College rock begat alternative begat indie. A common line pierces through the heart of this procession of genres, which admittedly are sometimes less useful as labels than they are worth. Saying more about what a band will stand for than what their music will sound like. They act as a counterpoint to more traditional mainstream rock and pop. The focus here is on artistic integrity and internal consistency rather than commercial viability.
As a sonic description, indie is almost completely useless. A band could be described as ‘indie rock’ and easily draw comparisons to artists varying as widely as Mineral, Radiohead, Coldplay, Death Cab, Nothing, Trauma Ray, Modern Color, and Leaving Time. Across space, time, and a multitude of subgenres all their own, each of these bands can be heard echoing today. Downward embodies some essential aspect of each of these bands from the classic cool to the new school. So if you mess with any of these examples you are sure to find something here to love.
Downward from Tulsa, Oklahoma cling on to a pendulum that swings from quiet indie folk to crushing emotive post-hardcore. The band’s name, lifted from the Hum record Downward Is Heavenward, is part signpost part exaltation. Downward certainly shares DNA with their namesake in terms of melody, song structure, and an ability to throw all of that aside to simply rock out, but they are also looking forward as much as they are looking back. Seven years later they have released their second self-titled album Downward (LP2).
I must admit whenever I first listened to Downward, I was initially kind of zoned out, lulled into complacency by soft words and entranced by the mellow rock unfolding before me. Therefore I was completely caught off guard when “Line”, the forth track on the album, came around. The kind of mumbly embedded vocals of the first several tracks is broken away from. From the very first moments “Line” is delivered with piercing clarity: ‘You clutch in/holding your breath/every time that you spin those wheels up/I was looking to see you get stuck/you offer up some of your things/nothing anyone would miss.’ The song builds up instrumentation, swelling to meet the rising vocal intensity of the closing: ‘Either way you would go on/I walk around your woods/and burn a pile/to make it obviously bright.’ “Line” was originally released in 2022 on The Brass Tax EP, but I am so glad Downward brought it back around for this album, as it remains one of my favorite tracks on Downward and was the hook that stuck, pulling me in deeper.
Drew Richardson’s vocals throughout the album are ethereal and meditative. But by the time “Out of Luck” hits a little past the halfway point, they become transcendent. The track features an extended almost purely vocal intro with just a touch of modulation and synth. Further on trotting guitar lines meet up with brambling drum beats. This song ventures away from the otherwise mostly rock playground of Downward towards a more hazy dream pop decadence.
“Perfect Food” opens quietly with a trance like guitar riff and soft drums. The vocals enter lightly as the drum pace picks up slightly. From here, the track wanders a bit, building up and releasing only to end the complete opposite of how it began: with vocals now markedly absent, guitars fuzzed-out and overdriven, drums thrashing. One of several places on Downward where the band really shows their range.
“Rival” begins similar to “Perfect Food” with soft strumming and soothing vocal intro, but manages to end up somewhere very different. Instead of a rising and falling action, “Rival” is a slow build to an epic post-rock conclusion. Some of the most diverse instrumentation of the record is in these final moments before ending rather abruptly.
In fact the closing track is just one of several songs on Downward that end in this dramatic fashion. Opening track “Request Made”, “Absolute Value”, “Line” with almost a drum click track, and finally “Rival” all just kind of stopped. It’s something I still don’t quite know what to make of, and it gives Downward a somewhat uneven, disjointed feeling to it at points. But that is my one minor nitpick for an album that is otherwise quite excellent.
Downward is a comfy, joyful experience like the deep embrace of a hug from an old friend. With personal heartfelt lyrics that are deeply poetic in nature delivered in whisper silk dulcet tones. The instrumentation is a soft glowing caress that bathes the listener in a resonant hum. Like an abstract sketch of a beautiful dream or a half remembered story bursting with nostalgia.
Downward acts not so much as a reinvention than a reintroduction. Or perhaps more of a refining process after being weathered through the years between releases. Downward are exploring the quiet/loud dynamics of modern rock music with a heavy enveloping sound. With the pervasive warmth of a weighted blanket utterly enfolding you coupled with a deeply engaging emotional intensity. Not content with simply paying homage or reviving old soundscapes, Downward are lifting up and expanding beyond labels like slowcore, shoegaze, and post-punk.
