Collect Call – The Golden Hour (2021)
Through the four tracks of The Golden Hour, Collect Call takes listeners on a nostalgic yet romantic journey. Picking up the dying embers of the day, he fills us with the desire to not give up even when everything seems to be lost. With dream-pop flows, the tracks are a call to anyone who is feeling sad and needs a slightly whimsical boost to their spirits.
Packed with vulnerability, there is a deeply relatable edge to the music that works as a soothing balm for the jagged edges life leaves us with. from the musical brain of Joseph Thorpe, the EP showcases his musical skills and expansive sound. Creating the perfect EP companion for those times we feel lonely, he merges it with tenderness and a beautiful sonic journey.
The EP aptly opens with ‘Chase the Light’ which draws you into the EP with a combination of organic and electronic tones. The beautiful piano layer slides through the soundscape with the electronic tones dancing along it. The rolling beats add forward momentum to the track that leads you to the airy vocals. Thorpe’s voice is a tender caress against your ears that sinks into your soul and fills you with the emotions of the track. There is a sincerity to his vocal performance that lets you know he understands what you are going through and will be there with you through the dark and the light. The light echo to the vocals that come in later enhances the dreaminess of the track.
‘Simple’ uses a more expansive feeling to pull you into the song as the light tones of the opening cascade down your spine. This gives way to a stripped-back tone while electronic lights sparkle between the vocals. There is a building feeling to the melody through the verses that perfectly complements the thoughts of the lyrics. The melodic swell that takes over on the chorus has you flying into the stratosphere where you glide through the clouds and feel their softness on your skin. There is a hit of melancholy in this track woven into a sense of yearning and the question of whether or not someone will be coming back.
The rising opening of ‘No Amount of Medicine’ has a distinctly electronic edge to it that warbles into the sway of the main melodic line. The music brings an expansive feeling to the soundscape like it is reaching out into the distance searching for something that it never really finds. This feeling is threaded into the vocal performance that delves into the thoughts of the lyrics. The inclusion of sound samples is interesting and brings a new dimension to the track. As the song progresses, the dreaminess takes over and turns the single is a hazy spiral of strange detachment from reality.
The title track ‘Golden Hour’ brings the EP to a close with the light scratching of the opening. This gives way to a rich wash of sound that laps against your ears with a decadent slide. The vocals creep in like fog rolling off the ocean in the early morning with a light mistiness that wisps at your senses. The depths of the piano line grounds you against the light whispers of the vocals. It is a great way to end the EP as it lets you down gently and sets you on your way with a wonderful sense of peace. As you listen to the track, you are filled with the sense that everything will be fine and your journey has led you to the bliss of pure peace.
Collect Call takes you on a beautiful journey through melancholy, nostalgia and romantic sensibilities while wrapping you in the softness of The Golden Hour. Each track is delicate and tender while reaching out a hand to soothe the jagged parts of your soul. The interplay of organic and electronic elements is wonderful to hear and really showcases the mastery Thorpe has over his sound.
Find out more about Collect Call on his Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
