Overlake — Sighs

                     ^{Overlake — Sighs} 
♠   When Overlake first approached us about releasing their debut LP, Sighs, we got very excited. Now, it's your turn to get excited because it's finally becoming available for you to get lost in for yourself. Grab a pair of headphones or turn the speakers up real loud and get washed away in lush sonic dreamscapes of intertwining vocal and guitar melodies, pulsing bass, and crisp drumming.
Location: Jersey City, NJ
Album release: April 15, 2014
Record Label: Killing Horse
Duration:     38:09
Tracks:
1. First     3:00
2. Disappearing     4:59
3. Not Enough     4:45
4. Back To The Water     3:42
5. Fell Too Far     4:01
6. Your KS     3:24
7. We’ll Never Sleep     5:43
8. Our Sky     3:24
9. Is This Something?     5:11
Personnel:
♠   Tom Barret: Guitars/Vocals
♠   Lysa Opfer: Bass/Vocals
♠   Scotty Imp: Drums
REVIEW
BY FIRE NOTE STAFF, March 11, 2014; Score: ****½
♠   Jersey City–based newcomers Overlake are the next act to come out of the North Jersey scene. The trio–which consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Tom Barrett, bassist Lysa Opfer and drummer Scotty Imp–formed in the beginning of 2012, spending the past year penning their Killing Horse debut, Sighs. Along with frequently playing throughout the area, the band recently embarked on a tour that led them to this year’s South By Southwest festival.
♠   Sighs is airy and calming, but has a dark charm to it that is consistent throughout the record. The album opens with a purely instrumental track, appropriately titled, “First.” This isn’t the only completely instrumental song on the LP, and is later followed by “Your KS,” an interlude that is primarily made up of feedback with the low ringing of a guitar in the background. While both are at risk for becoming tedious, the band finds the perfect balance between the tracks and their placement on the full-–ength that enhances its soft ambience.
♠   The first song after the intro is “Disappearing,” which has been strongly influenced by ’90s alternative rock, and the listener is first introduced to Barrett’s quiet, breathless voice. “Our Sky” and “Fell Too Far” are the two most upbeat on Sighs, both exhibiting a very poppy, indie feel. The latter features Opfer taking a turn at the mic, leading the vocals of the track. “Not Enough” is also notable, beginning gently but building intensity as it reaches its close, combining the melody that carried the song with increasingly vigorous percussion.
♠   Sighs flows together flawlessly and is beautifully mixed, keeping up with the overall chilling theme of the disc. The time Overlake poured into creating their inaugural album does not go unnoticed, and it’ll be exciting to see what they produce next.
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INTERVIEW (by staff):
♠   Overlake's Tom Barrett and Lysa Opfer used to stay late after band practice (for another band), bonding over their mutual passion for the fuzzed–out garage rock. Barrett (guitar and vocals) and Opfer (bass and vocals) formed Overlake in 2012, soon adding drummer, Scotty Imp. The trio released their debut LP, Sighs (via Killing Horse Records) in April, an album that allowed them to explore the hazy, shoegaz–y sound that they were born to make.
♠   Today (December 11, 2014), they premiere the video for single, "Our Sky." Enjoy its heavenly haze and home–grown charm.
♠   The band has spent the past few months touring in support of Sighs while continuing to work on their next album. When they're not in a van, they call Jersey City home. We caught up with vocalist and guitarist, Tom Barrett, who generously exposed the ins and outs of the oft–overlooked NYC neighbor, from the latest word on replacing Hoboken music venue Maxwell's (R.I.P.) to the best late–night hangs.
Q: Where are you from? / Butler, NJ.
Q: What city do you currently call home? / Jersey City, NJ.
Q: Describe the perfect Jersey City day. / There are definitely things to do in and around JC. There's usually some kind of street festival going on with food, beer and bands playing at any given moment, and there's plenty of good spots to get in your day–drinking, but I'm a homebody. An ideal JC day for me is hanging in with the future wife and binge watching Silicon Valley or something.
Q: What’s your favorite spot for happy hour? / I don't really partake in happy hours too much anymore, but when I did, I'd go to Lucky 7's on 2nd & Coles.
Q: Favorite landmark in your city? / That crazy statue of the guy with a bayonet sticking out of his back over at Exchange Place. We played in front of that once. It made for a strange backdrop.
Q: Undiscovered gem in your city? / I guess my favorite "undiscovered gem" would be a band called Wax Darts. Check 'em out, they're a lot of fun.
Q: Favorite neighborhood and why? / Downtown JC where we live. We just moved recently, and we just happened to move to a block where we know nearly everyone on it. We've been friends with our upstairs neighbors for years. I've been playing in bands around this area since the early aughts, so there's a lot of friends and familiar faces. It's good to be close to them. It's also a lot quieter than our old street which was closer to Newark Ave. and all of its goings on. There'd be a lot of drunken yelling outside our window at four in the morning.
Q: Live music venue? /There isn't one currently. Bands make do at either The Lamp Post or Lucky's for the time being. This has been a going concern for some time. Todd Abramson, who used to own Maxwell's is supposed to be opening a new venue in the White Eagle Hall building on Newark Ave. Next year sometime, and there's a new performance space in the WFMU building called Monty Hall, but not just anyone can get a show there it seems. They're starting off slowly for the time being. I haven't been yet, I've heard it's nice.
Q: Favorite dive bar? / Is Lucky 7's a dive? I don't really go to a lot of different places, I just stick with what I know. They have a decent beer selection and a nice jukebox.
Q: Best place for coffee? / I'll admit I'm a Dunkin' Donuts person, but I also like Dames on Jersey Ave. Small place, cash only, good coffee. The Warehouse Cafe on Bay St. is also nice, but it's more of a walk for me. It's okay. I could always use it.
Q: Late night haunts? / There's the aforementioned Lucky's, The Lamp Post, The Keyhole, Barcade, The Abbey, LITM, a bunch of spots.
Q: Best shawarma? / Ibby's Falafel on Grove, I guess? I don't really like falafel, but my friends who do usually go there.
Q: Best place to still buy records? / Well, Jersey City has these record riots every few months on a Saturday over at the Grove St. PATH station. If you get there early enough you can find some nice rarities, and they have great deejays playing records throughout the day. Other than that, Iris Records is the only record store we have in Downtown JC. It's small, but it's much more organized and in overall better shape now than it was a few years ago. They're also starting to have in-stores, which is nice.
Q: What's one record you recently bought there? / Electric Wurms. Haven't gotten around to listening to it yet, though. I'm very curious.
Q: Recommended hotel for someone visiting? / I'd just recommend the Marriott Courtyard on Washington if you can afford it. Otherwise, you can stay on our couch if you like. I just hope you're not allergic to cats.
Q: Favorite clothing and shoe boutiques? / Another Man's Treasure. I bought the engagement ring there for my future wife. They have some very nice vintage wares there. If you're XL or below, that is. They don't carry anything that existed after 1989. It's strictly '60s, '70s and '80s in there.
Q: Favorite locally brewed beer and distilled spirit? / I'm not really into a lot of the local brews, honestly. I should say Rammstein because they're based in my hometown, but I can't because I associate that name with that band that did that fucking horrible song. :: http://www.culturecollide.com/
Bandcamp: http://overlake.bandcamp.com/
Website: https://www.facebook.com/overlakemusic
Agent:
Label: http://killinghorserecords.com/
Also:
By Amy Ebeling, April 9, 2014
:: http://www.theaquarian.com/2014/04/09/overlake-sighs/ © photo credit © 2013 Stacy Swane
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Overlake — Sighs (April 15, 2014)

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