Low’s first release from their upcoming Hey What, due out in September, is simple and sparse, relying mostly on subtlety to convey its voice. The a capella opening descends at the end of each line with chorus effect that sounds as much like organ as a human voice, yet remains very organic. Around the minute mark, the chorus of voice is replaced by clean guitar which in turn gives way to well-beyond-fuzz overdrive, almost overwhelming the song. Quiet ambience makes up the last almost three minutes and its gentle ebb and flow of tension behind the repeated, “Again …” reinforces the cycle of “days like these.”
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This song supports something I’ve been suspecting for the past year or so, which is that Low is the rare band that completely reinvents itself with every record yet keeps a solid presence of who they are in everything they do. I think that’s one of the hardest things for a creative person to do, and most bands simply tweak a formula from album to album. Even artists who we celebrate for reinventing themselves–Bowie and U2 come to mind–mostly only reinvented the presentation of their work, not the bones of the songs themselves. Based on very limited exposure to Low (I’ve owned and listened to three of their albums over the years, most recently 2018’s Double Negative, which blew me away), I think they actually reinvent the bones of their songs.
This is an interesting song. It’s not at all what I would expect after Double Negative, yet there’s an obvious connection between the two. The video is thought provoking alongside the words and music, but I’m not sure I’m bright enough to connect the video to the lyrics. I didn’t realize they have a new record coming out so I’m glad you posted this!