Tar and Flowers’ album “Indian Summer” reminds me of the music you would listen to in the background of a long car ride or during that scene in the movie where people are sitting by the campfire having a good time. With a country and folk style feel, Taylor Hungerford and Wolf Kroeger successfully showcase acoustic and electric guitar along with banjo. However, the group is not specifically country which is evident throughout their latest album. The album has a haunting quality at some points where the instrumentation shines and the listener has a complete change of mood.
Like a classic country album, the songs each tell individual stories with a good rhythm to get your foot tapping. The best part of Tar and Flowers is their ability to create vivid imagery through their music. “Indian Summer” is no exception especially through its opening song “Danny” and later “Opium.”
“Lost” was definitely my favorite song on the album. Hungerford creates a rawness to his music with his raspy voice and guitar playing. This song also has a lot of Eastern musical influence which is a big sound change from the other songs. “Lost” additionally breaks out into a string feature, a completely different instrumentation which further intensifies the song at hand. It goes to show how multifaceted the group is and how different sounds can still create a cohesive album.
The last song “The Lovin’ Kind,” has a very similar feel to the opening song with its heavy story telling. It is the perfect closer to the album as it feels like the end to a story’s journey.
The album only has nine songs on it, which makes it a quick listen that would be perfect to play if you want something that isn’t super long and can play in the background. I personally wanted there to be more songs with a greater contrast, considering “Lost” revealed the group’s true abilities to take classic country and turn it into something completely different.
To be honest, I did not think I would enjoy the album as much as I did, considering I’m not a huge fan of country music. Tar and Flowers definitely have country qualities but do not reside solely in that genre. I’d recommend that anyone who enjoys story telling songs with a heavy acoustic influence listen to “Indian Summer.”