Ravens & Chimes are an indie rock band out of New York City that have been at it for over a decade. The group formed in 2005 and are just weeks away from their third album’s release. The Empty House is out March 22 and today we have the premiere of the newest single from the record, “Irreplaceable Artifacts.”
The song has a loping rhythm and eerie instrumentation that recall vintage heartland rock with a strong mix of modern indie rock influence. The song breaks down to the earnestly-sung vocals and a kick drum at the end, allowing Ravens & Chimes to strip the song down to its barest elements. It’s a fitting ending to an elaborately arranged yet ultimately straightforward rock song.
“We recorded this song (and part of the album) at The Magic Shop in NYC around the same time in 2015 that David Bowie was secretly recording Blackstar there,” said lead singer Asher Lack. “I saw their calendar had a bunch of open days on it so I called up to see if we could do a session. They said “sure but it has to be on Monday because we’re booked the rest of the month” which didn’t make sense. When Backstar was released and it came out that he had recorded it at The Magic Shop I realized we must have been working during one of Bowie’s off days. I wish we had actually crossed paths and I could have told him about the time I cut school to get tickets to see him at Roseland. I think the story ended up fitting the song pretty well.”
The Empty House was recorded with producer Kevin McMahon, who’s worked with like-minded artists like Real Estate, The Walkmen and Titus Andronicus. It follows a long break in full-length releases for the band, with their last LP coming in 2012 in the form of Holiday Life. Before that the band released their debut Reichenbach Falls in 2006.
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