Nassau is the collaborative project of Brooklyn-based duo Justin Wilcox and Jeffrey Silverstein. Their debut EP, Hoss, is out now on Firetalk Records. Taking a break from projects in Baltimore and Chattanooga, the pair say that Nassau was formed “out of a mutual respect for raw, honest music”. If Hoss is anything to go by, let’s hope the partnership continues.
Opening track ‘Wake the Dead’ has subtle beats and mellow guitar, hitting the same slinky melancholy chord as Dawn Golden’s Still Life, while ‘White Gold’ brings a drawled folky edge to things, although that’s still rooted in dreamy guitars and a mellow ambient vibe. My current favourite, ‘Desert Blues’, is wonderfully relaxed, a slow-burning, slow-groovin’ track that sounds like Water Liars swaying in sunglasses, or the feeling of watching a summer’s evening fading from peach to blue-grey, the air thick with an insect hum and the petrichor of distant storms.
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Finale ‘New Year’ has hints of Lisbon-era The Walkmen, possessing the same laidback crooning romanticism, and proves a fitting end to a really nice EP. I’m certainly excited to hear what Nassau do next.
You can get Hoss from Firetalk Records or the Nassau Bandcamp page.