Tall Heights Release ‘Juniors’.
Written by: Jessey Napa
So, here’s your assignment:
Step 1 - Wait for the night to arrive.
Step 2 - Jump in your car
Step 3 - Find your nearest highway
Step 4 - Put on Juniors, the new album by Massachusetts duo Tall Heights (I’d highly recommend pulling over before doing this)
Juniors is an absolute masterclass in how an indie-folk record should sound. It is filled with stunning lyrics, the perfect amount of synths to complement the acoustic elements and vocal harmonies that would make Art Garfunkle blush.
I could talk for days about how amazing each part of Juniors is, but, for your sake I will just choose a few of the standout moments from the album.
If I could choose one area in which Juniors shines brightest, it would be in the more stripped back tracks such as “Raindrop & The Mountain”. By making the arrangements of these songs more sparse, it allows the vocal harmonies of Paul Wright & Tim Harrington to push through in a major way. I would honestly love this album just as much if it was 100% acapella.
The earliest standout track is the opening track, “Keeps Me Light”. I have no idea how this song (or any song on this album as a matter of fact) was written, but it felt like a jigsaw puzzle of a song. The noticeable Juxtaposition between the lyrical and instrumental sections of the song had every opportunity to be jarring but somehow avoided it. It was also enjoyable how “Keeps me Light & Locked Out” seamlessly bleed into each other.
Because I’m a sucker for a good guitar solo, the third standout moment from the album is the guitar solo towards the end of “Come Outside”. It is extremely emotive without being too flashy. Just imagine Lindsay Buckingham playing in an indie-folk band, that’s what it sounds like.
There is so much more to look out for on Juniors, but I will let you discover that for yourself.