent away from downtown, the solace songwriting provided felt like enough to get by, but eventually the swiftly gentrifying city caught up with him. Waiting tables wasn't cutting it and Ricky came close to having to pick it all up and move back home.
He was pretty much packing his bags when, like an apparition, a young woman he could have sworn he'd met before came into his life. Within weeks she suggested he move in to her Astor Place loft overlooking Broadway and 8th Street. Herself a burgeoning visual artist, the two kindred spirits had found in each other a muse. Somebody to bounce ideas off of, to challenge, to impress. There was a brand new city opening before Rickyʼs eyes.
Time passed, bands were started and ended, gallery shows opened and closed, small artistic victories came with setbacks- bigger bills to be paid, aging family members to take care of. The couple that had once shared a quickly worn and earmarked copy of Patti Smith's Just Kids grew apart as personal projects took on more weight. This was a breakup, and it hurt. WEBSITE.
Ricky Lewis has distinct and likable vocals that give 'TV On A Tiny Screen' something of a head start in their own right. It's something of a singer / songwriter track immersed in alt rock clothing, and it subtly works it's way into your life.
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