The Harmed Brothers’ story can best be traced by the highways and byways of the United States and beyond. From the plains of Ray Vietti’s boyhood home of Missouri, to the hustle and bustle of Alex Salcido’s Los Angeles upbringing, molded in the foothills of North Carolina’s Appalachian Mountains and seasoned in the woodsy luster of the Great Northwest and everywhere in between–the Harmed Brothers have most often called the road home.
On the muddy banks of the Ohio is the quaint river town of Ludlow, Kentucky (near Cincinnati, OH) where the band has left its nomadic ways for a new life amongst the quiet stir of the Ohio River Valley. Here, their latest LP, Across the Waves (release date 6/5/20 – Fluff and Gravy Records) was born and recorded in Cincinnati’s historic Herzog Studios – a hallowed musical sanctum where the songs of Hank Williams and Flatt & Scruggs still echo.
Over a decade ago, singer/songwriter Ray Vietti first encountered Los Angeles transplant, song-smith and multi-instrumentalist Alex Salcido. The two soon came to recognize each other as kindred spirits in both vision and song, and began creating a universe in which The Harmed Brothers would tell their stories.
The duo recorded and released its independent debut, All The Lies You Wanna Hear in 2010, building the foundation of the Harmed Brothers catalogue with tales of love, loss, hard-drinking and redemption. The Harmed Brothers’ evolution as songwriters as well as a growing full band shone through in the 2011 sophomore effort, Come Morning which was released on Oklahoma City label Lackpro Records. By 2013, years of constant cross-country touring led the Harmed duo to St. Louis’ Native Sound Studio. With a full band in tow, the most ambitious work to date, Better Days, was released later that year via Portland, Oregon’s Fluff and Gravy Records. An EP, A Lovely Conversation, followed in 2016 as well as a 2017 self titled release also on Fluff And Gravy. Both the latter 2000s releases mark ambitious collections of songs new and old, showcasing the band’s evolution into the indie rock fervor which best describes their sound. Together they made a statement on how far the Harmed Brothers have come and how high they are willing to leap.
In early 2019, the Harmed Brothers crossed the river into downtown Cincinnati’s historic Herzog Studios to record their fifth LP Across the Waves which is the culmination of the band’s decade long journey through themselves, their country and the world around them – a meditation on loss, doom, nostalgia, true love and most importantly, peace and acceptance.
Across The Waves shines with perhaps the Harmed Brothers strongest songs to date; the collective wisdom of two songwriters beginning new chapters in their lives and careers, working through all of the ghosts, doom and existential hang-ups – yet somehow still navigating through a strange and tumultuous time in American history.
Album opener, “Skyline Over,” paints a portrait of modern American coping and hopelessness; its tired protagonist struggling to maintain optimism and normalcy in a seemingly hopeless era – all the while, it simply implores you to just “hold on,” and “keep breathing,” in whatever way you can.
“Picture Show” and “River Town” signal true love found – feeling home in Ludlow, more than anything else. They show the heart going tender, and finding someone incredibly special enough to want to come home to and ride through life together, however winding it may be.
“The earth is running out of truth,” Salcido proclaims in the album’s quasi-political satire, “Funnies,” a story of an old man longing to see the world again through youthful eyes but alas settling for his favorite chair and the lighter parts of his morning paper.
“Born A Rotten Egg” and In “A Staring Contest” focus on estranged families and nostalgia. Both deal with trying to go back, whether it be home or in time. “All The Same” and album centerpiece, “Where You’re Going,” tackle fate with the reminder that essentially all life, love, and loss are part of a bigger cycle. The lesson throughout – wherever we end up – to simply let it be, let it go, and it’ll be okay. “Ride It Out” and album closer, “Time,” both revolve around anxiety and a sense of hopelessness, but in the same breath strive to defeat them with mantras that circle back around to the album’s overall dark optimism – “Ride it out, take a deep breath,” and “We’ll stay and we’ll play these songs,” the final mantras of Across The Waves that push The Harmed Brothers past the storms of old and into brand new open-armed territory. The band’s exceptionally tuneful marriage of indie rock and Americana is sure to broaden its fanbase with Across The Waves.
