Melbourne Band Roller One Release Their New Single 'So Far Away'
In the past, the band— based around Fergus McAlpin and Adam Affif—has been compared to Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt, Johnny Cash, Don Walker, and Gram Parsons. Add to that list Bill Callahan, Lambchop, and Giant Sand, and you get a real sense of a band operating right across the arc of country and folk music, from the instigators to the modern-day alt-country and Americana progenitors who place the music in contemporary settings, with poetry, atmosphere, and eloquence.
McAlpin and Afiff reunite with their ex-Silver City Highway band mates Simon Edwards (drums) and NIck Hurle (pianos), with additional contributions from Georgia Knight on vocals and Cahill Kelly on guitar. The result is more electrically charged, with drive and energy, whilst still retaining the band's organic warmth and sound.
On 'So Far', which premiered on Radio City/PBS, the guitars chug with a persistent groove, like prime-era Smog, as Hurle's piano unfurls across the song and McAlpin sings ' sometime I wander, and get lost a little, and end up far away', exploring the dichotomy of distraction versus attraction, with nuance and grace.
Roller One offers a unique blend of introspective songwriting, sparse instrumentation, and emotionally resonant delivery, as evidenced by this superb first taste of their forthcoming new album, on Cheersquad Records & Tapes.
CREDITS
Fergus McAlpin - Vocals, Guitar
Adam Afiff - Double Bass
Simon Edwards - Drums
Nick Hurle - Pianos
Additional Players:
Cahill Kelly - Guitars
Georgia Knight - Backing Vocal
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