Album review and show preview: The Selfless Lovers return to Antone’s
Austin’s The Selfless Lovers return to Antone’s stage Friday (tomorrow) for a sold out performance with local family band, The Watters. While Selfless Lovers’ bandleader, Nik Parr has been performing a smattering of solo gigs during the pandemic slow-down, his band has been playing rare one-offs and have been busy making their new full-length, When The Bars Close. The album will be available to stream tomorrow where ever you listen to music.
The band retooled their sound for this latest effort, When the Bars Close moving toward a more refined sound. The record was tracked at 5th Street Studios. The album was recorded and mixed by Nick Joswick and mastered by Dave McNair. The tracks were recorded live to tape in a single take. Let us repeat that, Parr tracked the entire album live using single takes for each instrument, guitar, piano, vocals, drum and bass. That type of effort takes a talented, tight band that knows how to turn it on for each performance. Preview some of the tracks from the record here.
Few artists are capable of recording a saleable recording using live recordings. The vast majority of records you listen to are multi-tracked, heavily produced works meant to conceal possible shortcomings of recording live. Then the finished product is stitched together in the post-production process, over-dubbing vocals and adding elements to sweeten the deal. What fans will get with The Selfless Lovers’ new record is an example of how talented, committed artists approach recording.
This third studio effort demonstrates the maturation of the band, with Parr leading his team of young, talented musicians with precocious ability. The kid might be one of the hardest working artists we’ve met. That’s saying something considering how long we’ve been covering music. Not only does he write the songs, book the band, make the recordings but he also delivers a scintillating live show. We’ve had friends of The Cosmic Clash join us for previous Selfless Lovers shows and the response is something along the lines of: “How have I not seen this band before?! This guy is great!” We’re well aware many deserving acts fly under the radar in this music-soaked town. Parr and his band embody this idea in many ways.
Speaking of the band, aside from Parr’s blistering sax and piano work, Daniel Warner and Augie Gmitter play drum and bass respectively. Keegan Flynn plays lead guitar. The old-school rock n roll vibes are ever present with this band. Elements of soul and funk are often found in their work but the highlight is Parr’s contagious energy which permeates everything the band does. Fans can purchase the CD and high-quality digital download directly from the band.
Track listing:
1) Gas Station Wine
2) Gimme Time
3) Lonely Tonight
4) Changed My Mind
5) South Carolina
6) How Far Is Love
7) In That Moment
8) Do It Right
9) Special
10) Thirty Five Days
11) Back Home
12) When The Bars Close
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