The live show calendar falls on the meager side in February, which makes it the perfect time for me to seek out exciting bands previously not on my radar. Enter Brooklyn, New York’s Late Cambrian and their latest, the smart, chills-inducing Golden Time.
While the Grammy awards typically celebrate the most insipid, uninspired radio-friendly pop music, a dig beneath the surface of the genre will unearth gems like Late Cambrian. The quartet has taken the intricacies of a band like Phoenix, merged them with the soaring emotional grandeur of Temper Trap, and added an extra jolt of synth and percussion to create something familiar in sound but unique in execution.
The album kicks off with the kinetic Throwing Shade and never looks back. Every song makes you want to bounce. The title track should be a hit; NOW has a spiky guitar edge. Closer Shiny Cars brings it all home with emotion and power. And through it all, the harmonies are exquisite.
Late Cambrian’s Golden Time is music that puts a smile on your face and makes you want a dance. Count me in.
Golden Time is available for download and on CD now. A vinyl release is scheduled for March.