On Hope: The Thing with Feathers releases ‘Sundays in the South’ EP.
Written by: Emma Wallace
“It’s an empowerment, a call to something greater, a belief in something more, but most of all it is hope.” This is what the lead singer of The Thing with Feathers, Dave Welsch, says of the band’s music, and nowhere is this message more apparent than in their new EP, Sundays in the South. The five tracks possess a spunk that embodies their trademark DIY alt-rock pop sound, eccentric and dance-able but still deeply layered.
The EP begins with an instrumental head-banger that immediately electrifies the listener, before descending into the second track’s addictive drumbeat and yearning lyrics. Fans of Wallows’ early music will love the familiar alternative-rock beat of “Static”and “Park”, tracks that would be perfect for car rides on a summer night with their whimsicality and subtle notes of angst. The final track, meanwhile, is more reminiscent of a soft folk sound: the yearning remains, but serves more as a quiet, nostalgic reflection with the speaker confessing ‘I just want to fall asleep in your arms’. This range shows that The Thing with Feathers is far more than a garage band: what began as a “frat bro cover group” has developed into a full-fledged wonder, a testament to the power of hope.