Brooklyn-based four piece The Tumblers are certainly not hiding their folk-pop influences on their debut, Tangerine. There are plenty of songs here that seem to take a cue from bands like The Lumineers, The Head And The Heart, and Noah Kahan. But there are also rowdier moments on the record that show the band clearly spent some of their formative years listening to punk rock.
The record starts off mellow enough with the ballad “Jenny,” a predictably soft acoustic number. With “Hocus Pocus,” the band segues into a more experimental mode, pounding the drums harder, plugging in the frantic guitars, and amping up the energy. By the time they get to “Rally,” just three songs in, the band is clearly testing the limits of the folk, adding in rock and pop elements for impressive results.
The Tumblers may have only formed three years ago, but Jack Crawford-Brown and Emerson Sieverts have been playing in bands together going back to their pre-teen days. In New York, the duo locked in with Ian Anderson and Will Frazier. They build a reputation around the city for putting on dynamic live shows before finally recording their first album. Tangerine, like its music, is unpredictable in its subject matter, covering the core emotional issues around falling in love, loss, and just trying to get by.
“Bell Tower,” which starts off with beautiful harmonies and a stripped-down arrangement, is sweet and powerful. The same is true for “Voice Inside,” another beautiful song made stronger by its subtlety and restraint. “Wild Weather” calls to mind Noah Kahan, while “Sleepy Lion” adds a fun rock element, taking the album briefly in a different direction.
The record ends on the title track and one of the best songs, a piano-based indie rock/folk number that concludes with gang vocals that would make a punk band proud. Tangerine shows The Tumblers are not afraid to wear their musical influences on their sleeves while also forging new paths for the genre from time to time. The record is a great compromise in familiarity and originality.
