Those Willows (Band)

"Occupying a space where melodious acoustic pop lives happily alongside synth and reverb, the band's new self-titled album is the sound of a folk band that's grown roots in the same town as Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Its opening track, "Know More," contains a sax line that Wells says 'was directly inspired by St. Vincent. She uses a lot of interesting tones, and that's something we always try to explore.'

Opting for the term "indie pop" mostly out of a struggle to pin down something more exact, Wells says the band's sound is 'no longer folk music,' especially on this album. Tarter chimes in with the clunky but helpful descriptor "dreamy folk jazz pop." But through its stylistic twists and turns, the bright thread running through Those Willows' sound is the magical blend of Wells' and Tarter's voices. It's next to impossible to tell which one is singing.

Thankfully, the addition of a full band for this new album doesn't drown out this focus, but actually highlights it. 'The bass player and the drummer both joined about a year and a half ago,' says Wells, 'and they helped us form these songs. We came to them with the ideas, but they brought a unique groove to them, which is something we've longed for.'

The added volume range of the full-band sound creates more space to marvel at Wells' and Tarter's harmonies as they crescendo and break off. Each found much more than a musical half in the other, and as if their music could be any sweeter, the two are now engaged to be married.

-Willamete Week Nov. 15,2016