Hazy guitar jangles and dreamy vocals lead on the consuming single “Up Where You Are,” the latest single from Canadian band North Lakes. Citing influences like The Stone Roses and The Jesus and Mary Chain, the track concocts a textured rock sound with debonair vocal affections. The accompanying music video, above, features the streets of Toronto in aptly stylish form — shot by Ryan Faist (Boy Wonder) and edited by North Lakes guitarist Chris Robison.
The initial blast of jangly guitars makes for a caressing impact into the subdued vocals. “Used to read poetry,” the vocals let out as the guitars scale back, escalating again with confident vigor as anthemic vocals burst into delectable guitar lines; the “paradise,” vocal sequence here, rounding 01:30, proves especially captivating. Rousing escalations, like past the three-minute turn, also fondly recalls The War on Drugs’ knack for climactic rock drives. “Up Where You Are” is a definitively strong showing from North Lakes.
Per the band, the track is “about becoming distant from someone you were once very close with, and the loneliness that follows.”
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of August 2023’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
