Album Review: With You For Ever B-Sides & Live by Stray Fossa
Stray Fossa
Release Date: August 10, 2021
Label: Self-Released
As quarantine dragged on and on, it became increasingly difficult to fill the void left by a lack of live music. I missed the pure energy, the rawness, and the experiential connection to the artist that only comes with being in the moment. Before long, I found myself engrossed with oft-overlooked live and acoustic versions, which deftly combine the vigor and spontaneity of a live performance with just the right amount of studio editing. It goes without saying, but some songs truly just sound better without a lot of mixing and overproduction—especially when there are no concerts planned for the foreseeable future.
So, when I found out that Stray Fossa took to their attic studio to record a few live cuts from their brilliant debut album With You For Ever, I was immediately hooked. Having seen them live a few times, I've learned that the Charlottesville trio has a knack for stripping down their atmospheric, space-intensive dream-pop bangers to fit their three-piece arrangement, all without sounding hollow. The resulting EP features live studio recordings of the singles "Orange Days'' and "Diving Line" and is rounded out with two never-before-seen outtakes from the With You For Ever sessions, "All That Was" and "Bear the Waves?". The project's overall nature, whimsical yet focused, is encapsulated perfectly with the blue monochrome reflecting pool artwork, a continued collaboration with the talented Chryum Lambert.
Below is our own track-by-track analysis of the brilliant With You For Ever B-Sides & Live, complete with insight from the band themselves.
"All That Was"
This track almost never came to be due to ongoing stylistic deliberations (for example, whether to use DI versus mic'd guitar or how to properly fit harmonies over imperfect vocal takes), but I'm certainly glad it did because this is easily one of my favorite Stray Fossa pieces to date. Instrumentally, "All That Was" is charmingly eclectic, blending a bright, resonant electric riff and buoyant underlying acoustic melody against a reverb-laden drum fill that's cleverly reminiscent of the iconic solo at the climax of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight". Inspiration came from "late night chats with an old friend and educator from Belize, who often questions the meaning and purpose of everything", which largely explains the track's contemplative—and patently cosmopolitan—aura.
"Bear the Waves?"
"Bear the Waves", a part of the 2018 Sleeper Strip EP, has been a perennial favorite of mine ever since I stumbled upon the band at Coupes, a UVA student bar, back in the spring of my first year. While Stray Fossa's sound is constantly evolving, this debut release highlighted the shimmering guitar, powerful basslines, layered percussion, and dreamy vocals that would come to shape many of their subsequent projects. As the story goes, "Bear the Waves?" was initially conceived when the original version "started playing on Spotify and Will found himself singing a completely different melody over the music." This modernized rendition makes excellent use of overlaid samples and synth lines—much in the spirit of Chinatown Slalom's epic Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?—to showcase the group's productional dexterity and maturity.
Live from the Attic
Stray Fossa took to their attic studio in the middle of the night on August 31, 2020, to record the featured live versions of "Diving Line" and "Orange Days". In this setting, the tracks take on their own unique character from those on the album, as they have been decidedly reworked to accommodate their limited three-person lineup. From the first listen, one of the most strikingly apparent features is the way in which the intricate guitar layering—a staple in the band's arrangements—takes on a whole new level of prominence, particularly in the gossamer latter half of "Diving Line". The electric and acoustic parts are decidedly striated yet harmoniously intertwined, developing a euphonious sort of call-and-response. In this sense, the simplification punctuates the individual components, all without losing texture. (In fact, the waterlogged guitar at the onset of "Orange Days" sounds unmistakably like a subdued version of Nirvana's "Come as You Are".) Channeling Big Black, the rhythm section's core features a drum machine, rounded out by deep, muscular basslines on "Diving Line" and fluttering, misty keys on "Orange Days". Accordingly, the sonic landscape on both tracks cultivates an inherent sense of pastoral tranquility that is truly pleasant to just get lost in, a brilliant reflection of their late-night origins.
Watch Stray Fossa perform “Diving Line” as a part of WNRN’s Home Studio Sessions.
Watch Stray Fossa perform “Orange Days” live from their attic studio.