There are a few universal truths in music. The three-piece band is the purest form of rock and roll expression. The bands with the most tattoos have the worst songs. Great bands tend to look alike. And a single should have both an A and a B side, thus containing two songs. The International Treasures know all this, which is why their latest brace of singles is just that.
The first, “Last Regret,” is one of those effortlessly cool songs that gathers lovely and lilting Americana sounds around a gentle rock and roll groove, and the distant echo of country music dances through an accessible indie soundscape. It’s glorious, that perfect balance of understatement and infectiousness, a song that never over-extends from a duo that never overplays. Everything is just enough, exactly where it should be, perfectly serving the song. A place for everything and everything in its place.
“Whipsaw Wind” is what we used to call the B-side, although the digital age has largely paid tribute to that glorious ritual of flipping a disc over and dropping the needle, hearing that intro groove crackle before the accompanying song releases its sonic charms.
And its charms are found in abundance – a more countrified groove, a great use of space and dynamics, a soulful vibe running through a pastoral place, and reminding us that just because a song is relegated to second place on a physical release, it doesn’t mean to say it is the lesser of the two. Double A-side? Well, that’s just sonic semantics.
The format may be wonderfully old school, but this is the sound of seasoned sonic torchbearers taking a classic sound into a fantastic future.
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