Placed snugly somewhere in between wanderlust folk of Whitney and the slacker songwriting of Pinegrove sits the rising New Jersey five-piece Quality Living. The first taste of this down-to-earth outfit comes in the form of their latest single ‘Sumac Red’, lifted from their forthcoming album Glacier. Much like the rich reddish-purple powder derived from sumac, this track is covered in a warm hue that brings to mind late spring and summer evenings where the sun dons its radiant hues on everything.
That warmth is thanks to Quality Living‘s inviting blend of indie-rock grit, americana twangs, 90s melodies and unexpectedly introspective songwriting. From the very beginning of ‘Sumac Red’ those noodling guitars, lilting vocals and splashes of sun-dappled colour come racing forward to meet the listener. You can’t help but want to sing along with Darrel Norrell’s affecting melodies, “I close on in, the gleam chose me, and watch the sun go down, in the living room,” especially with that yearning emphasis.
This whole track has a lived-in feeling; one with worn edges, characterful marks of use and subtly frayed edges. That initially scrappy energy grows in confidence as the track progresses until it blooms out into thrusting guitars, heavy-handed drums and resounding vocal harmonies. Quality Living embrace a rare kind of freedom by shaking off expectation and simply enjoying the moment. For us, that’s what really stands out, that this band sounds like they’re having a good time while recording.
You can also listen to ‘Sumac Red’ in our Indie Rockers playlist.
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