Echoreview: Tealvox's The Next Room Over

Ah, Tealvox, the first rockers in Athens that had me intrigued about the local high school music scene! These guys impressed me greatly at their Athfest 2009 show, and I've been a fan ever since. That year in mid-June, they released their first EP Life is Sound which gave their fans a small sampling of their talents. This time around, though, they're giving us a brand new eight track album The Next Room Over which is scheduled to be released very soon. So what can you look forward to with these new tunes?

The album starts off with Neon Lights, a track recorded with altered low-fi vocals drifting over a very rockin' beat. I very much enjoyed listening to this one. Then Can't Get Enough rolls in with a much softer backing track and a hint of a Southern influence. This song is less polished than the former and exists as one of my least favorites on the album. However, singer Cody Stalvey's unique voice and repetitive "whoa" sound do give this tune a nice sort of coming-of-age feel.

The next song, Monitor, returns to a harder rock sound similar to that of the first track. Backed by an inspiring performance on the guitar and an amazing guitar solo, this song is full of character. Following this, Always There has a build up of sound that lends a lovely doomsday tone to this song which grabs the listener and takes them on a dark but very moving ride. There's no two ways about it: this tune just rocks!

Fittingly, Looking For My Chance to Fly comes next, bringing with it a dark keyboard-intensive frolic through fire. With a slight whisper of elements of swing as well as a very theatrical, larger than life sound, this song stands out as a game changer on the album.

By contrast, In the Dark lends a more indie pop-infused sound to the album. An acoustic tune, I could very easily imagine this song performed by a single musician sitting on a park bench during a cloudy day. Now, in all of these songs, Stalvey's voice seems much more mature than his age would suggest, but none more-so than this one. This song could very well appeal to a wide span of people from all walks of life.

Now I really like this sudden influx of songs about dinosaurs coming from Athens bands. Tealvox's Dinosaur has a big sound to match its title with a nearly epic mix of keyboard and electric guitar filling the song. Although the dinosaur mentioned in the song is only a simile, this mix adds a certain time-travelling quality to the tune which is very pleasing indeed.

The final song Tealvox gives us is entitled Weary. I always enjoy apropos tracks to finish albums! This song has a quieter but still rockin' rhythm that eases the listener to the end with references to the album title as well. With a focus on the drumbeats and vocals with a repetitive guitar chord, this tune provides a very nice end for The Next Room Over.

All in all, this album introduces a harder, darker style to Tealvox's body of creation. I really enjoy the mature direction their sound is taking. Although this album is not scheduled for release just yet, don't fret! Stay tuned for details on when and where you can get your hands on it in the coming months! I will certainly let you all know as soon as possible.