PWR BTTM take a trip away from the familiar with "West Texas"

28 August 2015, 09:45 | Written by Jessica Goodman

(Tracks)

(PWR BTTM)

With their debut record release looming ever-closer, New York duo PWR BTTM have another taster. "West Texas" is the break from the familiar that we all need from time to time, but as they quickly discover, a change of scene doesn't make for a change of heart - what weighs on a mind can still torment you wherever you go.

Suffocating though that thought can seem, "West Texas" is more sprawling than anything we've heard from the two-piece to date. Storming guitar refrains echo over driving rhythms - a stark contrast to the track's exposed vocals, and the perfect antidote to the song's plagued lyrics: "I've been trying to play it cool, but I still love you," the band admit hopelessly, diving once again into the full-throttle instrumentals that serve them so well. Complete with a lavish energy, searing solos, and pent-up sentiments, "West Texas" is a potent escape from an emotional weight, a simply structured breath of fresh air amidst the chaos of heartache.

"I just want people to feel less alone," frontman Benjamin Walter Hopkins explained of his aspirations for the band's first full-length in conversation with us: "It makes you feel real when you experience a piece of art that matters to you. It makes you feel alive, and validated, and it makes you feel in touch with yourself and the world around you. It’s for people to take a minute and try to feel less alone. That’s all I care about."

Following "Dairy Queen" and title track "Ugly Cherries", "West Texas" is the third track PWR BTTM have shared from their forthcoming debut album.

Ugly Cherries is released via Father/Daughter Records and Miscreant Records on 18 September.

Escape through "West Texas" below.