Daley Road - “Contemplating”
Naarm/Melbourne-based duo James Kelly and Hugo Lee, aka Daley Road, have just sent over their elegantly cinematic new single, “Contemplating,” the soundtrack to your next stint of introspection.
This song embodies some fantastic sounds that are bound to keep you coming back for multiple listening sessions. Pressing play invites an ethereal blend of synth swells and nature foley to maximize your aural pleasure and we cannot help but recall the first time we ever heard Novo Amor or the earlier recordings from Bon Iver. Suffice to say, Daley Road hit it over the proverbial fence with this one.
The vocal is warm and raw as it enters your atmosphere, yet it maintains a dreamy eloquence that only the most cinematic folk songs can provide. The delivery forces you to press your headphones closer to you ears and will most assuredly enchant you from its very first line: “Semi-automatic love, I’ve been sitting here alone.” The first verse is wonderfully sparse, creating an intimate and vulnerable soundscape that forces you to ponder your very existence.
Daley Road have taken the liberty of incorporating some electronic beats and some synthy artifacts, seamlessly tying together two contrasting worlds of music. But where the song completely wins us over is with its layers of reverberating background vocals and every time we spin it, we hear something new. Whether it’s the harmonies or the smooth and soaring notes from the saxophone, “Contemplating” will burrow its way into your thoughts until you dream about it every time you close your eyes.
After hearing it, you’re going to want more, so be sure not to miss the additional magic within their previous releases, which we hope are indicative that an LP in on the horizon. From the majestic and grand crescendo of “happy rain,” to the more experiential nature of tracks like “Song For You” and “Mountainside,” Daley Road hold fast to their word: “create what you wish to experience.”
-HD