Now Playing: Until The Sun’s ‘Enchantment’

Until The Sun is preparing for the release of a new album. It's titled Enchantment and it drops on July 21st, 2023. But first, for those of you not yet familiar with the act in question, a bit o’ background.

Until The Sun##

According to the band’s official website, this alternative-rock blues band was formed in 2017. The Phoenix, Arizona-based band roster currently includes Alyssa Swartz on vocals, Brandon Teskey on lead guitar, and vocals, David Raymer on bass, Chris Tex on drums, and Michael Young on keyboard.

Signature Sound

Until The Sun’s signature sound is a melding of multiple music genres including alternative, blues, jazz, rock, and “Pink-Floyd-esque psychedelia.” They are inspired, in part, by blues legends and classic rock artists.

Enchantment

Enchantment is a 14-track, two-part release. Co-produced by the band and Larry Elyea, it is the creative follow-up to their previous live disc, A Night At The Rhythm Room, which dropped last year. Almost all the tracks here are originals co-written by Teskey, Swartz, and Tex with lyrics by Teskey and/or Swartz. Lori Cooper and Karee Kudebeh also appear on backup vocals.

Track by Track

The album opens on the brief parenthetical instrumental “Enchantment PT 1”. It’s also the first track of the album’s “Part 1.” The psychedelic blues rock here properly sets the musical mood for what is to come.

The second selection is the retro track titled “Your Well”. The song has a sound that truly suits the band’s intentions on this album. It also further foreshadows what is yet to come.

“All Over Again” is one of two cover cuts on this project. It’s a sometimes smoky, strong audio adaptation of the classic co-written by B.B. King and Carl B. Adams. It provides new listeners with a point of common interest with the band and yet is presented in the band’s own inimitable style.

The premiere single off the album is the funk-influenced ditty “Dancing On The Floor”. It undoubtedly works even better with a live audience. Indeed, in a recent email, Teskey confirmed this saying that the song has “been an audience favorite for the last year since we wrote it."

Bring on “Broken Masterpiece”. Here the act slows things down a bit with a more serious song that Teskey says is specifically focused on “depression and facing an existential crisis” that comes complete with both a bit of blues and western feel to it.

“Dragon Below” takes over next. It retains its blues-rock roots but moves a bit beyond that. It’s got a rugged rockabilly beat and tells a tuneful tale about life. It was inspired in part by Eastern parables and Leo Tolstoy’s Confessions.

The seventh selection is “Death In Disguise”. If it somehow sounds familiar, don’t be surprised. Teskey confirms this by saying that the “song that was previously released on our live album we redid with a studio feel."

As previously reported, the track is a fine example of their original material. It’s a sharp song that focuses on a relationship gone wrong. While a song such as this is practically a prerequisite for a blues rock band, the act’s original perspective makes it stand out. It also concludes Part 1.

Part 2 opens with “Enchantment PT 2”. This is another inventive interlude that harkens back to the first part. This time it has a more melancholic, almost ethereal vibe.

It’s followed by the second and final cover cut “Hound Dog”. It’s the band’s gutsy take on the classic cut co-written by the famous duo (Jerry) Lieber and (Mike) Stroller. They perform it closer to the way American R&B singer Big Mama Thornton originally recorded it back in 1952.

It's back to original tunes with the biting blues rock bit “Animal Within”. Lyrically, this musically fitting song concerns betrayal. (Ah, one can't help but wonder: is it the animal within, or do we just let the animal win?)

The next number is “Seek The Sunshine”. The band slides into slow and slinky again here on this tune about perseverance, never surrendering, and always seeking the sunshine. Teskey adds that this one is “done on slide guitar” and focuses on “not giving up on life, even if you're going through hell."

“Groovin” follows here. Here the group gets back to basics with a simple, upbeat traditional, yet undeniably effective blues shuffle. It just plain works.

Also included here is the earnest ballad “Space For Leaving”. The lyrics were written by Swartz and Teskey confirms that it's “about a break-up.” Whether it's the vocals, the music, the message, or all of it together, the song certainly adds something special to the album. Will Kyriazis guests on Rhodes piano.

The album endnote is “Ghost In The Prayer” a.k.a. “Enchantment Part 3”. Here Teskey adds some sitar to what he describes as a “psychedelic blues-rock song.” It leads “into a hidden track of avant-garde sounds” that drift into the parenthetical "final part of Enchantment (Part 3)."

Overall…

Overall, this disc is just what the band hoped it would be. It is an exceptional, entertaining psychedelic blues rock album. Both the overall theme and signature sound remain solid as the band proves what they can do as both composers and musicians.

It is both old and new emphasized by both original offerings and clever covers of songs that they find inspiring. So check out Until The Sun’s Enchantment and you just might find yourself “Dancing On The Floor” “All Over Again”.

(Images courtesy of Until The Sun and Doug Deutsch Publicity Services)