The Antennas Acid Westerns
The Antennas are a 3-piece folk and roots band from upstate New York who have a new album just out, Acid Westerns. Acid Westerns are Americana style songs with open and roomy choruses and generally mellow vibes, resulting in a big stage feeling and a sense of personal introspection both at the same time. The “acid” element of the songs are those little moments and simple observations that slide you into an expansive cosmic feeling, against the backdrop of songs that are ultimately easy and breezy – “westerns.”
The album is also about endings and striking out on your own. It’s about the deep fears and the reassurances that swirls together as we embark on our own journeys. Opener “I’m Alright” unspools a bright energy and a calming vibe that sounds like a comforting voice in your head: “I’m alright, said I’m alright,” despite the fear that recurs at the same time: “Can I fight this feeling in my bones / This fear of failure, the poison pill?” In “High Noon” there’s an ambient vocal chorus to open the song up wide, and there are images of the universal: “You hear it flowing, it gathers below / Through the valley with the heavenly glow.”
“Done and Dusted (Good as Gone)” takes a gentler approach with a piano foundation in a song about movin’ on: “if you’re not certain would you lay your body down? there ain’t a reason why I’m moving on.” And then the key: “Find somebody who won’t erode away your trust.”
“Been Here Before, Be Here Again” recenters on acoustic guitar in a snappier song about remembering how to find your way out of a situation you’ve been in before. “People Talking” uses gentle yet reverberant cymbal crashes in a folk style song to tap into the openness of The Antennas’ signature style. The concept of liberation reappears here too: “Runnin down the road less traveled /all it is is untouched gravel.”
A little later in the album “Life” shares a sway feel and ethereal chorus vocals come in after a bit, and as it’s almost an instrumental, but not quite. In “Day of Old” there’s a bouncy feel and violin and a celebration of a folk dance. We’re at the country fair, back in the “days of old,” and it’s timeless: “Time moves fast, I ain’t ready to go / Take me back down to the place I know.”
The Antennas make spacious yet simultaneously easygoing songs with open and airy choruses and thoughtful lyrical musings. There are even bits of funk influences in the way the choruses integrate with the carefree roots rock style, which is the band’s uniquely blended style.
The streaming link to listen to the album is here: lnk.to/antennas
You can find more information here on their website: https://www.theantennas.net
Musicians on the album are David Budiansky on acoustic guitar, rhythm guitars, 12 string guitar, drums, percussion, tambourine and lead vocals; Ben Quist on bass, vocals, backing vocals, chorus vocals, outro vocals, acoustic, rhythm and lead guitars, and fiddle; and Conor Costello on piano, electric piano, and backing vocals. Choir signers are Ronnie Pollard, Sylvia Washington, Mae Legette, and George F. Williams.
Acid Westerns was produced by David Budiansky; engineered by Ted Hyland; mixed by David Budiansky and Conor Costello; and mastered by Julian Lowe. Choir arrangement was courtesy of George F. Williams. All songs were written by The Antennas (David Budiansky, Conor Costello, and Ben Quist)
