Warm and intimate, Waco-based band Lomelda’s debut album Forever feels familiar on the first listen. Rest assured, the arrangements are fresh: dexterous, syncopated rhythms and multi-tracked vocals meander through mellow grooves and build to magnificent crescendos, following Hannah Read’s fearless warble. No, it’s not that we’ve heard this record before, but it is so inviting, so earnest that it feels a little like an unexpected phone call from an old friend or the glowing light of a house somewhere on hill in the dusky distantce. The phone rings and the voice on the other end makes you smile at once; it is early evening mid-week and I am calling just to say “hello.” Or you know your journey is almost over and accelerate gently when you crest the adjacent ridge. Whatever the metaphor, it has the spiritual texture of something sincere and personal. On the opening track, Read sings, “I don’t know why, but I want to say, ‘I feel at home with you.'” Well, the feeling is mutual.
Tonight, Lomelda will celebrate the release of Forever at Cheer Up Charlies. They’ll be joined by an outstanding lineup of bands: Denton-based band Pageantry and Austin’s own Battle Bend and Cowboy Crisis. Battle Bend, the project of Andrew Stevens, is always a treat that’s never guaranteed to make another appearance anytime soon, so show up early and stay late, true believers. Stream “Spiritual Health” by Lomelda below.
