A gorgeous single with shades of Matthew Sweet and Neil Young, “Cape Mackenzie” comes via Superblush, the project of Brooklyn-based musician Huxley Kuhlmann. Twangy guitars, twinkling keys, and a beautifully forlorn vocal presence converge for a moving success. Originally getting its start in the Boston DIY scene, the now New York-based project also features the artists Noah Boling (Alertski), Owen Leonard, and Manuel Bertoni.
The track’s initial vocal questioning is thoroughly hypnotic, set alongside steady acoustics, sporadic twangs, and mellow keys. A warming bass line enters in immersive form, building to the lyrical “now I’m 16 miles away from Cape Mackenzie,” yearning. “Can you make a man fall from the house of plenty?” the vocals ask thereafter, with the country/folk/psych-rock cohesion persisting for a spellbinding captivation. A rise in vocal emotion at mid-point reminds of escalations within classics like Young’s “See The Sky About To Rain” or Sweet’s “Hide.” The stirring “Cape Mackenzie” is a gem from Superblush.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of November 2023’ Spotify playlist.
The track is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Indie Folk.
