By Emma Cohen of Indie Band Guru
Coming from Atlanta, the musical foursome known as Sabbatical Year are creating music that clings to the heart of indie and interpretive music with a healthy dose of modern aged technology.
The group’s members — Nick Margiasso on vocals, Drew Norris on piano, Devon Norris on drums, and Tom Smith on bass — all have deep musical roots, having played in a wide and diverse array of groups before formed Sabbatical Year. Their history has helped groom in them the powerful charge of music they have been sharing since 2014.
Their newest single, “Stay,” is a cut off of their third album, and first remix EP, SYre.
Sabbatical Year Bends Genre
In “Stay,” Sabbatical Year shows off a perfect blend of tradition and electronic sounds.
The calming relaxed tone of the vocals placed over the similarly sounding piano chords make the song transfixing and mellow. I loved how to the vocals were layered with echoes and harmonies in the choruses to make a more hypnotic sound.
A piano rock band first, it is interesting to note that the piano, while present, is far from the strongest musical aspect of this song. Rather, the complex and layered synths and electronics are what give “Stay” its artistic strength.
I found that the repetition of lyrics — they are far more prominent in the choruses than the verses — make the track more interesting rather than mundane. The repetition seemed to connect with me, with a deep part that had otherwise been masked. The lines — “Stay anyway / I don’t want to hear / Stay anyway” — are delivered with enough raw emotion and variation to stay fresh rather than become stagnant.
That every member of Sabbatical Year can be heard in this track which is well worth noting. None of them outshine each other; they blend together to make a perfect harmony of instruments, music, and vocals.
This beautiful harmony and composition — in terms of both music and members — lead to a song that is refreshingly beautiful.
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