Cosmic Coasts
Dreams of the Coast, the new album from Myrtle Beach musician Grant Nesmith, is a dreamy slice of guitar-driven psych-country. Each track portrays a new influence Nesmith draws from: folk, bluegrass, psychedelia, pop. There’s a little bit of each thrown in the concoction, but every song feels a little new.
Take the LP’s intro, “Never Die,” for example. The chord vamp that kicks things off is almost a Velvet Underground riff, before the song takes off into a fuzzed-out alt-country verse and chorus. Guitarist Sadler Vaden’s presence is felt on the song’s sharp and fast hook.
The title track is more country than cosmic, but Nesmith’s reverb-drenched vocals assure the song doesn’t touch the ground. Like most of the LP, “Dreams of the Coast” is romantic. It’s a traveling song where the dirt road leads to salt water.
Some songs, like “Kaleidoscope” and “Souvenir,” drive home Nesmith’s love for soft rock. Both tunes completely break from the alt-country stylings surrounding them, focusing on piano and pop melodies. Nesmith continues to push away from his own formula on the space rocker “Untitled” and the ’80s-influenced “Mountaintop.”
Dreams of the Coast comes full circle in the final two tracks. “Haunt” pulls the sound back to its cosmic country roots. The eight-minute odyssey “Such a Crime” closes the LP with a string of reversed sound effects, lap steel guitar playing, surreal lyrics and big instrumental sections. It wouldn’t be a psychedelic epic without big instrumental sections.
The full LP will be available on bandcamp.com Feb. 5.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.
