Manzanita Falls - NoseDive
Bay Area indie rock outfit Manzanita Falls premiere “NoseDive” on Rawckus Magazine. The new single is from the band’s forthcoming EP, Vestige in the River, slated to drop this summer.
Manzanita Falls
Vestige in the River delves into transitions, beginnings and endings, doorways and passages, the concept found in the two faces of Roman mythology’s Janus, who looked to the future and to the past simultaneously. The thrust of the EP is that even though the furniture of life and those occupying it change, some things remain constant, such as the inspiration for music.
Formed in 2010, Manzanita Falls consisted of Jeremy McCarten (vocals, songwriting), Stuart Markam (guitar), Matt Coit (drums), and Matt Robinson (bass). Their debut album, Vinyl Ghost, appeared in 2012, followed by their sophomore album, Abilene, in 2017.
Shortly thereafter, Markam and Coit departed in pursuit of other interests. Ross Barbieri (guitar) and Cameron Morris (drums) filled the vacancies. Invigorated by new energy and creative vision, the band began writing new material. The result is Vestige in the River.
After a scrumptiously resonant bridge, the guitars surge with heavy, dirty energy, infusing the harmonics with thick, viscous muscularity.
“NoseDive” opens on a tasty, compact riff seguing into a softly gleaming alt-rock melody. The deep pulse of the bass line infuses the rhythm with alluring potency, as the snare snaps tightly. Subdued guitars provide lambent accents that elevate to luminous hues on the chorus, filling the tune with gleaming surfaces. After a scrumptiously resonant bridge, the guitars surge with heavy, dirty energy, infusing the harmonics with thick, viscous muscularity.
McCartens affluent tenor imbues the lyrics with tantalizing wisps of reflection as he reflects on the end of a relationship. When his tones bump up, the music achieves glowing, captivating radiance. It’s a galvanizing voice, rife with urgent passion and candid emotional textures.
Memorable lyrics narrate the saga of unresolved emotional liability.
“Come around, come around / Do you remember when I spent the whole week on the couch / You pulled me out of a nosedive and I guess / I needed you then / Like I need you now / But I don’t see you around / Come around, come around / You can win the battle / But I know I’m winning the war.
“NoseDive” is marvelously wrought, full of innovative persuasive colors, irresistible rhythmic flow, and Jeremy McMarten’s plush voice.
