SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BLACK TEA – NOW THAT YOU’RE HERE

BLACK TEA
NOW THAT YOU’RE HERE
LONELY ORANGE RECORDS

Saskatchewan retro-rock fans, rejoice: yet another incredible piece of incredible contemporary art has arrived from the northwest of Canada. Black Tea’s (formerly known as The Hourland) celebration of classic rock and modern aesthetics, Now That You’re Here, is a gift that keeps on giving throughout the course of its runtime. Its notable attributes consist of, but are not limited to, very seductive guitar licks and riffs that are reminiscent of the golden era of rock ‘n’ roll (the ‘70s, of course). The album begins to feel like an intentionally connected piece, as all the tracks flow into each other beautifully and have serious replay potential. The guitars are commonly clean, but slight flanger and reverb effects can be heard on the backing guitars, giving the tracks a very full and cathartic feel, a great majority of the time.

“Shiver” affirms this idea even further, with its descending chord progressions and minor scales, allowing the lead vocalist to truly show the full potential of his register, not only on this specific track, but on the album as a whole. The big band backing instrumentals on “Thankless World” expand the group’s ballet even further, as the track sees big band instrumentals assisting the punch of the crystal clear and crisp guitar licks. Don’t be fooled, the chorus is still explosive and monumental. The repeated refrain, “it’s a thankless world,” is undeniably catchy and soulful. A record like this wouldn’t be complete without a classic and familiar stomp-clap track, and that comes in the form of “Where Flowers Grow,” a fun and fluffy track that is sure to have immense potential for crowd participation when performed live.

Just when you think you’ve heard everything this contemporary Canadian indie-folk rock ’n’ roll record could possibly provide, it gets even better, as the Jack White-influenced lead guitars of “Desire” begin ripping through your eardrums, making way for a track that will solidify the idea, even for the most unsure skeptics, that Black Tea is a name to be remembered for the future to come.

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