The Apache Relay was quickly lumped into the folk-rock genre following the release of its 2009 album, American Nomad , its subsequent touring with Mumford and Sons and appearances at top festivals. Though The Apache Relay gained notoriety and praise, perhaps it felt stuck — anonymous in its brand. The sophomore album The Apache Relay evolves the band’s music to escape its past sound with a full, wall-of-sound style production.
This growth is immediately evident from the ascending violin that opens the first track, “Katie Queen of Tennessee.” The track has a recognizable folk sound, but is turned on its head with a forceful string arrangement backing and whimsical harmonies. Like “Katie,” “Terrible Feeling” has an angelic chorus backed with strong strings. The song further reinforces the wall-of-sound style ubiquitous throughout the album. “Dose,” which appears on the second half, has an interesting backing of strings complemented with slide guitar. The song is successful in creating a straightforward, catchy pop melody.
“Good As Gold” may sound the most familiar to Apache Relay fans. The song has the staple acoustic guitar of folk-rock with a hint of a Western guitar hook. It is dark, but forceful, like the other songs.
Evolution is certainly important for a band, and The Apache Relay absolutely grows into its own on its latest self-titled album. The band has found its unique sound in a genre saturated with similarities. The progression between its more recent albums shows the band could go anywhere in years to come.
