happy fall! long island indie band echo sonic reminds us “october only comes once a year” on new single. #soundcheck

It’s October all of a sudden, and I wanted to share a song I’ve been singing to myself all weekend to suppress my disbelief at the inevitable forward march of time. (It was just July like 2 weeks ago. WTF?) “October ’89 (Overlooked)” is the kickass new single from Long Island indie band (and AP Members: https://testafropunk.com/profile/EchoSonic) Echo Sonic.

If you’re new to Echo Sonic, they combine 90’s alternative with soul, hip-hop, and garage blues for a unique indie racket. Their 2011 EP Killer Daydream was dope (and available as a free download!). They’re now working on the follow up due out early 2013. In the meantime, they’ve just released their new single.

Lead singer Aaron Turner deftly jumps between singing and rapping; one of the few singers out there equally skilled at both. The tight backing band finds the common ground between The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Camper Van Beethoven, and Shudder to Think (all of whom were rocking out in relative obscurity in ’89. Coincidence? Yeah. Probably.). The cumulative effect is a band that sounds like all the best parts of mid-period RHCP (minus Anthony Kedis’ tiresome “Hey! This word rhymes with the name of a state!” fetish) mixed with just a little bit of off-beat jangle to keep it fresh. The hook is massive “Don’t look over me / October only comes once a year / Don’t look over me / In time we’ll overcome all our fears.”
Songs about zombie apocalypses and ghosts and dismemberment will come later in the month as Halloween becomes all encompassing. In the meantime, this is a song that sounds like how fall feels. You’ve been warned: this will be stuck in your head all month. Happy October!

– Words by Nathan Leigh