Artist:     I Draw Slow

Album:     Turn Your Face To The Sun

Label:     Compass Records

Release Date:     04/21/2017

95

BUY DIGITAL

BUY PHYSICAL

Dublin-based folk-roots quintet I Draw Slow formed almost a decade ago, led by siblings Dave (guitar/vocals) and Louise (vocals) Holden. Backed by equally talented multi-instrumentalists, I Draw Slow is a group blending historically Irish storytelling with full Americana rhythms. Their newest album, Turn Your Face To The Sun, releasing via Nashville label Compass Records on April 21st, finds the band further developing their rich, one-of-a-kind sound.

Turn Your Face To The Sun opens with “Maria,” immediately showcasing the band’s talent across the folk genre. First it bubbles with outlaw rhythms and threats, then sinks quietly with a more romantic hook, later leading into quiet Spanish-tinged melodies, then barreling through each distinct sound again in a loop. “Same Old Dress Will Do” has Louise’s gorgeous, aching voice singing lines that could double as wedding vows on the sweet love song like “And here comes my girl, all dressed in promise/She takes the old world and she makes it brand new/It’s hard to believe she’s making me honest/But darling, I do”. Another track that demonstrates the group’s quick-witted storytelling is “Garage Flowers,” where the Holden siblings’ passionate harmony sings “So I sing you my second rate serenade, I bring you half cut flowers and I’m half afraid of you, but I’m half in love.” On “Tell The Girls,” lush instrumentation fills the track, distant percussive thumps and vibrant strings telling their own story with just their tone changes and sudden finales. After 11 songs, the album ends with “Crooked Life,” a bittersweet little track built from drawn-out wistful harmony and resonant instrumental arrangements that seem to switch from upbeat to gloomy every other note.

On Turn Your Face To The Sun, the band offers captivating stories of love and loss through clear vocal maturity and comprehensive instrumentation, both of which stun the senses into fully consuming each bit of every song in fear of missing a wondrous note, airy melody, or profound lyric one can only get with I Draw Slow.

–Savannah Davanzo