The sophomore album from Tallahassee-based band Once Great Estate, Goodbye Cody Scarp showcases an enveloping Americana sound, spanning from the twangy river-divided emotion of “Ghosts” to the pulsing, infectious anticipation of “Right Outside Your Door,” which we featured in April. Led by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Tracy Horenbein, the act compels with a consistently gripping sound across the album.
The album’s title track is further exemplary of the band’s atmospheric Americana sound. “Used to be a flower, now I’m just a weed,” the opening vocals lament, firmly establishing the “waves come crashing down,” personal rut. Electric guitar flourishes past the one-minute turn add wonderfully to the momentum, and into ghostly wordless vocals; the momentum throughout is palpable. “Rainbow in the Sky” follows a couple tracks later, emphasizing Once Great Estate’s talent for sparser folk beauty as well; the twinkling key additions upon the title-touting sequence proves especially chilling. Goodbye Cody Scarp is abundant in consuming songwriting and stellar production.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
