Paddlefish - Flyer
PADDLEFISH RELEASE DEBUT LP - 'FLYER'
Chicago’s indie-rock outfit Paddlefish take listeners on a trip through a sonic rite of passage on their debut album, Flyer.
Paddlefish
The band’s primary songwriter, Owen Misterovich, explains, “[It’s about] being a kid and feeling like you’re in between two things—you’re maybe not a kid anymore, you’re getting older, but you’re not an adult yet.”
He goes on to add that the inspiration for the album came from his personal encounter with disenchantment after moving to Chicago when he was 17-years-old, living in a windowless dorm room as the chill of winter loomed outside. Once he surrendered to his situation and adapted, he began to mature.
Citing influences such as Neil Young, The Band, The Flaming Lips, and Wilco, Flyer blends layers of sound made up of piano, organ, and mellotron into tasty sonic concoctions.
Recorded at Pieholden Suite Sound in Chicago, the album was engineered by Matt Dewine, along with supplementary engineering by Joe Misterovich, and produced the Dewine and Paddlefish. Carl Saff handled the mastering.
The final track, “Oh Doctor,” delivers hints of alt-country capped by Lennon-like vocals gliding on an undulating rhythm.
Paddlefish consists of Owen Misterovich, Bayden Fraley, and Missy Farrel. Formed in 2015, the band has released two records, Lidsville and Spill Me!, as well as touring the Midwest and East Coast, sharing the stage with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Diarrhea Planet, and LA Witch.
Encompassing eight tracks, Flyer commences with “Good As Dead,” opening on jangly guitars topped by evocative vocals, followed by shifting to a thick chugging alternative melody, vaguely reminiscent of Tom Petty merged with The Beatles, with a dash of The Kinks tossed in for relish.
Highlights include “Drain All,” traveling on darker colors atop a crunching, rumbling rhythm. Full of urgent tension, the track exudes strident textures that transition to a gleaming melodic flow, and revert to heftier harmonics.
“Turnpike” rides a yummy piano as yearning vocals backed by radiant harmonies add depth and dimension. When the harmonics shift, the tune assumes psychedelic-lite flavors. The final track, “Oh Doctor,” delivers hints of alt-country capped by Lennon-like vocals gliding on an undulating rhythm.
Wonderfully wrought, Flyer is simultaneously innovative and elusively familiar, which translates to an enthralling auditory experience.
