Words: Lucas Gladman
Escondido has never struck me as a band that takes themselves too seriously. Their debut album, The Ghost Of Escondido, is an exercise in true and steady musicianship, but the album’s subject matter and tongue-in-cheek strut comes across as playful and spontaneous—it’s exactly what I would expect Mazzy Star to sound like if they were tasked with scoring a Quentin Tarantino flick. Walking With A Stranger—the latest effort from Escondido—carries the same over-the-shoulder smirk that you can’t help falling for, but it also raises the stakes with the quality of both the songwriting and production.
Escondido is effectively the Nashville-based songwriting duo of Jessica Maros and Tyler James. Their music comes off as some kind of pop-rock leaning version of alt-country or americana, though the duo has self-described their music as ‘desert sex,’ which doesn’t feel like an incorrect analysis. Sometimes the hooks and melodies have the faintest taste of bubblegum, but they never seem out of place and they’re usually quite flattering where the arrangements are concerned.
The songwriting on Walking With A Stranger is stronger and much more consistent than the songwriting on the band’s debut full-length, but this is to be expected as The Ghost Of Escondido was written in the band’s infancy. Walking With A Stranger was written and released after years of touring and an apparent separation when Maros moved to Los Angeles. The songwriting pulled the duo back together, and that can be felt thematically across the album. Maros and James give us a push and pull in just about every form possible—from romper to ballad—and they sell it on every track. There are certainly standouts, such as early singles “Heart Is Black” and “Try,” but nearly every song on the album has the potential to be placed in some form of media. As a collection, the songs on Walking With A Stranger are rarely too serious, but it’s ok because they appear to be self-aware and this makes the honest moments feel all the more sincere.
Escondido has Nashville roots, but the journey to their sophomore release feels like it could partner well with a night drive from Laurel Canyon to the bright lights of Downtown Los Angeles. The Ghost Of Escondido was recorded live in a single day—such a feat is both impressive and limiting. Maros and James take a different approach with Walking With A Stranger by taking their time throughout its production, and we can immediately take pleasure in their patience. The recordings on Walking With A Stranger feel vibrant and fluid like I would expect a live album to feel, but there is so much more depth and precision that comes from weeks and months spent on tracking and overdubbing. The arrangements are wider and the layers are full-bodied. The songs have room to breathe and space to grow on you and with you and for you.
Escondido self-releases their music through their own label, Kill Canyon, which places them in an advantageous position with fewer leashes. Seeing a band this young at the beginning of what should be a very promising album cycle is exciting. One could hope that this is the beginning of a long and fruitful career, but all we can do is watch as they navigate through the currents, play to their strengths, and attempt to look past each other’s faults.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/232618515″ /]
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