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Standout Track: “Post,” the sleepy-eyed, emo-rock B-side on “Liminal,” the recent 7-inch from Great Falls, Va., ensemble Myrrh Myrrh. As the airy voice of 20-year-old Olivia Vassilas (who recently left the band) floats above Victor Arce’s hard-nosed guitar strokes, you’ll swear you feel the crunch of leaves under your feet on this autumnal track.
Musical Motivation: Arce, 21, listened to a lot of King Crimson earlier this year, which inspired him to detune his instrument and eventually write the lead riff on “Post.” “It’s a really strange tuning because the low string is really low and the high string is really high,” he says. “I tried it out just for fun and it ended up being really intriguing.” Also reminiscent of King Crimson are the song’s fidgety, shape-shifting rhythms, which wouldn’t be out of place on the prog-rock band’s 1974 album, Red.
Perfect Sound Forever: Arce claims he’s no perfectionist, but “Post” did take nearly four months to complete. First they went to Inner Ear Studios to record the drums on tape to help give them “warmer, loose feel.” Then they continued toiling away at the home studio of Arce’s uncle, which lent the sessions a familial vibe. “When we record there we’re still on the clock,” he says. “But we’re working with someone that I know. I feel more relaxed and a lot more patient.” The song finally wrapped production in August, and they released it once the band had found the sound it was looking for all along.
Myrrh Myrrh plays Nov. 27 at DC9. Listen to “Post” below.