Born from the fertile grounds of Louisville, Kentucky, while having been based in New York for years, the main ingredients of the Antietam broth remain southern flavoured.
All told, the steadfast trio of Tara Key (vocals/guitars/keys), Tim Harris (bass/vocals) and Josh Madell (drums) should have been as big as Yo La Tengo. Hell, the contrasting quiet/loud majesty of their 2008 album, Opus Mixtum, was pretty much the catalyst idea for YLT’s Freewheelin’ tour which played out all across the world several years later.
That said, Antietam remain comfortable in the shadows, going about their business for their devoted followers to savour every moment etched to tape. The band’s last communication was in 2021 with the compilation charity record, His Majesty’s Request: A Wink O’Bannon Select, which saw the trio draw from underground alumni in support of ex-Eleventh Dream Day guitarist, the late Wink O’Bannon.
Now, to celebrate their 40th anniversary – as they often do – last Friday Antietam surprised us with a new EP, Pitch & Yaw. Formed 40 years ago on Derby Day, the band entered a Jersey City basement and haven’t looked back since. Speaking ahead of the release, Key underlined the band as, “[W]hat I do – what I am. I can’t imagine not making new music; not forging new sonic synapses. We do it because we love it.”
Those synapses continue on from their underrated 2017 full-length, Intimations of Immortality. People that get the Antietam remit get it. This is music for the underdog. Breezy outlier indie-rock that blurs the lines of time. From Jefferson Airplane to Patti Smith and Neil Young, Antietam have inadvertently provided a history lesson through songcraft, and it continues on Pitch & Yaw.
Antienam - Pitch & YawTake opening gambit, Wake Up, Sleep T. This is an ode to alt-rock from generation to generation. From the raw bass grooves of Mike Mills to the warm melodies of Yo La Tengo, Antietam are the glue that holds it all together.
Cyrene follows, with Harris taking lead on vocals. With subtle inflections, it’s a song that rings and stretches to the empty corners of the room in what is a lazy Sunday morning jam to traipse around the house to. Those deftly echoes, like the wandering hours where you don’t quit know what to do with yourself. Some become anxious in these moments, but flip the thought process, and it can be a freeing thing.
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On the excellent title track, Key leads the line with a song that underlines the longevity this band has maintained. There’s a telepathic energy that runs through here – the core, like a magnet that draws in each band member occasionally. It’s a song that makes you realise why you connect with this band; everything just lines up, as Key parts with the line, “All the sad songs float away.” Indeed.
Featuring Cheryl Kingan on baritone sax, I Wish I Might is swamped in snaking grooves in what is the loosest jam of the bunch. It’s a celebration. A band having fun (“Going out for a ride / I haven’t felt high since the getaway”), with the kind of freedom that leans into the experimental wig-outs of, say, Stereolab.
While some will claim it’s great to have them back, it’s worth pointing out that Antietam never went away. Like an absent friend that’s in your orbit but sporadically seen, Pitch & Yaw sees Antietam remind us of what’s important about music and why we fell in love with it in the first place. It’s a pretty special trait, and in their 40 years as a band, Antietam have always had it.
Pitch & Yaw is out now via Motorific Sounds. Purchase from Bandcamp.
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