By Lauren Rosier
Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes’ last release, 2016’s Bemidji, was filled with indie rock tracks similar to artists like Fitz & The Tantrums, Wild Cub, and more. The band’s latest release, Chapter One, is the first installment of what will be released this summer as their debut LP, Fashion.
On the new EP, the Nashville four-piece returns with all-new material and switches gears a bit compared to their previous releases. It’s full of luscious alt-pop rock perfectly primed for alternative radio and the summer festival season.
Ellsworth & TGL have always had a talent for creating music that oozes love, passion, and authenticity. That includes Chapter One. The EP features infectious alt/indie rock that will have even the non-dancers dancing.
The opener, “Catapult”, explores how our society feels pressure to search for our ‘soulmate’ or someone who we feel we’re compatible with. But relationships are much more than that. In a press release, Ellsworth stated that it was a song he “initially wrote for my wife who is the strongest and kindest person I know.” He explained further that it’s “about loving someone for their flaws, not in spite of them. It’s about opposites attracting. It’s someone saying “‘I’m a little crazy. You’re a little crazy. Maybe we should be crazy together.’”
The quartet continues with their brilliantly crafted EP on the radio-ready song “Control.” For alt-pop/indie fans, and those of Philadelphia’s local Radio 104.5, Ellsworth & The Great Lakes are bound to create more buzz surrounding their upcoming debut with songs like “Control” that fit right in with similar artists such as Walk The Moon, Smallpools, and Wild Cub.
The last track on the EP, “Paralyzed”, carries on the band’s prowess to write radio-friendly songs that are introspective, while maintaining control of their alt-pop/rock vibe. Ellsworth explores themes of uncertainty on “Paralyzed” singing “I’m lying in a bed of stars/see my future staring back at me/feeling smaller than I’ve ever known/somehow bigger than I’ll ever be/and the sun slips into the sea/paralyzed/stuck in between/what I want/and what I should be”.
Ellsworth & the Great Lakes will be one of the new favorite bands for the alternative/indie rock fans loyal to Radio 104.5.If you’ve been to one of their summer block parties, if you close your eyes, you can just imagine the band killing it at Festival Pier.
Rating: Summer Block Party Ready
More info on DE+TGL can be found on their website!
Upcoming Shows
MAR 28-Subterranean-Chicago, IL
MAR 29-Rumba-Columbus, OH
MAR 31-Mercury Lounge-New York, NY
APR 27-Lightning 100 Presents at 3rd & Lindsley w/The Whistles and the Bells-Nashville, TN
