Native Harrow - Closeness

“I dug myself out from the well to make Closeness a record about love”, professes Devin Tuel. “When I sat down to begin what would become Closeness I felt that above all, I wanted to make it clear that, while the clock is moving, we can hold onto one another and maybe there will be tears but there will also be laughter.”

+ Limited indie shop edition on Gold vinyl.

Closeness, the fourth LP from Pennsylvania’s Native Harrow, elaborates on the duo’s radiant warmth and timeless nostalgia with the inclusion of new sounds and experiences. The combustible fuzz-driven opener “Shake” gives way to slices of 70s FM groove (“The Dying of Ages” and the desert funk of “If I Could”), 60s art pop (“Even Peace” and the expansive orchestral “Sun Queen”), and the kind of graceful folk (“Smoke Burns”) and folk soul (the compassionate conviction of “Carry On”) the band is best known for. The intricate polyrhythms and grinding Moog synthesizer (“Same Every Time”), the fully realized vintage jazz combo (“Turn Turn”), and the exquisite piano ballad (the penultimate “Feeling Blue”) provide glimpses down previously unexplored streets and find the band stretching out and confidently illuminating their expansive aspirations.

Turbulent first single “Shake” roars to life with an army of fuzz guitars and drums, underpinned by waves of strings (of the real, mellotron, and chamberlain varieties) and the rare appearance of harpsichord. “Shake when I’m feelin’ lonely, shake when my heart’s all over the place”, articulates the conflict of anxiety. “Being on tour helps, because being away from yourself helps,” Native Harrow’s singer & songwriter Devin Tuel admits. And yet, there is hope. True it might all look different when we wake up laughing. “Heard it would all get better, all get better someday.”

1. Shake
2. The Dying Of Ages
3. Smoke Burns
4. Same Every Time
5. Carry On
6. If I Could
7. Turn Turn
8. Even Peace
9. Feeling Blue
10. Sun Queen