Hazy Heartbreak Indie Rock
Sliding Lines is indie pedigree: cinematic, mysterious and hazy. Each song tells a story and although its hard to figure out the exact story, its easy to imagine each of the songs being placed in a movie or TV series soundtrack. Waking Dreams, a duo consisting of Jason Letkiewicz and Angela Chambers, are here not only to be heard, but felt. Despite odd experimental and metallic bouts of energy towards the end, Sliding Lines makes a good listen for anyone looking for new rising stars in the indie scene.
With a prominent lead guitar and the tambourine, opening track “For You,” pulls the listener in for a ride. The vocals are dreamy and hazy, like smoke. The bass is like staff behind the scenes, hard to spot, but the show keeps running thanks to it. The guitar plays the riff throughout the song, but has a few bars where its seems out of place and unharmonious. Overall, the song is an enjoyable listen, and a great hook to keep the listener wanting more.
“Glance” is more gloomy and has a certain impending-ness to it. The drums are tranquil, a four on the floor accentuating the rhythm and impending-ness of the track. The song was aiming for a calm vibe, but the percussion at the end is surprisingly warm and captivating. “Glance” talks about looking into someone’s eyes, possibly a deity’s eyes, “Do you see looking through on the other side nothing, […] you’re looking through me now.”
“Smile” keeps the same smoky and hazy demeanor as the previous tracks. Twangy guitars and slides further reinforce the western theme. “Smile” is about someone with depression losing the spark in their eyes and feeling lifeless. The lyrics “they say you’re the same soul without a change, as I recall the light was in your eyes,” and “Walked away from all the fears and lost your smile” emphasize the change a person can go through when they’re depressed.
Leaning more into ’80s rock, “Best Of” sounds like harsh distorted guitars are about to come in any second, but they never do. It’s anticipatory and mildly haunting, but never gives into chaos. The lyrics talk about avoiding love in order to protect oneself from hurt.
“Not So” starts with a cavalcade of drums. Like horses’ hooves, the drums sound like they’re taking you somewhere into a story. The bass is essential, thick and brassy. The guitars are crisp, alluring and never too complex, but with enough charisma to feel consistently fresh.
“Downfall” is calm and lulls the listener into a trance. With jingling bells instead of a tambourine, the song is somehow relaxing instead of cheerful. This track has a different way of executing its instrumentation than the rest of the tracks, and it serves as a good interlude between the first part of the album and the second.
“Chances” is a ballad about a long distance relationship. It takes a weird direction musically, starting as a ballad and turning into an semi-experimental indie song, and then back into a ballad and back into indie rock. Oddly enough, the end of the track has very prominent and loud percussion coming in, confusing the listener as to the direction of the album.
As the namesake of the album, “Sliding Lines” has a lot of expectations to meet. Starting with a synth and a nostalgic, twangy guitar, Waking Dreams pull the listener into the song. Unfortunately, the song is a bit too short, serving more as an interlude than as a single or a memorable song.
“Beg” is one of the least enjoyable tracks on the album. Starting with metallic synths, the structure is decent, but the song sounds muddled, mainly due to the over-distorted guitar noise spread out over the entire track.
As one of the longer tracks on the album “Tell,” showcases the duo’s songwriting skills, taking their audience for a ride along more diverse verses. “Tell” is an ode to being alone, on your own and having to deal with everything that comes your way in a cold, rational way, with no room for mistake. It doesn’t matter if you cry or suffer, life is unforgiving and harsh. A lyrically powerful closer, Waking Dreams sends their audience off with uncertainty, and wishing for more.
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