If you’re looking for a track that will perfectly bring in summer, you have to check out Kate Usher & the Sturdy Souls. Their alternative soul pop rock band sound was formed in Montauk, New York, and their sound reflects the vibes of a warm summer day on a sandy beach with a handful of friends.
Their latest single is a mixture of soul lyrics that glide over a mix of funky guitar, jazzy saxophone, and captivating drumming. It has the feeling of a John Mayer track, laid back and easy to listen to, with the flair of a soul performance, and the flavor of a pop track all rolled into one.
Kate Usher & the Sturdy Souls bring together soulful pop melodies on “Halfway”.
The diverse musical influences that compose both Kate Usher and the Sturdy Souls is highlighted on their debut single “Halfway” and upcoming EP Circles. “Halfway” represents everything they grew up with in the early ’90s in a modern way.
“Being born in ‘93, we both grew up listening to R&B,” said Usher. “Halfway represents our R&B and pop side of thinking.”
“Halfway” perfectly describes the feeling of traveling through life without knowing where you’re headed or how far you’re away from your destination. Lyrically, “Halfway” came to Usher on a trip in Thailand.
“Thailand was a different trip than I had expected. While I was anticipating cultural submersion, I ended up being fully submerged in many party hostels and Chang Beer,” said Usher.
“Surprisingly that got my creative juices flowing to write the lyrics to ‘Halfway’ and luckily I still got to experience the cultural differences while backpacking through Cambodia and Vietnam.”
The cultural exploration is also explored in the genre-bending track that is “Halfway.” Its jazzy pop feel is heightened with an added saxophone solo. While many artists rely on your typical piano, guitar, or maybe the random harmonica solo, Usher & the Sturdy Souls really take the track to a new level with the added in saxophone solo.
“The solo wasn’t originally in the track, however. It came about while performing the track at The Montauk Beach House and a saxophonist began improving alongside their performance outside the venue. Our good friend overhead him, snuck him in, and persuaded him onto the stage with us for an impromptu performance,” said Usher. “The rest became history.”
Due out on May 18 is the group’s debut EP, Circles. Kate Usher & the Sturdy Souls worked with Grammy award-winning producer Cynthia Daniels on the project.
“Her studio, MonkMusicStudios is beautiful and we learned a lot of production techniques from mic placement to mixing and mastering,” said Usher. “She also pushed us to find difficult harmonies that we otherwise wouldn’t have used. Working with her was an awesome learning experience full of laughter and we look forward to potentially working with her again.”
As for what’s coming up for Kate Usher & the Sturdy Souls, after they drop Circles the group performs it at the Montauk Music Festival. You’ll also be able to find them performing upwards of 5 or more times per week in the Hamptons at The Surf Lodge while getting ready to release their full album next year.
