Chicago-based artist Floral Couches, a.k.a artist Cody Gray, has released a new single “Acorns & Oaks,” a tale about growing up and growing old. With a sound similar to The Walters, the dreamy atmosphere is at times undercut by some of the music production.
Moving forward from his past lo-fi and bedroom pop styling, Floral Couches leans more into a Motown and surf rock sound. The phased guitar above an easy-to-follow drum beat and simple bass line takes up most of the instrumentation with some synths and sound samples used in the latter part of the song. The simple guitar melody with the drum rhythm and layered vocals are what give the song its Motown vibes reminiscent of The Walters and Matt Duncan. While this genre works well with Floral Couches’ vocals and melody, the production sometimes makes the instrumentation feel distant and detached from one another.
The lyrics of this song balance fear and love well. In the chorus, Floral Couches pleads for the people they love to “please don’t leave me behind,” showing a man afraid for what the future holds for his loved ones. While the melody flows well and the lyrics are well written, the ability to attach to them is lost by the recording of the vocals, which sounds slightly uncompressed. These are of course nitpicky critiques and shouldn’t stop listeners from enjoying the overall message of the song, which Floral Couches delivers amazingly.
So, despite some setbacks, Floral Couches’ new song gives us a sneak peek into his development of style following his previous album release. You can listen to “Acorns & Oaks” now, wherever you find your music.
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