Los Angeles' Calling Cadence Release Their All Analog Self-Titled Debut Album

Los Angeles-based group Calling Cadence released their self-titled debut album today on hi-res records.

A tour-de-force that showcases the band's extensive chops across wide-eyed classic Southern soul, Americana, old school rock & roll, pop, country and bluegrass, swampy blues and more, Calling Cadence's 15 songs encapsulate the band's wide range of influences while steering these sounds and genres into a distinctly modern direction.

"It's a smorgasbord of folk, rock, soul, punk, jazz and country with easy-to-digest attitude and gotcha hooks," explains The Audio Beat in a glowing review, "that, coupled with the extremely high level of musicianship, makes the end product easily absorbed."

Fronted by Rae Cole and Oscar Bugarin, Calling Cadence is a band rooted in harmony and raised on the storied songwriting traditions of '50s, '60s and '70s American groups and songwriters. Produced by David Swartz and Matt Linesch, the album was recorded, mixed and mastered straight to analog tape, an approach that magnifies and multiplies the warmth of their voices and the vitality of their songwriting, while paying homage to the groups and songwriters Cole and Bugarin were raised on.

"These songs were all individually written as lessons in love - love for another person, love for one's self, and love lost," says Cole. "The songs are a collection of experiences and ideas that all us writing partners have had in our lives."

The album's advance singles "Just the Way It Goes," "Throw My Body," "Good Day" and "California Bartender" have earned praise from listeners and critics alike, and have been featured in a number of publications, programs, and playlists including NPR's Finally Friday Sessions, KTLA, Folk N Rock, KLOS, The Indy Review, Apple Music's New In Rock Playlist, and more.

The band excels at translating these songs on stage and in a live setting, and thrive at re-creating the recording's dazzling harmonies while building on and matching the vitality of the recordings. Calling Cadence's performance for NPR's Finally Friday Session particularly underscores the group's power as live performers and musicians.

Album cuts, including "Rosie" and "Took A Chance," build out Calling Cadence's sonic universe. The former captures the complications of holding onto a love that is slipping through the cracks over a breezy acoustic arrangement. Named after Bugarin's guitar, "Rosie" features sleek harmonies and stunning keys that lay the foundation for the band's signature heart-on-their-sleeves confessionalism.

The latter features a gorgeous waterfalling vocal harmony that further highlights the high-wire pressures that can take hold in a relationship. The band's knack for revealing the nuance and depth of these interpersonal dynamics centers the humanity of their songwriting across the album.

For Calling Cadence (whose name pays tribute to Oscar's time in the army), recording to analog tape wasn't just a production choice; it was a way of maintaining honesty with themselves and their audience. Like the classic albums that inspired Calling Cadence's layered vocal arrangements and warm, guitar-driven sound, the record is a genuine snapshot of a band on the rise.

"There's something exhilarating about laying down "the take" that you're going to set in stone," says Bugarin on analog recording. "When recording digitally, so many things can get clipped, shifted and tuned to line up perfectly on the grid. [Recording to tape] felt like I was taking a trip in a time machine, but a familiar dream. I just wanted to make music like my heroes did, pure raw music straight from the source, no-frills, no tricks. Music made by people, no computers."

The 15 songs shine a light on Calling Cadence's strength as a live act, blending Oscar and Rae's entwined voices with vintage keyboards, guitar heroics and plenty of percussive and low-end stomp. The accompanying musicians on this album include: Josh Adams on drums (Jon Batiste, Norah Jones, Devendra Banhart, Beck), Mitchell Yoshida on keyboards (Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros), and Elijah Thomson on bass (Father John Misty, Nathaniel Rateliff).

With their debut full-length out now, the band has their sights on bringing these songs to the stage, connecting with fans and listeners, and setting the stage to grow as a group, and as songwriters. "We're still evolving and going through our journey, individually and together, collaborating and growing alongside each other," says Bugarin. "We've both learned from this process, facing things that we've never encountered. Now I can't wait to work on the next batch."

Listen to the new album here:

Photo: Michelle Shiers

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