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I’m excited to discuss the indie folk quartet Upstate, who has three well-received full-length albums under their belt and will be releasing a fourth, titled Abalone, on Friday, November 6th via the lovely Hudson Valley, NY-based label RPF Records/Royal Potato Family. Mark your calendars for that one. Early in the band’s history, they were known as Upstate Rubdown when they released their debut, A Remedy (2015). The next two albums, Healing (2019) and You Only Get A Few (2023), saw Upstate garner a legion of new fans and critical praise.
The press release for Abalone brings the hype, noting, “Recorded live in the studio directly to tape, the 10-track collection is the purest distillation yet of both the band’s collaborative songwriting and elemental sound. Founding members Melanie Glenn, Mary Webster, and Harry D’Agostino, who formed Upstate as college students, alongside newest member Dylan McKinstry, who joined in 2019, captured the album’s central themes of time and light, a reflection inspired by all four members stepping into adulthood through various stages of marriage, parenthood, and relocation.”
Speaking about the new album, D’Agostino said the following: “There’s a consistent idea of light and illumination bringing a kind of sensibility to circumstance throughout the songs on this record. And likewise a theme of time with personal histories leaving a kind of crooked trail that we might only see for what it is when it’s in the rearview. It’s fitting for us now in different seasons of marriage and children, to kind of reappraise the past in the light of where it has brought us.”
McKinstry further elaborates, “As we get a little older and our lives take on very different rhythms than they did ten years ago, the songs have begun to reflect the kind of looking back you do when you transition from one chapter to the next. What’s also interesting is that although the lyrical content of the songs may be unique to the individual experiences of the four songwriters in the band, the process of becoming more yourself through time and reflection is true for all of us.” I love that shared universal human experience both outside and as part of art. Don’t you?
Webster waxes poetic on the relatability of the band and more, “I think what keeps us going after all these years is our collective love of sculpting songs out of the ether and allowing each of our strengths to shine through both in the writing and recording process, as well as live on stage. Upstate makes good, human music; what translates in our songs is something nostalgic or reminiscent of what people have gone through in their own lives.”
How did the studio experience shape the album? McKinstry noted, “It’s easy to get carried away over-polishing and under-committing with all of the technology available in modern recording, and we wanted something less labored-over and less perfected, which felt like a more accurate sonic representation of our lives. For this record, it occurred to us that Upstate’s musical fingerprint is, at its core, how we sound and how the music feels when we play shows. This led us to seek a studio experience that would do away with endless possibilities for revisions and redoes, and just capture what we sound like as a band.”
Delving into the suitability of the album title, D’Agostino shared, “An abalone shell is formed of a long organic history, but it also reflects light and gets transfigured by it with an intricate glow of colors and patterns. I think that captures the two big themes of our new record: the passage of time that gets illuminated and transfigured by something new and from without.” Hell yeah, combining biology and artistic expression.
Giving some credit where it is due, here’s a rundown of who did what on Abalone:
- Melanie Glenn – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Mary Webster – vocals, clarinet
- Dylan McKinstry – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, melodica, vocals
- Harry D’Agostino – upright bass, electric bass
- with John Suntken – drums
- and Lee Bones – organ
- All songs written & performed by Upstate
- All songs recorded & mixed by Alex P. Wernquest at Basement Floods Records in Catskill, NY
- All songs mastered by Mike Tierney
- Artwork by Dylan McKinstry
- Photography by Julia Margo Ross
- Design by Upstate
- Layout & Additional Design by Gregory J. Del Deo
Let’s look at one of the standout songs on Abalone. It’s arguably my favorite song on the album and thus will be the focus of today’s entry in the ever-expanding Singles Spotlight series and serve as the intro to the band, Upstate. If one of their multiple-part harmonies doesn’t get you, the earworm-worthy melodies and lyrics will. I’m hooked. And I think you will be too.
The press release described the song as such: “Built upon an earthy electric guitar figure that would sound equally at home on a Big Thief record as it would a long-lost Tom Petty classic, the track finds Glenn singing of remorse and disillusion, before coming to terms with acceptance, and the need to persevere, in a resonant and infectious chorus.” Somewhere a relatively short distance away, Josh just perked up at the mention of Tom Petty, arguably his favorite musician. I’m interested as well. What else did the band have to say about this song before you hear it for yourself?
Melanie Glenn had this to say: “Sometimes life can feel completely out of your control, and for the most part it is, but it’s what you do with the hand you’ve been dealt that can shape your outcome into something beautiful. The song, ‘Circumstance,’ is a look into those moments in life that feel the hardest. When your foundation is cracked, and you need to start again. It’s a song to remind people to keep hope close during hard times, which we all know takes a lot more effort than it sounds.”
From the opening jangles of the guitar to the solo vocals to the gorgeous harmonies, to the choruses to softer moments, it’s a lovely song through and through. The rhythm section is on fire. The band plays incredibly tight, showing off how talented they are individually and as a group. But don’t take my word for it, take a listen for yourself. And tell us what you think.
Take an early peek at the neat cover art for Abalone:
The track list for Abalone:
- Corner
- Slow Down
- Circumstance
- Adrianne
- Dirt & Light
- Louie
- Someone To Save
- Cassandra
- Abalone
- Being
You can connect with and listen to more of Upstate at the following links:
- Website: upstatelovesyou.com
- Linktree: linktr.ee/upstatelovesyou
- Instagram: instagram.com/upstatelovesyou
- Bandcamp: upstatelovesyou.bandcamp.com/music
- YouTube: youtube.com/@upstatelovesyou
- Facebook: facebook.com/upstatelovesyou
- Spotify: Upstate on Spotify
- Apple Music: Upstate on Apple Music
Like what you’ve heard? See Upstate on their upcoming East Coast tour:
9/18 – Shelton Lake, CT – Veterans Lake Memorial Park
9/19 – Round Lake, NY – Round Lake Auditorium
10/1 – New York, NY – The Bitter End (Evening With)
10/2 – Washington, DC – The Hamilton
10/4 – Spring City, PA – The Gem
10/15 – Montgomery, NY – City Winery
10/16 – Hartford, CT – Arch Street Tavern
10/23 – Boston, MA – City Winery
10/24 – Plymouth, NH – The Flying Monkey
10/30 – Portland, ME – One Longfellow Square
10/31 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
11/5 – Ithaca, NY – Sunwood Recording
11/6 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Iron Works
11/7 – Syracuse, NY – Funk ‘n Waffles
11/8 – Rochester, NY – Three Heads Brewing
11/12 – Albany, NY – Lark Hall
11/13 – Turners Falls, MA – Shea Theater
11/20 – Manchester, VT – Billsville
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
