Regular listeners will surely know of New Age Healers. This Seattle squad fronted by guitarist and vocalist Owen Murphy has been a staple of guitar-based shoegaze and alternative rock, and a regular on our airwaves since 2016. They’ve also proven to be a regular and reliable draw at the annual Seagaze festival, where they’ve carved a direct channel to fans with their crisp songwriting that doesn’t rely solely on ample effects or sonic trickeration. The new album Demolition Stories has been creeping up the charts not only on DKFM, but on college and public radio, as well as discerning commercial alternative outlets. There’s a balance in the presentation that allows all participants to shine: bass, drums, rhythm guitar, each plays a part in bringing the seeds of a song into sharp, often cutting focus.
Which brings us to today’s video premiere, “Don’t Let Me Go”. An intermittently churning riff forms the backbone, supported by dynamic bass runs and propulsive drum flourishes, overlaid by modern rock vocal harmonies, it’s one of those key tracks that serves as a gateway to the rest of the album. We’re pleased to present the video premiere for “Don’t Let Me Go”.
Murphy says this of the frenetic pace of the video’s presentation: “Every single song I write comes with imagined visuals and in the case of ‘Don’t Let Me Go’, it was rapid fire, strobed visuals built around the kick drum beat of the song. And once a friend shared photos from a recent show (credit: Alex V.) , I knew we had something to build upon. The song itself spotlights a new band, featuring new players and new sounds. Besides bass player Allen Murray and I, we added female vocals (Liz Green) and keyboards (Farkhad Saidmuratov), and the pandemic led to changes at drums (Adam LeVasseur) and guitar with the addition of Jeramy Koepping, who shoegaze fans may recall from Seattle’s amazing Voyager One. Lyrically a lament about our fracturing culture, this video is a visual representation of the past 3-years, of confusion, and chaos, mixed with love and hope, floating in distortion, reverb and harmonies. Headphones on!”
A delicate balance between heavy and breezy is tough to pull off. Both the song and video demonstrate that New Age Healers have the chops to make it seem effortless. And it’s a triumph to behold.
Follow New Age Healers via their Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Bandcamp and Spotify platforms. Long may they reign.
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