Sales cut the nonsense. The Florida duo execute simplistic, acoustic ballads with effortless charm, minus the minimalist-electronic undercurrents that seem to perpetuate most music from rising talents these days. It’s nice, in an industry that seems increasingly concerned with never staying put, that Sales have found a comfortable niche that they deliver on sublimely. Their eponymous debut EP packages a year’s worth of releases, so whilst brand new material is thin on the ground, it serves as a reminder of the lasting impression the duo has made in a short time.
Opening the EP is ‘Renee’, the song which introduced me to the duo several months before. Led by a sweetly slick acoustic riff, Lauren Morgan delivers grounded vocals that give this song and the rest of Sales’ material a raw, spontaneous mood. Even the drumbeat waltzes along with a slothful stride. It doesn’t need to propel into overblown grandeur, with curtains pulling back to reveal a mammoth orchestra. Instead it feels isolated and warm, with honesty akin to the insides of a journal. ‘Vow’ brings out an electric guitar, but even this is subdued, skittering along as the hook admits “it’s all just a way out”. Sonically, the song doesn’t reach bloated heights, but instead exercises admirable restraint, cruising along with a sedate stride.
‘Chinese New Year’ knocks the tempo up a notch, a sudden small song that doesn’t outstay its welcome, with a dreamy riff playing in the background. ‘Getting It On’ best encapsulates Sales’ sound, a straightforward no-strings melody that gives itself room to breathe instrumentally, occasionally with enough space to sound akin to The xx. The EP ends on a misty, meditative note with the sombre ‘Toto’, with each pluck of the string wisps away into echo, and a static hum like rain pattering against a window. It fades out as calmly as it began, a perfect accompaniment for the autumn ahead.
Sales pull off concise acoustic melancholy without breaking a sweat, or resorting to tropes. Their first EP holds huge promise as a warm, simmering package of songs that’s hard to fault. Here’s to more from the Florida duo.
7bitarcade - Archive 