Redbud’s introduction came during COVID with “To the Moon” (2020), a delay-washed fever dream glitched with arpeggiated keys and distortion, and “Opal” (2021), a somber acoustic introspection. While the quartet’s debut EP features the same narcotic warmth of the aforementioned singles, Long Night traverses psychedelic fixtures without indulging in the genre’s worst crutches of aimless meandering and overt obfuscation. Reverb swirls, fluid flanged guitars, and ethereal harmonies fuel “Island” as propulsive breakbeats roll in like crashing waves. On “Franny,” singer Katie Claghorn’s voice morphs into a playful cadence. It soars, dips, and carves while sonorous saxophone solos and jazz fugues drip and bleed into each other. Prior – cued in with a skittered crash of hi-hat and Technicolor-blossomed chords, respectively – “Kin” and “Sad on the North Side” suspend melodic lines in air like ghostly echoes. Often rushing into sweeping miniatures, Redbud’s first collection finds clarity through the haze.
This article appears in April 7 • 2023.