By Michaela Maxey

Said the Whale released their sixth studio album Cascadia on February 8th, and it’s unlike anything they’ve done before. This album has essences of folk, alternative rock, and indie, making each track unique as they constantly vary between these genres. Yet, “Record Shop” sticks closer to the rock sound their known for and makes it seem a bit out of place on the album. Nonetheless, it’s a solid track that anyone can nod along to.

The track explores a love for music that makes it easy to escape into another world. As the narrator in the track faces heartbreak, he’s able to find some sort of peace at the record shop. Ultimately, being there and listening to music is the one way that he can feel better. Although the song is somewhat metronomic in its delivery, there is a sweet harmonizing in the middle that is a nice and unexpected twist. This harmonizing makes the track feel inclusive by creating a unity amongst the bandmates while inviting the listener to join in and celebrate with them. As the track winds down, the keyboard becomes a bit imperfect in its sound and the volume slowly fades to nothing. Somehow, Said the Whale has perfectly captured the image of the needle of a record player moving across the record. They also reenact the brief moments of silence between tracks on a record and truly make me forget that I’m listening to it through Spotify.

For all music junkies out there, there’s no doubt that this song will resonate with you. Said the Whale captures our dilemma with the simple lyric,“I wish that I could drop a million bucks.” Until the time comes that we can drop some serious cash at our local record stores, we’ll have to stick with Said the Whale who seem to truly understand the plights of a music junkie.