The Accidentals set sail in a “Vessel” with bright, indie-rock colors

Alt-folk group Traverse City is kicking off an album release tour this week featuring several shows in Michigan, promoting their vibrant new collection. Listen to the album exclusively today on Local Spins.

Improve their approach “and truly based on folklore”: accidents. (Photo / Anthony Norkus)

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Traverse City alt-folk / pop group, The Accidentals, spent an entire year recording and creating their latest album, “Vessel”, overcoming the challenges of a pandemic to refine a “truly diverse folk-rock sound” .

The new album is officially released on Friday (October 1), with the band – with special guest Grand Rapids’ Patty PerShayla on guitar – opening their album release tour with Sawyer Fredericks in Traverse City tonight (September 29).

Local Spins readers today get an exclusive preview of the full album.

Accidental
“Ship”

What emerges: The title song of The Accidentals’ The highly anticipated and hard-hitting new studio album offers a glimpse into the challenges of the past year and more: where I want to be / It’s like parking in front of a moving car / You all sense your point of sight / Am I backing up or standing still / I guess everything is subjective. During a pandemic that has made many of us wonder if we are moving or standing still, The Accidentals offers an elaborate but above all DIY musical balm and an uplifting way out of this mess. As true tonal artists, Traverse City’s folk-pop group of master class musicians sow lyrics, harmonies and instruments that transform into inspiring soundscapes with lush imagery. It’s hard not to love what the band does best: creating enchanting lyrics, mixing them with layered vocals and backing them up with less instrumentation is more uplifting without distracting. With familiar harmonies delivered by Savannah Buist, Katie Larson and Michael Dause, “Vessel” is both a calming musical cue for longtime fans and what the group describes as a project radiating “bright, bright colors.” Among the most resplendent of them are the tracks “Go Getter”, “Rollercoaster”, “Waste”, “Simple Terms” and “Slow and Steady”, all of which add brushstrokes and indie-rock muscle to a palette already deserved. national and international recognition.
Dig deeper: As always, the group – whose resumes as highly educated and educated musicians have always eclipsed their contemporaries and inspired wise lyrical content beyond their years – creates an insightful roadmap for better days to come after the suffocating darkness. Make no mistake, it’s still about The Accidentals, which builds on a proven folk comfort that has sustained them since their teenage years, exploring musical boundaries for the first time. But their ability to create depth with their arrangements continues to enrich their work. The guitar riff on “Damascus Blades” circling the track is unmatched with its addictive loop, so much so that its subtle replacement with simple harmonic notes brings out its beauty until it returns. “Wildfire,” meanwhile, balances iconic, layered vocals with an intimate songwriting that brings listeners closer together before filling them with warm memories – a humble and charming track with soft-spoken beauty. This is another example of a trio who have worked tirelessly to improve their art, add technical know-how to their recording repertoire, improve their sound and create a “spot of light” for a more human world. Ultimately, across its 14 tracks, “Vessel” sails as a living and artfully crafted repository of hope, especially for anyone – like the subject of “Marrow” – with a “broken kick for a heart”.
Perfect for: Ringing in the melancholy mood of autumn with a bloody air.
Website: https://www.theaccidentalsmusic.com/
Upcoming shows in Michigan (with Sawyer Fredericks): Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 September at City Opera House in Traverse City (with Sawyer Fredericks); Friday October 1 at State Theater in Bay City; October 2 at The Ark in Ann Arbor; October 7 to Great Lakes Arts Center in Petoskey (presented by Blissfest); October 8 to Cheboygan Opera House in Cheboygan (presented by Blissfest); October 9 to Calvin University Covenant Fine Arts Center in Grand Rapids.
Exclusive listening: “Ship”