Richmond, VA’s White Laces and Philly’s Arches both have a preternatural ability to stimulate the subconscious, transmuting life’s geography into a hyper reel of sonic film. So, after hitting the road over the summer together, it’s only natural that the two recently coalesced onto a split 7”, solidifying their bond on wax. Gotta love '95 romances.
White Laces opens on the A-side with the cathartic “Dissolve Into Color” initiated by vocalist/guitarist Landis Wine’s signature vacillating tremolo bar gouge. Drummer Jimmy Held navigates the dissonance with his syncopated, almost stumbling at times, raps and crashes, charting an alcove for Wines’ slurred moans to resonate above the hip-twisting discord.
Arches’ flip side contribution, “Late Last Night,” evokes the effervescent sway of (RIP) Desolation Wilderness. Recorded in a church and saturated with warm synth, the production is taken closer to the sun than Icarus could have ever imagined. Julien Greenberg’s vocals peel over his rhythmic jangle on the git, while co-founder Tom Herman’s exaggerated, delay bends melt into the steady bass and ethereal-jazz percussion. Twice the gang veers from the honey-drip tempo to explore brief bursts of excited crunch and crash just to make sure your head hasn’t wandered too far away from its feet. Scope the video for “Late Last Night” composed of footage from their autumnal tour, below.
Cop the White Laces/Arches split 7” over at Worthless Junk.
