Jun 4, 2019
seen from Italy
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Indonesia
seen from Argentina
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from China
seen from Ecuador
seen from United States
seen from Mexico
seen from United States
seen from Guatemala
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Switzerland
seen from South Korea
seen from Romania
SONTALK - “Baby, I’m Gone”
SXSW 2019 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 5
Pairs Well With…My Morning Jacket, Delta Spirit, Ryan Adams
Tones of alt country and indie rock ground SONTALK’s music, displaying impressive songwriting right out of gate. The Nashville artist finds hooks within a classic-rock-type format, verse/chorus/verse stuff, but adds dynamic postures with subtle electronic elements rhythmically and melodically and electric soundscapes pulsing at just the right time. The anchor though is the songs, memorable on first listen and begging for an audience and a festival stage. SONTALK has released just four songs, 2018 EP Act 1 and follow-up track “Baby, I’m Gone”, a song alone that moves from heartfelt country balladry into a slide guitar assisted howl in the span of three minutes. No matter the approach, SONTALK’s music exemplifies warmth, comfortable, mature and set up nicely for whatever is coming in Act 2.
I Am a War Machine- SONTALK
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PREMIERE: SONTALK’s “I Am a War Machine” Video Is a Profound Look at the Loss of Innocence
Photo: Seiji Inouye
There is a timeless, all-encompassing warmth to SONTALK’s unique brand of rock. The project of musician Joseph LeMay, SONTALK crafts tried-and-true rock music that feels at a perfect match both behind archival footage of a Vietnam protest or any of today’s recent outrages (take your pick). His debut outing, the sensational three-track EP SONTALK: Act I, set the stage for what is bound to be one of rock’s next great voices.
SONTALKS’s latest offering comes in the form of the official video for his breakthrough single, “I Am a War Machine.” It’s a deeply beautiful and tragic glimpse into SONTALK as an artist. Intercutting between war footage and a child playing war, it’s a reflective rumination into the destruction of youth. The lightheartedness of a boy running around a forest and playing soldier is a tough pill to swallow when the following shot is that of soldiers scrambling for their lives. The underlying sense of tragedy is accentuated by SONTALK’s pained, soulful voice. SONTALK has put every ounce of himself into both this song and video, and it shows.
SONTALK expanded further on the underlying meaning of the track and video,
“‘I Am A War Machine’ is a song about recognizing and naming your brokenness and volatility. One of our goals with this video was to juxtapose the lighthearted innocence of a child playing war with the stark reality of real war and to depict the almost accidental way that that innocence is dismantled as we grow up and experience the world. The boy in the video represents the Inner Child while the war footage represents all the darkness and hardships that work to pollute or snuff out that vibrant innocence of the Inner Child. We wanted to show a frustrated main character reflecting on this tragic cycle and mourning the loss of his innocence while wrestling with the fact that he has become a reflection of all the pain and trouble he has seen in this world.”
SONTALK’s trademark style of rock may be soft-spoken, but the profound sense of universality that emanates from within it cannot be ignored. "I Am a War Machine" is truly enrapturing; it grabs you from the outset and refuses to let go.
Watch the video for “I Am a War Machine” below:
A very serendipitous jaunt through Soundcloud land brought me to SONTALK earlier this month, at which I found myself immediately transfixed by their dusty rolling sound on I Am A War Machine. I had to do a little digging to find out about the band, but I learned that SONTALK is a project created by Joseph LeMay, an already much respected Americana artist. As SONTALK, he recently released a three track EP named Act I, which you can stream/download, here. I Am A War Machine draws me in with its jaunty rhythm and reedy drawl, both which remind me of The War On Drugs. Maybe heartland rock inspired bands really like utilizing the word “war” in their names or song titles, or maybe this is a coincidence, but it’s obvious there’s a new alt/indie rock band on the block to fall hard for. Sadly, we just missed out on SONTALK’s tour stop in San Francisco earlier this month. Perhaps they’ll hit the road again soon, or so we hope.
Have you guys heard of SONTALK yet? I’m loving their song I Am A War Machine!
PLAYLIST: #NowWatching 05-18-18
Art: Èmir Shiro
Start your weekend with our #NowWatching Playlist, topped with 20 new tunes by Ones To Watch standouts, G Flip, OPIA, Cautious Clay, and more.
TRACK LIST:
G Flip - Killing My Time Cautious Clay - French Riviera SONTALK - I Am a War Machine Cavetown - Lemon Boy SHAED - Trampoline Aeris Roves - Feel Me Opia - Four Winds Pip Millett - Make Me Cry Lou The Human - Sour BAYNK - Be in Love boy pablo - Losing You Slum Sociable - Do Something About It Zanski - Fool Durand Jones & The Indications - You and Me DRAMA - Safe House Joni - Omens Kevin George - LA DI DA alayna - Sweet Soul Promises Ltd. - Dreams Yoshi Flower - Woke