Powerfully cosmic country.
This is a release best listened to at night. In the solitude of your home or driving around late after dark, alt-country band FREIGHT’s sophomore album provides powerful introspection.
If 2022’s “Hard Worker” was the Mars rover sent to explore the band’s talent, it reported back with proof of life. “Old Bones” is a crewed spaceship, an expedition of all things intrinsically human: loneliness, heartbreak, and the urge to stare at the sky for something bigger. “Is it any wonder such a shallow grave cannot contain? Old bones are restless”, frontman JP Payton sings in the title track. In the Cosmic American tradition of looking beyond the grave and past the atmosphere, FREIGHT have mastered an art form of transcendental country.
With oscillating tempos between songs, “Old Bones” straddles the line of passionate ballads and stripped-back, poignant tunes. ‘Cry Honey’ and ‘Skyrocket’ are powerhouses of tracks, and paired with the rhythmic thoughtfulness of ‘Found a Love’ and ‘Big Bright Moon’, the album takes on beautiful dimensions.
One of the album’s standouts, ‘Travesty’, is a gorgeous tribute to a friend who passed away too soon. Payton recalls the moments they shared and the stark reminders of his death. “My buddy needs a headstone for laying in the yard” is both a physical marker of the loss and a call to action for community fundraising. “I don’t wanna be forgotten… everyone needs a stone with their names carved into”.
The highlights of “Old Bones” are soaring, at points overshadowing the rest. ‘Loving Arms’ and ‘Too Much’ have a ghostliness to them, backed with spirited guitars and wonderfully layered vocals. Singer Loveday Greene is a standout, providing a stunning layer with background vocals reminiscent of Emmylou Harris.
Crossing boundaries into Appalachian folk and alt-country rock, Ithaca, NY’s FREIGHT proves their resilience and complexity, making for a vivid, remarkably evocative sophomore release.
