Taking the forms of traditional country and folk music and mixing them with energetic indie rock, Akela is the project of Ben Gracie and live band members Matthew Colquhoun, Ross Cochran-Brash and Ben Marshall and ‘Past Sunrise’ is their latest single.
Bounding in on a bouncy drumbeat and swiftly strummed acoustic guitar suspiciously reminiscent of Arcade Fire’s ‘Keep the Car Running’, the track bursts into a poppy chorus worthy of Peace or Swim Deep.
The guitar interplay will get feet tapping and there’s a handful of catchy guitar fills to enliven a stripped back bridge that delves into more psychedelic territory.
Gracie lists his influences as including Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Emmylou Harris, but if you’re expecting a solo troubadour look again; ‘Past Sunrise’ is very much a full band record with a propulsive melody and an energetic multi-tracked chorus that marks the dawn of an exciting new artist.
Words: Max Sefton
Rave Child 