“Secret Garden / Back of My Mind” marks the return of Brooklyn-based psych-soul group Space Captain with their first new music since the release of their debut album ‘All Flowers In Time’.
Layering free-flowing melodies and experimental beats with thoughtfully nostalgic lyrics, “Secret Garden / Back of My Mind” explores the journey to discover the parts that make us, comfort us and help us define what “home” really means.
Born out of the musings of vocalist and lyricist Maralisa Simmons-Cook’s visits to a literal secret garden tucked away behind a café in Brooklyn, “Secret Garden” is a love song that drifts from bittersweet to whimsical across an ethereal bed of layered guitars from band member Gray Hall. Brimming with nostalgia and sentimentality, Maralisa contemplates the varied parts that make up each of our secret gardens - our sanctuaries – and how we build those worlds not only for ourselves, but to welcome others into them.
“Back of My Mind” delves further into these sanctuaries and what makes a home, revealing the assurance that can come from sustaining friendships after relationships have ended and the value of the support from those who know you inside out and without judgment. A nod to the band’s previous R&B-leaning releases, the track utilizes the constant groove from bassist/producer Alex Pyle to mirror the consistency and effortless simplicity of the relationships at the heart of the track.
“Birthday Cards / Chester Springs” is the latest single from Brooklyn-based psych-soul group Space Captain following on from “Secret Garden / Back of My Mind”; their first new music since their debut album ‘All Flowers In Time’.
Contrasting ethereal melodies with grooves and beats inspired by the likes of Alabama Shakes and Frank Ocean, “Birthday Cards / Chester Springs” is a journey of introspection and internal struggles. Highlighting the explorative production and imagination of the band, the tracks progress from laid back stacked harmonies and soft improvised saxophone (courtesy of Tru Thoughts labelmate Sly5thAve), to frantic drum and bass sections signifying the chaos that clears way for clarity.
Shining throughout the release is the self-awareness of vocalist and lyricist Maralisa Simmons-Cook’s songwriting. Focussing on the push and pull of expressing oneself directly and indirectly, “Birthday Cards” is centred round the lost moments when opening up is a struggle. Continuing on the path to self-reflection, “Chester Springs” is written about “that wonderfully warm feeling that comes over you in the autumn as well as that cool and sharp sense of clarity” and named after a weekend the band spent at Great Time Studios in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. Centred around advice once given to Maralisa by her aunt - “you don’t know your lover til the changing seasons circle round” – “Chester Springs” is about how you perceive your formative years as you grow alongside someone.
