SONG PREMIERE: Opal Eskar (members of The War On Drugs) Capture Blissful Indie Pop Sound on “And Yet Love Rules”

Photo credit: Mecky Elvita Madl

Opal Eskar is the latest convergence of some of Philadelphia’s busiest indie musicians. 

Comprised of Karl Blau (vocals), Heyward Howkins (vocals, guitar), and Chet Delcampo (vocals, guitar, bass, keys) last summer, Opal Eskar is now a five-piece featuring two more members of the Philly fabric: Charlie Hall and Robbie Bennett of The War  on Drugs

Opal Eskar will release its debut self-titled EP on May 19th via Spiral Valley Records

To get an idea of the band’s sound beyond “dreamy” (which it is!), look no further than the  comprehensive careers of the members of Opal Eskar and the company they keep. 

Blau met Howkins and Delcampo after relocating to Philly following a highly prolific period in  the Olympia, Washington area where he released dozens of records and helped nurture the scene that brought the K Records label and influential artists such as Laura Veirs, The Microphones, and Earth — many of which Blau recorded and performed with — to prominence. 

More recently, Veirs, along with My Morning Jacket front man Jim James, appeared with Blau on a cover of Link Wray’s ten-minute epic “Fallin’ Rain,” a cut from Introducing Karl Blau, a covers collection of overlooked country songs by Blau, released by legendary UK record label Bella Union

Delcampo has two earlier album releases to his name, as well as another pair as Hong Kong Stingray. His list of current and former collaborators is long, including Kid Congo PowersJoel RL Phelps, and Dave Lovering of Pixies. Last year he released a single with Howkins as Later Fortune, called “lush, sophisticated art pop” by Brooklyn Vegan

Howkins has released two full-length albums of his own, and is a founding member of the choral group The Silver Ages with members of Dr. Dog and The War on Drugs, the Grammy®- winning rock band that features Hall on drums and Bennett on keys, the same instruments they contribute to Opal Eskar

Like Howkins and Delcampo’s Later Fortune project, which covered David Bowie’s soul-noir classic “Win” (from the Young Americans album, which was recorded in Philly), Opal Eskar cannot help but be influenced by the man. 

Delcampo says, “A few years after Bowie’s death, I was reflecting upon his methodology of  assembling an interesting cast of characters into the right room at the right time. Tony ViscontiBrian Eno, Nile Rodgers, Mick Ronson, and many others.” 

Inspired to assemble his own group of collaborators this way, Delcampo reached out to Blau (whose work he had long admired) and Howkins brought Hall and Bennett to the band.

Today Glide is premiering the EP opener and first single “And Yet Love Rules,” a song that song asks us to “let love be the governing force in exchanges with other humans. Let the innocence of our inner child — the curiosity that permeates life — help lead our actions and interactions,” according the Blau. This transpires in the form of a blissful indie track that locks into a simple groove and a laid back tone. The band makes creative use of synths, using them to add to the ethereal mood of the song and to give it an eclectically pleasing sound that brings to mind the more artsy and mellow work of acts like TV On The Radio.

Karl Blau describes the inspiration behind the tune:

“‘And Yet Love Rules is about letting love be the governing force in exchanges with other humans. We don’t know their story, we can only assume we would be in their shoes if we were in their shoes. Let the innocence of our inner child – the curiosity that permeates life – help lead our actions and interactions.”

Chet Delcampo adds his own take:

“This song was musically conceived and captured to tape in the room with Charlie and Robbie at the time of our first-ever session. We grabbed the overall vibe fairly extemporaneously and quickly in the room that day. It was the musical jumping off point of our Opal Eskar journey.”

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