Today, here at Last Day Deaf, we have the joy to bring you the exclusive EP premiere of alt/dark folk outfit Sci-Fi Romance‘s ‘The Rain Becomes A River‘, ahead of its May 8th release via Broken Image. The L.A. outfit which is led by singer and multi instrumentalist Vance Kotrla has created one of the most intriguing alt-folk releases of the year so far, in the vein of ‘Secret South‘- era 16 Horsepower among others.
The self-titled EP opener is an ear-melting mid-tempo ballad, which brings in mind the unparalleled lyricism of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds‘ ‘Murder Ballads‘, while with its successor the cover of Led Zeppelin‘s classic song ‘When the Levee Breaks‘, things get heavier & darker; An unmissable moment for fans of David Eugene Edwards. The 6-minute ‘Undeground‘ geniously leaves the listener more air to breathe followed by the alt-folk diamond ‘I Will Let You Down‘ with a spine-chilling vocal performance combined ideally with the soothing strings’ sounds. ‘Never Let Me Go‘ captures the band in its most bittersweet romantic momentum, a track full of lush harmonies and poignant lyrics.
Hope you enjoy the ride:
Press Notes:
Sci-Fi Romance is an alt-folk band from Los Angeles led by singer and multi instrumentalist Vance Kotrla. Their dark, percussive take on folk, made haunting by the lyrical cello work of Jody Stark, offers a sonically apocalyptic version of folk music for uncertain times.
Inspired by the feeling of being helpless to control anything beyond the way you respond to life’s calamities, their latest EP The Rain Becomes A River is meant to be taken as a collective suite of songs seeking peace amidst disaster. Case in point: first single “When The Levee Breaks” came to Kotrla in the wake of watching his hometown of Houston crumble at the hands of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Stripping the Led Zeppelin classic to its most stark and loud form, “Levee” suddenly took on a new life in sharing the experience of watching your childhood roots and family face destruction from afar.
Formed in 2010 as a solo project of Kotrla’s, Sci-Fi Romance has featured a rotating cast of musicians, including international opera soprano Kristin Vogel, while remaining steadfast in delivering soberingly honest portraits of life across four albums and three EPs over the last decade. This EP follows their fourth full-length album, 2018’s Dreamers & Runaways, which was the band’s most ambitious and politically-forward work to date.
The Rain Becomes A River is out on May 8th via Broken Image.