Land of Talk keep the slow burn going on “This Time”
Midway through “Inner Lover”, the first new Land of Talk offering in years, Elizabeth Powell intones, “You light it slowly,” amidst crawling drums and droning guitar. It’s an strange, mystifying hook that pops up several times throughout the song’s sprawling five minutes, and with their latest single “This Time”, they continue taking it to heart. While the track falls more in line with the rest of the band’s catalog than its immediate predecessor, it features the same patient arrangement that made “Inner Lover” feel so fresh.
Where that last track was nocturnal and sedate, “This Time” sounds like the morning after, and I’m not talking about the “I’m going to try to drink Gatorade without sitting up” kind of morning. I’m talking about the “I woke up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday, went for a run, and ate a bunch of fruit with breakfast” kind. With this being a guitar-driven track, it’s somewhat of a return to form, but the instrumentation posesses the same wonky vibratto that set “Inner Lover” apart from Powell’s previous work. It’s becoming increasingly clear that this isn’t the same Land of Talk from seven years ago, so when she sings “finding ourselves has taken its toll” in the first verse, you believe her. As indicative of pain as the lyrics are, there’s a palpable optimism all over this thing. It’s the sound of a talented songwriter picking up the pieces and using them to make something new and exciting.
If you want to catch Land of Talk live, they’ll headline Boot & Saddle this June 16th. For tickets and more information, head over to XPN’s Concert Calendar.