Track Premiere: RNIE—”WASH”
Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
Photo by Henry Archer
The Philly artist RNIE has returned with a new song called “WASH”, which is taken from his forthcoming EP PONCHO. It’s the first new material we’ve heard from the solo moniker of multi-instrumentalist Lamont Brown since his 2018 record Citrus, and we’re premiering the track below.
In the EP’s bio, Brown shares that the record was inspired by long solo rides in a 20-year-old touring van, and the reflective thoughts that stir up during lengthy periods of screenless solitude. He describes the record’s headspace as “That weird ‘out of service playlist’ that creates itself on trips in old cars,” which is a super vivid and accurate way of describing his work. The whole project, which is cut with radio noise, is imbued with the sense of peaceful weariness that sets in about halfway through a day-long road trip, and “WASH” captures that vibe perfectly.
The bones of the track are chilly and sparse: a clacking drum beat, abstract guitar strums, and Brown’s murky, downcast vocals that are obfuscated by lo-fi effects. The bulk of the song is imbued with a rigid stillness that translates the peculiar feeling of sitting in a stationary position while travelling hundreds of miles at a careening pace. However, there’s also gently swelling ambient loop that hovers in the periphery of the mix like morning sun coming up over the hills and streaming through the windshield; blinding yet also pleasantly reassuring that there is warmth in the distance.
Take a listen to “WASH” below:
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Eli Enis | @eli_enis
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