Montauk
is a pop, rock, and everything in between band, led by songwriter and
lead vocalist Drew Richardson. Ready to drop their debut self-titled
album, ‘Montauk’ in November 2018, this project is starting off
with a serious bang.
Based in the UK and
the internet, Montauk is a band of the digital age: Drew worked
together, face-to-face, with producer and guitarist Tom Jobling,
female vocalist Rebecca Chambers and drummer Sam West, while the rest
of the band – guitarist Jon Wright and drummer Max Saidi –
played their parts online from their respective UK locations.
Drew is the dreamer
and the driving force of this project. An avid life-long music lover,
legend has it he penned his first complete song by age seven (after
some lessons on guitar). After many years as a “bedroom
singer-songwriter”, as he puts it, his music is finally seeing the
light of day – and you can immediately tell that those years were
well spent. The musicality of Montauk is phenomenal; very few bands
roll out of the gate with truly excellent material like this.
Montauk (the album)
is inspired by the 2004 film ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind’, and Montauk (the band) takes its name from the film too –
Montauk being an integral location in it. Drew is “fascinated by
the idea of nostalgia and memory, and the places that host
emotionally significant events in our lives” – and Eternal
Sunshine addresses these concepts. (It toys with the consequences of
changing or erasing life’s important events – if you haven’t
seen it, it’s worth a watch.) A true concept album, Montauk takes
you on a journey through the ups and the downs, and the twists and
the turns.
The stand out title
track, ‘Take Him To Montauk’ is irresistibly catchy with
perfectly complementary guitar and vocal hooks that push everything
forward, ‘Welcome To You’ is a chill, earnest pop-ballad, and
‘Heart Attack’ is a get-up-and go funk track that almost sounds a
cross between Elton John and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, in the best
possible way. Words don’t do this album justice – the collection
is hugely varied in style but somehow perfectly cohesive, tied
together in narrative, production and (of course) Drew’s vocals.
The lyrics have real integrity, always telling a story, “This is
the place I come to forget; here all the trials of life are reset.”
From piano and guitar ballads to pop anthems, beautiful orchestral
arrangements, straight-up funk, and a (almost heavy) rock track, the
versatility of not only the band, but of Drew’s songwriting is
showcased. He simply says, “whatever the style, melody is king for
me”.
Going forward, the
band have a second album that’s nearly complete – and, even
without the Eternal Sunshine theme, nostalgia and the passing of time
will always play a part in Drew’s writing. Aside from ‘Montauk’,
he’s also focused on writing songs for other artists, saying
“success as a writer is more important to me than success as an
artist” (he’s, quite obviously, a true lover of music over the
music scene).
Montauk have
absolutely outdone themselves on this album. Go and listen to it come
November – you won’t be disappointed.
Hayley
McKinney - Writer and Editor
Website: www.takemetomontauk.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/montaukalbum/
Contact: info@takemetomontauk.com
Review of album: http://sleepingbagstudios.ca/montauk-montauk/
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