THE GERSHWIN BROTHERS Release New LP DOOMSCROLLIN'
Lane Steinberg and David Foster explore vintage pop songcraft on the duo's sophomore effort.
NEW YORK CITY duo THE GERSHWIN BROTHERS have released their sophomore studio album, DOOMSCROLLIN'. The 12-track record, plus one bonus song, features Lane Steinberg and David Foster stepping up to the microphone themselves, delivering a collection steeped in 1960s pop influences and California folk-rock tones.
Those bedroom producers cranking out tracks at a furious pace have nothing on The Gershwin Brothers. The New York City-based duo are keeping right up with beatmakers with their classic song craft. In a short amount of time, Lane Steinberg and David Foster have earned a reputation for a prolific flow of high-quality vintage pop compositions, supplying many vocalists in the scene with signature tunes.
For The Gershwin Brothers' sophomore record, Doomscrollin', Steinberg and Foster step up to the mic for a New York album oozing 1960s pop swagger and a pinch of California folk-rock optimism (don't let the album title fool you). Big hooks, sticky sweet harmonies, folksy guitars, stinging electric guitar leads, and a garage-rock wallop abound. The 12-song-plus one-bonus-track album presents the perfect amount of familiarity and thought-provoking lyrics to offer comfort in this apocalyptic era.
'It's a goldmine these days to be a songwriter because things are happening so fast,' enthuses vocalist, singer-songwriter, and acoustic guitarist Steinberg. 'We write songs to connect with ourselves and other people. Our lyrical point of reference is everyday life, and our musical point of reference is everything we've ever heard.'
Doomscrollin', narrows the aperture to a tight and tuneful rock n' roll record featuring Everly Brothers-style harmonies and acoustic guitars, sharp hooks, instantly familiar melodies, and insightful but playful lyrics. It's a jaunty 1960s-flavored record that is both observational and personal, exploring the hysteria of the day with a lot of pep in its step.
The title Doomscrollin' doesn't equate to depressing listening. 'Joy Faith Patience and Hope' is a sunbeam of idealistic folk-rock that could have been siphoned from a lost Byrds or Turtles session. This song celebrates the warm intimacy of female friendships as they evolve over time. The bawdy pub-rocker 'Attaboy Charly' is your standard alien-abduction-themed tribute, in this case to beloved NYC keyboard player Charly Roth who has played with everyone, including Ozzy Osbourne. One particularly trippy passage is: They came from outer space/And they wanna know about the human race/That sour diesel musta been a real potent strain/Cause when Charly woke up he thought he'd gone insane/What he saw was something he could not explain/He was hearing voices they were talking inside his brain/Charly called out 'Hey who's in charge here.'
The songs 'You Gotta Give' and 'I Hate The Hate' represent two sides of The Gershwin Brothers. The clever rhyme schemes and the jaunty early 1960s John Lennon-style feel of 'You Gotta Give' showcases what a great rock n' roll band The Gershwin Brothers are. This is also epitomized by the dirty blues-rock soloing on the track which sounds like session player-era Jimmy Page. On 'I Hate The Hate,' The Gershwin Brothers summon a whimsical cabaret sophistication. 'The music is deliberately slow and plodding here, and the lyrics have something of a sarcastic energy,' Steinberg says. 'There's a lot of drama there—it's our biggest live song.' Steinberg's expertise with Calypso is mined on 'My Secret Mojo' with a sly injection of 10CC style sophistication. The album's bonus track, 'Top Shelf Elf,' feels like something of a Brill Building Christmas classic lavished with close-harmony vocals and an elegant arrangement.
DOOMSCROLLIN' follows the pair's established reputation within the vintage pop scene, where Steinberg and Foster have written songs for numerous other vocalists. The new album includes tracks such as Never Never Never, Mr. Happiness, Joy Faith Patience and Hope, and Attaboy Charly.
