Photo by Tam Akiko
Bonneville is back with their latest retro-soul album teaser, ‘Maybe I’m Gone’. With their third album edging closer, this blend of blues rock infused with their R&B, vintage rock grooves is a soaring addition to its forthcoming track list.
Immediately opening an atmosphere of swirling keys, layers of classic rock guitars and a sleek, full drum beat, the audience must wait nearly thirty seconds for the soulful cries to emerge. Thick and steady, it marches forward, steadily expanding with more chugging instrumentation and a choir of vocalised harmonies. The chorus lifts into a satisfying mass of arrangement, rich and natural but with plenty of polish.
Vocalist Wes McGee shares, “It has an old The Rolling Stones / The Black Crowes vibe, with background vocals that give it that Southern gospel feel, which I love.”
Jeff Hayashi, Bonneville’s other half, adds, “I wrote the main riff at a family reunion and had it for about a year. I would play it often, but it wasn’t until a year had gone by that I started to put lyrics and structure to it.”
Recorded, with the rest of the album, at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, alongside producer Starita, ‘Maybe I’m Gone’ is a taste of Hold For Room Tone, Bonneville’s third studio album. Across each track we’ve heard so far, they’ve integrated a live energy, a sense that we are witnessing not just the best moment of the song, but the moment the song comes together. Comfortable following their instincts and investing their talent in new styles and genres, the new full-length will likely be the most interesting to date.
Listen here:
