The headline kind of says it all: Light Summer Anthems with lots of depth make up the new album from Louisville's So It Was featuring the songwriting and singing of Daniel Lobb. Some of the songs have a breezy, bossa nova feel masking questions of climate change, social injustice, and insecurity in an unfair world. An example of this can be found in “Breewayy” , a song about the struggle for justice for Breonna Taylor in Daniel’s native Louisville. The track floats along on breezy bossa-nova chords, exemplifying an effort to juxtapose serious themes and sweet melodies that draw the listener in. In “You Are Welcome”, Daniel invites the listener to feel security amidst an unfair world. With finger-picked classical guitar and minimalist arrangement, Daniel is able to achieve a moment of direct candor, singing:“You are welcome in this world, no matter your points in the game /The flowers are wilted, the basket is tilted, by kings who don’t even play / You know all those greedy hands will empty and fold in the grave / Ashes to ashes so follow the flashes of lightning bugs calling for rain.”
Round the Mountain was recorded in Brooklyn at Figure 8 Recordings by Nate Mendelsohn (Frankie Cosmos, Katie von Schleicher) and was mastered by Philip Shaw Bova (Andy Shauf, Feist). The artwork was created by Leia Sexton, with photography by Pulitzer Prize winner Jon P. Cherry.
The album will be celebrated tonight at Headliners Music Hall with guest Genevva and The Jesse Lees, 8pm.
Round The Mountain is available now.
