Red Hot Nostalgia| River Westin’s Latest Single takes on 60s Surf Pop with a Modern Twist
I discovered River’s music about 4 months ago while searching for new artists in the indie pop world. His last album, Candy Cigarettes, saw Westin take on a more country western inspired motif along side the dreamier pop and rap beats that artists like Lana Del Rey championed on her first few releases. I had quite enjoyed a good majority of the tracks off the album. My only reservations were around the slow pace that some of the songs took after listening to the album in its entirety. Since that record, he has also released a covers album, River Sings! For Young Lovers & Old Soul, swhich takes on classics from artists like Nancy Sinatra, Steve Lawerence, Ritchie Valens, and Ricky Nelsen. He had stated that music from artists such as these were quite an influence on him for his prior album, and the reverence shows in these covers. I got the opportunity to hear his latest single before its official release date, here are my thoughts.
Rivers stated that his latest influence is has been around 1950s jazz. While listening to the latest single, “Red Hot Blues”, I got more surf rock vibes with a mix of that standard vocal style that artist like Patsy Cline pulled from jazz/pop artists of the 50s and 60s. That said, I quite likes its overall tone and presentation. The cover of the single evokes 50s/60s pop albums. I have to say, the aesthetic that Westin has works great with the sound he is going for. The more mellow hip-hop beats that underline provides a momentum that is welcomed along side the milky instrumentation. The track comes in at just under 3 minutes. I get vibes of Tennis from the bright surf sound guitars that swim throughout the song. We continue on the theme of love and passion, similar to that of “Maraschino Cherry” off his prior project. “It’s been red, hot, or blue since I’ve met you”, Westin sings sounding the rainbow of emotions that this man has put him through since he fell for him. The chorus details how this man’s charming demeanor has River under his spell, “I don’t know what else to do/ I guess it’s true/ There’s just something about you”. The mix of eternal strings and subtle choir of “ahs” push this on from what I think would give people a Lana Del Rey derivative into something much more original.
I hope the move into this retro jazz/pop/chill-hop sound is something that Westin will continue to experiment with in the future. His softer vocal approach lends itself quite well a chill-hop blend. It definitely is a pleasurable listen. I am excited to see where River plans to take this new sound next.
My overall rating: 7 out of 10 soda shop bad boys to fall for…
