High Water Bridge – Sea Legs (Video)
“Sea legs a track from the debut album Senescence of High Water Bridge is a magnificent prog rock piece that best demonstrate groupe’s own musical identity and approach to composition with vivid melodies along with upbeat grooves ”
-Nagamag.com
The 6th track from High Water Bridge’s debut album Senescence sees the band take their craft down a different, dub-inspired path.
Sea Legs begins with a loopy and swaying bassline as layers of spacey effects get the listener on board for a voyage across open oceans with stormy swells.
Look out for the Euphonium adding brass riffs to a tongue in cheek lyrical and vocal ride, that will leave you tripping over your own legs, in search of the next trippy High Water Bridge tune.
High Water Bridge (HWB) is an experimental five-piece band from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, born in the winter of 2017 out of late-night jams in the derelict heart of their home city. Central to the formation of the band was a shared rehearsal space, as well as many shared bands over the years. As various projects formed and collapsed and merged at the jam spot, HWB came to be the latest incarnation of an inventive group of PE musicians who refuse to be swayed by the prevailing musical climate of cover versions and tribute shows, and continually strive to seek out new forms and sounds for their music.
HWB describe their sound as “spectral rock.” Encompassing elements of psychedelic rock, trip-hop, dub, garage rock, ambient and electronica, HWB take you on vivid, winding sound journeys of beautiful vocal melodies and harmonies, upbeat grooves drawn from an array of genres, chiming delay guitar riffs, and layered, shifting soundscapes composed of all manner of spectral ephemera: loops, obscure samples, keyboards/synths, programmed beats and euphonium. They also do a pretty mean ballad.
A strong feature of the music is the use of two distinct vocalists, who swap between lead and harmony (as well as bass guitar) depending on the song. Although the sound draws from a diverse well, and there are many surprise turns over the course of a set or album, HWB have sought to forge their own musical identity and approach to composition.
Thus far the focus of the band has been on writing as much music as possible, and the recording of their 2020 debut album, Senescence, but they hope to use the recording as an opportunity to spread their wings as a live act.
The band consists of Nick Erasmus (drums), Jason King (keyboards, samples), Alex Kromhout (vocals/bass), Nelis van Tonder (guitar) and Kendal Beadon (vocals, bass, keyboards, samples, euphonium).
https://www.instagram.com/highwaterbridgeband/
Reviewed by Nagamag on October 14, 2020