The Highway At Night
Self-Released, 2024
10/10
Listen to The Highway At Night
Leigh Celent and Joey Russo, i.e Castle Black, return with another unclassifiable body of work, where their distinct version of alt-rock unfolds across 11 unique tracks.
“Little Massacre” opens with Russo’s thick drums alongside Celent’s firm guitar and soaring voice that’s equal parts dark and melodic, and “Flowers In My Hair” follows with a post-punk appeal, where the mesmerizing rhythm section draws us in immediately.
Halfway through, “Crying In The Street” is a scrappy moment of start and stop dynamics that are a bit grungy, while “Interlude” recruits Eric Fischler’s spoken word to the cryptic moment that also employs Nick Kelly’s bass acrobatics.
Landing close to the end, the incredible drumming of “Fly (Just Try)” suits the diverse singing that carries plenty of timeless and intricate punk flavor, and “Heart Can’t Feel” exits with a bouncy and jangly finish of sing-alongs thanks to Lisa Low’s backing vocals.
The New York duo already have several excellent EPs in their arsenal. and this first album proves that they are just as luminous in a longer format, especially for fans of anything related to punk, indie, grunge and alt-rock.
Travels well with: Castle Black- Get Up, Dancer; Night Battles- Year Of No Days