Background
Race To Neptune is a Fort Collins, Colorado, 4-piece with stories to tell and the right tools at their disposal. Equal parts Brian Maier (guitar, vox), Vanessa Freese (drums), Ken Cavanaugh (bass, vox), and Zach Berger (guitar), this outfit is full of powerful storytelling, and soaring guitar solos.
Lifted from an interview with AXS, we felt this was a great introduction to the group:
“AXS: What brought Race to Neptune together?
Zach: Beer.
Brian: Vanessa and I had a mutual friend that introduced us. I met her at a house party and she asked me how I expected to get laid wearing the shirt that I had on.
Ken: I came over for a birthday party that was at Brian’s house. They were jamming without a bass player and I asked if they needed one. For our second practice I bought a bass guitar.
Zach: I was trying to steal Brian’s girlfriend’s drinks at the bar. So basically, yes, beer brought us together.”
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“Wanderlily” is the first track off Race To Neptune’s Oh Contraire, where the album name is a play on words — replacing “Au” with “Oh” insinuating that the band’s sound is uniquely “on the contrary” to most modern music.
Verdict
“Wanderlily” immediately cuts to the truth of Race To Neptune. Oh Contraire is a treasure chest of gritty distortion and meaningful lyrics. Soaring guitar solos, and the cutting, dynamic vocals of the group are nearly unforgettable.
The rage, the passion, and the unbelievable reality that Race To Neptune is better sounding than this, live on stage is another level of awe. Often, with so much detail thrown into the formula for Oh Contraire, one would think it could be lost on listeners in any other context — yet, they command attentiveness through their simple independence.
Cohesion must be at an all-time high, fruitfully capturing the intensity, grit and thoughtful insights distributed through their latest release. A very clean, no bullshit, 5/5.
Support
You can give Race To Neptune the love they deserve on Bandcamp and on iTunes.
