“Into the Stratosphere” – Fractal
Local dance-groove and jam band, Fractal, recently released its first EP, “Into the Stratosphere,” on March 5. Percussionist Jarrod Donatelli offered some of his thoughts on the recording process.
“We just hit it hard for six hours,” said Donatelli. “We did four tracks, two takes on each song and Matt, our drummer, did all the mixing and mastering and did a fantastic job taking the best parts and we got four studio tracks out of that one day.”
“Into the Stratosphere” is the group’s first EP and consists of six tunes: four originals and two covers. On the third track of the album, “Mulder’s Lament,” the group offers perhaps its most haunted tune, paying homage to the hit ’90s television show, “The X-Files.” The song bleeds in slowly before the rhythm section steadily takes over, which gives birth to a 4-minute jam that highlights the group’s undeniable chemistry and talents.
“We’re super proud of it, we had a good time making it. It was super fast, we didn’t have too much money to stay in the studio for too long, but we’ve gotten tons of good feedback from our fans all over the country,” gushed Donatelli. “We’ve been playing for four years now and we’re just excited to finally have something out there. It was something we’ve been talking about for a couple years and it finally came to fruition.”
The entire EP is now streaming on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music, found under the search “Fractal_bend,” and rings in at just under 50 minutes.
“Songs in the Key of Love” – Pete Kartsounes
“Songs in the Key of Love,” is Kartsounes’ 14th album as a multi-faceted musician and his first singer/songwriter album since 2020. The 11-song track list is peppered with spatial guitar solos, expansive keyboard sections and deeply personal lyrics throughout. “I didn’t want this to be an album of sad love songs; I wanted this to be an album of uplifting love songs,” he explained. “Once I found the right formula for the album, the wheels were in motion at that point and I worked 73 days on this album consecutively in my home studio.”
The album’s sixth tune, “Could This Be Love,” showcases Kartsounes at his most prolific as a songwriter. Armed with an acoustic guitar, the musician croons about fate, coincidence and the powers that bring two hearts together. “It’s something I’ve been wanting to put out for a long time, and I’ve been sitting on these unrecorded songs of love. It’s the most common thing we write about, you know?”
The album is set for release on March 22, with an intimate show celebrating the latest drop at The Commons Cafe.
“The Hiatus Session” – Not Your Ex Lover
This five-track EP from indie-women rock band, Not Your Ex Lover, released in February, delivers an evolved indie-rock sound without being weighed down by the cliches of effects-driven rock ‘n’ roll.
“We made this EP in an abandoned house that we found. We tore up the kitchen and did a little soundproofing before setting up in the living room,” recalled lead singer, Kourtni Diva. “We had our laptop and recording equipment and spent three days recording five songs and a video.”
The fan favorite tune, “Exposé,” brings back the power of punk as fuzz-laden guitar and a hard hitting rhythm section paints a rocking backdrop for Diva to muse on the pros of not being an assh*le and seeing clearly at night.
“These songs were the ones we felt confident in and that we knew we could have the full picture of,” explained Diva. “We didn’t want to do the traditional studio thing; we really didn’t know what we were doing and so we wanted it to be a fun experience with low pressure. We’re always flabbergasted when we open up Spotify and see that we’re on more playlists, and it’s so amazing to be so well-received so soon.”
This article appears in Mar 13-20, 2024.
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