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Photo: Brenna Nickels / Courtesy of the artist

Spirit Award Encounter Psychedelic Turbulence on “Wasting Time” (premiere)

Seattle's Spirit Award offer up the new single "Wasting Time" which finds people so absorbed in time-wasting trivialities that they are neglecting matters of real significance.

Seattle band Spirit Award have been steadily building anticipation for their forthcoming Muted Crowd album with a series of brilliant singles that put a contemporary spin on classic 1960s psychedelic rock. After the release of”Supreme Truth” and “Dark Night of the Soul” already this year, the band are back with new single “Wasting Time”.

Piloted by a thick, grooving bassline that provides an angular frame for Daniel Lyon’s smooth, hazy vocals, the song quickly encounters some psychedelic turbulence with the band building sonic layers of chugging strings, washes of guitars and piano. At the halfway point, bass and drums take over to navigate the song as dusk rapidly descends. While the rhythm becomes almost tribal, Lyon’s voice skirts around the shadowy edges followed by howling guitar notes like pained voices in the gloom.

Lyon’s soaring vocals camouflage the more downcast message of the song. On “Wasting Time”, Lyon lifts his head up to find people so absorbed in time-wasting trivialities that they are neglecting matters of real significance, as he explains.

“We are so preoccupied with everyday nonsense (social media, news, money) that we forget about people, community and how to connect with them. As cities grow we see these communities fall apart. Old neighborhoods divided by expensive condos and dwellers who don’t care to connect with those around them. We forget that there are many threats to our lives and the lives of future generations, but we just let it be like a fire that’s right in front of us that we ignore until it’s too late.”

However, Lyon’s does see some cause for optimism. As long as we, as individuals, can find our voice and resolve to confront and denounce. Whether it be at a local, national or international level, that one voice may start as a whisper but united with others it can become a powerful, deafening roar.

“It’s not too late to speak up. It’s never too late to tell someone what is happening or happened is not right. So many of us do not agree with things around us, but we feel helpless, voiceless, and muted. This is how we improve as people and how we improve the world, by saying: Something. Is. Not. Right.”

Muted Crowd is out this October.

The band are just about to embark on a large US tour.

TOUR DATES

10.18 // Neumos // Seattle, WA

10.23 // University of Portland // Portland, OR

10.24 // Old Nicks // Eugene, OR

10.25 // Bar Fluxus // San Francisco, CA

10.26 // TBD // Los Angeles, CA

10.27 // Valley Bar // Phoenix, AZ

10.28 // CANS DELI // Tucson, AZ

10.30 // TBD // Albuquerque, NM

10.31 // Syntax // Denver, CO

11.1 // TBD // Fort Collins, CO

11.2 // TBD // Missoula, MT

11.10 // Off Beat Music Festival // Reno, NV

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