Watching from afar here in the UK, April Magazine have been mysteriously both at the heart and in the shadows of the San Francisco underground for some years now, seemingly everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. The 2021 Tough Love Records compilation If The Ceiling Were A Kite vol.1 brought their earlier work to a wider audience, and Wesley’s Convertible Tape For The South, the bands latest tape/download, takes us ever deeper into their world.
In truth, I had been putting off writing about this album because I struggled to know where to begin. It is incredibly hard to try and pick out a song, lyric or standout moment when the entire thing is just so complete. I don’t even like to label this release with a genre. Sometimes music transcends genre, sometimes it just IS. I decided the only way forward was to describe not what this band sounds like, but how they make me feel.
It is obvious from the very beginning that this is a major work that will require the full commitment of the listener. Opener Wesley’s Convertible brings forth a heaviness that feels as if the weight of the world is closing in all around, whilst leaving the door ajar just enough to forge a path through. This path leads to the ringing guitar chimes of Brighter and with them the hope and light relief of sun breaking through the clouds. Further on, as we reach the albums midway point Jungle City Beat pulls the listener straight into the heart of the city, the concrete jungle, walking the streets fighting for air amidst endless content. By penultimate track Landscape it feels as if we’re at the beach, finding some kind of peace beneath blown out skies.
Every song here is a lo-fi sonic marvel that weaves a narrative into your mind and leads you somewhere new and unexpected. This album demands both your attention and your patience. Nothing happens quickly in the world of April Magazine and they use that time to ensure that every single note matters. Wesley’s Convertible Tape For The South is the bands most complete statement to date, and is truly essential listening.
Out now: self released.
LISTEN/BUY/SHARE:
https://aprilmagazine.bandcamp.com/album/wesleys-convertible-tape-for-the-south
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