Lower Dens – To Die In L.A
Nearly three years ago to the day, I first fell in love with Lower Dens and their single ‘Brains’. It was a subtle, shuffling lo-fi slow-piece. Cerebral and slick. Unbeknownst to me, the Baltimore band was primed to release their second full-length album. “Nootropics” was an eclectic fusion of progressive electro-rock and down-beat ethereal experimentation. But they were doomed to isolation in my rotation as a vague band with a quiet single that only struck me as emotionally significant in the lone hours of the morning during self-reflective drives back home.
Enter their latest single, and enter sub-tropical florescent splashes, synthetic woo’s and wahs, and everything I’ve ever loved about indie pop. “To Die in LA” isn’t your atypical SoCal love-ballad to Hollywood, but a poignant neon inward reflection. Perhaps it doesn’t represent a full-blown sonic diversion from their sleepy past, but Lower Dens has certainly rekindled the sparks that caught my attention many moons ago, and injected some much needed emotion and color. Their new album “Escape from Evil” is due out March 31, with production tied to indie greats like Beach House and Future Islands, there’s plenty of reason to expect that Lower Dens might find themselves as early contenders for year end lists.
For now, satiate your appetite with this killer single.
