If you Google Tawny Peaks you might be surprised at what you find, or on the other hand you might not depending on what you were actually looking for. I had to ensure that I clicked on the right link, one that was SFW given that most of the descriptions coming up were most certainly NSFW. Fortunately I saw a Bandcamp link which led me to obtain some information on this Montclair, NJ based band.
So, Tawny Peaks are probably best described as indie–rock, although the term ârock' is loosely applied as the output is much in line with the calmer moments of bands such as The Weakerthans and The Promise Ring with some of the quirkier moments of the likes of Piebald and Lemuria thrown in for good measure. Not only is In Silver River the band's follow–up to their self–titled debut LP from 2012 but it also appears to be the band's swan song given some of the information I found, which is actually quite a shame.
Despite the lack of punch there is more than enough to make this album an enjoyable listen. For me it's things like the vocals on songs like "Wasting Space", which has moments of Lemuria about it and that's no bad thing in my book. To push the Lemuria comparison further "Bending Time" also brings to mind that trio with its poppy hooks and interesting arrangements and it's obvious that there's a lot of thought behind not just these but all of the other songs on the record.
There is an unhurried feel to In Silver River and at times there's a sense of sparseness which is at odds with the songs which seems to be quite rich and full of depth without being overly complicated or busy.
The fact that the songwriting is particularly strong is good for me as I'm quite fussy when it comes to indie music – there's no real halfway house, I'll either like a band's music or I will loathe it. I hadn't expected much from Tawny Peaks but I'm glad I picked this up when offered it for review as it's a delightfully languid piece of work that puts me in a relaxed mood yet provides barrels of listening satisfaction.
It seems that the album is free on Bandcamp for the time being so don't dwell if you fancy a freebie.