I really wish I knew about indie bands from Florida. Fortunately, The Anchor Collective is here to help remedy that desire.

I have a confession to make, first off. Often I get so caught up in my vibey music world that I forget to stop and smell the roses outside of my niche, so to speak. The Anchor Collective scratches an itch I sometimes forget I have. But, the sound on Atlas sometimes gets pretty massive so I suppose this still fits in the realm of music I gravitate toward. But, baby steps, am I right?

The crew makes a brand of music that sounds like the offspring of Local Natives and The Head and the Heart, if they hung around The Lighthouse and the Whaler a bunch. Emphasis on harmony and vocals is paramount, and we hear this off the bat in “Keepers” and “The Storm, the Sleeper.” A particularly effective vocal melody is utilized in “Pocketknife.” The hook might be the most infectious on the album.

Two moments on the back end of the album stand out. The first is “Ink and Thread,” which might be the overall “vibiest” song on the record. Paradoxically massive and down to earth. I very much appreciate that juxtaposition. The second moment comes from the very last song, “You Are/In Everything (Plenty Space),” which makes use of a traditional church hymn. “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” is a song many grew up singing in Sunday School, and hearing that familiar melody combined with original lyrics about the omnipresence of God was a trip.

The Anchor Collective’s Atlas stands as one of the pleasant surprises of 2017 at the moment for this blogger. I’ll be enjoying their journey of amped up folk rock for the rest of the year and it will be interesting to see how our “best of” lists shake out.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/310125935″ /]

Score: 4.1/5

The Anchor Collective: bandcamp | Facebook