Ohio folk rockers Poor Remy — who now spend most of their time in New York — take the worn and faded tropes of indie folk music and turn them inside out, drawing out the heart and inclusivity without resorting to lazy sentimentality. The trio, comprised of Adrian Glavin, Andrew D’Amico, and Kenneth Polyak, met in 2010 while all three were attending Kenyon College in Ohio. Finding that they shared a passion for the same threads of music, they began writing and recording and playing in their home state of Ohio, which led to a nationwide tour in support of their debut EP, Still Sleeping, in 2012. Drawing on aspects of traditional folk and modern indie rock for their richly harmonic songs, the band will once again share an EP’s worth of new material with their fans in the form of Bitters, which is due out sometime this fall.
For our first taste of Bitters, the band has chosen the glistening harmonies and exquisitely detailed acousticism of “Wrecking Ball.” Punctuated by gorgeous strains of violin and banjo, the track showcases each band member’s talents, while constantly shifting its musical perspective. The trio’s vocals intertwine with the rising instrumentation in a beautiful cacophony of sounds — all pitched together in a striking acoustic symphony. Even without the addition of notable percussion, there is a sense of forward momentum and progression that keeps the song from ever feeling static or stuck in rote genre characterizations. Whether the band has realized it or not, they’ve given new life to a genre overrun with banal and lethargic bands and artists who simply mimic the past in an attempt to cover over their own shortcomings. Poor Remy have no need to cover up anything. Let’s hope that they can take back the banjo from Mumford and Sons.
Beats Per Minute is pleased to premiere the lead single, “Wrecking Ball,” from Poor Remy’s upcoming EP, Bitters.
