One Track Mind

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This past May, Brooklyn’s Paul and the Patients debuted with a five song EP entitled To the Lions. The release was but a mere glimpse into chief songwriter Paul Holmes’ prolific catalog, with Holmes routinely penning and recording at least a couple of tracks per week. Recently, the band decided to capitalize on this bounty by undertaking their To the Lions project, wherein the band records and posts a new song every week to a dedicated website. There, listeners can stream songs in their entirety or download them in a pay-what-you-wish system. There is no end date to the project as of yet, just an endless horizon of fresh music the band has recorded (and will record) themselves.

Of course, as strong a concept as the To the Lions project is, it wouldn’t work if the band involved weren’t crafting engaging material. Thankfully, “Tiny Red Light” proves Paul and the Patients have the chops to pull it off. The song was the first entry in the series and is a haunting, cinematic slow burner whose notes seem to dissipate into the ether as soon as they are heard. Its sparse arrangements and echoed vocals perfectly capture the lyrical theme: the words here capture the silent lull a couple shares in bed after a fight, the tiny red light from a turned off television providing the only luminescence in a room filled with darkness. Female vocals, distorted bass, and what sounds like a heavily delayed electric guitar all serve as counterpoints to Holmes’ vocals and an insistent acoustic guitar riff. Although “Tiny Red Light” winds down near the six-minute mark, it is such a hypnotic track that it would be tough to estimate its length on your own, its waves of musicality folding gently into one another. This is an excellent song and a marvelous beginning to what is sure to be a captivating, rewarding project.