Written by: Jen Dan

Band & The Beat is a new project that Tracy Shedd (now Tracy Tritten) and James Tritten have whipped up as a musical and married duo.

Tracy has been long-known for her solo work as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and James is also in the music field as a record label founder and guitarist. They were based out of Tucson, Arizona for a while, but have since moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. Tracy and James have just released a debut digital single with a Side A and Side B as Band & The Beat on Fort Lowell Records.

The over 7-minute-long “21” is a darkly sparkling, driving and drifting dream-pop noir opus that is mesmerizing and mood-altering. A fast-ticking beat and Motorik bass-like line runs through most of the track, creating a propulsive, nocturnal ambience. Globular synth notes are dropped on top, along with distortion-spangled synth notes and Tracy’s slightly disembodied vocals that float at the forefront of the instruments.   She sings in a light, sweet, but calm tone about getting ready for a night out; the anticipation and preparation and the rueful thought that, “The years go by so fast / I hope this night will never pass.”

Halfway through “21”, the pace unwinds into a lull of a sustained, winding synth line, bouncing electro-notes, wavering synth notes, and eventually a flat-smacked drum beat. The slower tempo brings out a wandering, displaced vibe that is amplified by the reappearance of Tracy’s strung out, softly wistful words of, “So get ready…/You got all excited…”

With “21” Band & The Beat captures the potential possibilities and disappointing inevitabilities of a night out and about.

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