It's always refreshing to hear a simple song that manages to pull you in by the heartstrings just as much as a complex, professionally produced song would. That's exactly what freshly formed Orlando, Florida duo
SALES pulls off with their heartfelt debut track "renee", which was inspired by and named after a breathtakingly beautiful and interesting woman the two got the chance to spend a special evening with at a bar. Unfortunately, as the night went on, and after falling hopelessly in love with her, they lost track of her. So, in hopes of reconnecting with Renee, they wrote this song.
Set in motion by the repetitive, yet catchy guitar melody and angelically sincere vocals of SALES-woman Lauren Morgan, the song soon gains texture when it joins forces with the underlying bass line and bare-bones drumbeat of SALES-man Jordan Shih (aka
JSHIH). Once "renee" gains momentum with that beat it never ceases to unfold itself and grow on you. The initial raw sound (yes, those are crickets chirping in the background) is slowly embellished upon by the minimal electronic production of JSHIH, who adds layers of reverberated vocals, a sleek electric guitar hook, a heavier pulsing bass line, and finally the chopped and layered vocals and bouncy drumbeat of the fully realized coda. This gradual buildup, the duo's less-is-more approach, and Lauren's alluring voice is what makes "renee" truly infectious.
If you're reading this, Renee, you can find Lauren and JSHIH performing as SALES at
Total Bummer Fest alongside
Javelin,
Levek,
Alligator Indian, and
Saskatchewan at the end of August in Orlando, FL. And to everyone else: There are more tracks on the way and you're invited to Total Bummer Fest too.
p.s. Please forgive my salesman/saleswoman puns
