Kera and the Lesbians bring the dusty Southern California heart beat-skipping tension with the premiere of their new single “Nailbiter”. From the garages of Escondido, the stages of San Diego's Casbah to the band's current Los Angeles residency; Kera, Phil, Michael, Brandon, Eamon have been working on expanding their self-described “bipolar folk” into a full-length tapestry that reflects their own true grit take on Southwest Americana. Following up their Green Apples 7″, Kera & crew release their single Nailbiter today that sashays in a 'fixin' to die Lord' blues lounge hope for a semblance of redemption; if but just to release a portion of the tension.
The muted horn howl from Brandon's brass sets the scene as Kera takes center stage with lyrical tales spun in candied apple apprehensive anxieties. “Mind starts to worry, slightest thing could set it off, cold paranoia, heart skips a beat, it's bound to stop.” The stresses described receive an amplified personification from Michael's back beat engine to Eamon's mirage vision guitar taken from the Mojave tradition of twang-picking troubadours, to electric moods ripped from late night western spy movies found on Turner Classics.
Brandon's horn brass stirs with a voice unto it's own, resembling at times the destitute stumbling bar fly, to the wailing motions of Kera's growling femme fatale with a tall order of unfinished business to sell. “Feel cold and clammy, those things that come to mind, you dirty prankster, this has to be the millionth time, deep breaths love and you'll be fine…” Like a guide to cure the common day death-fearing panic attack; K and the Lesbians suggest a spin on the yoga breath by encouraging a hand to mouth vice that cannot be good for anyone's cuticles. “And by the way, all you say, the 10 fingernails the Lord gave me, by the way, the mind's a tease, death comes swift and is almost a breeze.” Then images of cigar smoke-filled speakeasies are conjured to mind from the vintage jazz club instrumentation, as Phil keeps the bass standing tall, firm, steady, and rumbling like a classic express liner.
“What's left you ask? A few short stops, the North is mine.” Kera takes on the attitude of a drifter on the run, heading north for a new town, or a late night band van drive while driving on the I-5 from San Diego to LA. While the anxious stress frets over the constraints of mortality and humorous “dirty prankster” accusations, the solution to quell the fingernail chewing comes from Kera's comforting chorus refrain assertions of, “one deep breath love, you'll be fine.”
The new Kera and the Lesbians single “Nailbiter” is available now from their Bandcamp with a debut full-length coming this summer.
