Sunday ACL Fest 2018 Record Reviews
Neighbor Lady
Maybe Later (Friendship Fever)
Reviewed by Greg Beets, Fri., Oct. 5, 2018
Character, variety, and drama lift this Athens, Ga., quartet's debut EP beyond the realm of high indie mundane. Driven by a reverberant piano riff and Emily Braden's faraway, twang-tinged vocal, "Let It Bleed" documents the darkness of disconnection via a Southern gothic haze. "Oh Honey" takes a sprightly turn, employing an incipient guitar hook, synth flourishes, and loads of sass to make this kiss-off kill with pop kindness. Braden proves equally adroit delivering elegiac torch song sentiments on "I Wish Nothing" before the whole band builds to a fever pitch for closing number "Wring Me Out." (11:30am, BMI stage; weekend one only)