Jun 27, 2017

Back in 2014, Atlanta, GA based songwriter Weston Taylor began recording indie pop songs with Athens, GA producer and multi-instrumentalist Matt Martin. The fresh fruits of their creative endeavor was entitled Ayo River and the debut album Failed State is set for release in August. Under the Radar has the premiere of the lead single “Porcelain”, a lean and flowing example of Ayo River’s music, akin to early Death Cab for Cutie. Take it for a spin below.

Always a storyteller at heart, Taylor has found an engaging channel of expression with Ayo River, a musical outlet that has allowed him to find organic balance in the often overbearing push through modern existence. As stated in the bio, it’s ”.. a project that intersects deeply personal lyrics with the inescapable connectedness of the modern world…These songs are Weston’s internal tales of loss and miscommunication in the wildly connected age of the internet, brought to life with sweeping indie-pop influenced writing and production.”

Taylor had this to say about “Porcelain”: “This was the first song we recorded mostly live in the studio, so I think it has a much rawer feel than some of the other tracks. I have always seen it as being a kind of witchcraft or spell, starting very ominously as I’m lyrically conjuring up some commands for my life and what I want to happen with it, and then putting them together in a brew. Then it transforms midway through, as if the spell had functioned correctly, and things get sunny. It’s a song about suddenly being alone, getting older and wanting to change things.”

Failed State was produced at Chase Park Transduction Studios (Deerhunter, Bright Eyes, Queens Of The Stone Age, Animal Collective, REM) and was mastered by TW Walsh (Sufjan Stevens, The Shins, Cold War Kids, Death Cab For Cutie). It was recorded in the studio with Josh Crusa (bass) and Evan Seeds (drums), who have begun performing in Ayo River’s live band. We’ll be checking for them in August.

FAILED STATE - TRACKLISTING

01. Porcelain
02. Jolts
03. Mercedes
04. White Dress
05. Porches + Patios
06. Waking Up
07. 11 Likes
08. Tantrum pt. i
09. Tantrum pt. ii
10. Snakes
11. Failed State

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