Description
Widowspeak is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York. They are currently signed to Captured Tracks. The band consists of guitarist and vocalist Molly Hamilton and guitarist Robert Earl Thomas. The band formed in 2010 by Tacoma natives Molly Hamilton and her friend Michael Stasiak, who have known each other since they were teenagers. The pair met with guitarist Robert Earl Thomas and began practicing together. They released their debut album Widowspeak in August 2011 to critical acclaim. The single “Harsh Realm” was featured in an episode of the television series American Horror Story. In 2012, the band recruited bassist Pamela Garavano-Coolbaugh for their subsequent tours.
Written in the months before and after the release of their critically acclaimed 2020 album Plum, The Jacket, released in March of this year, feels like a full-circle moment for the duo. Sonically, The Jacket finds the band at their usual and best: the album breathes deeply, balancing moments of open lushness with a straightforward, Velvets-y approach. Dynamics shift seamlessly between gentle, drifting ballads and twangy jams, built up from layered guitars, dusty percussion and ambling bass lines. The band still wears the same perennial influences on its sleeve: cornerstones like Yo La Tengo, Neil Young, Cowboy Junkies, Cat Power, and Richard and Linda Thompson. They expertly pepper in slow-core, dream-pop, pacific northwest indie, and outlaw country, resulting in a 60s-meets-90s aesthetic.