Artist: Adam Melchor
EP: The Archer
On February 27, Adam Melchor dropped his new single, “Brook Revisited”, as a teaser for his EP, The Archer. Adam is a 24-year-old folk singer–song-writer from New Jersey. The timing of the release is perfect, as it gives us a tease for the EP. Adam is not only a solo artist, he also plays guitar for Frances Cone, an Indie-pop band based out of New York. Frances Cone has been praised by such publications as NYLON and Paste Magazine.
The five song EP is an intense journey of personal hardship, and has a strong feel of vulnerability. Adam’s soft, well rounded voice plays perfectly to the feel of this album. The first song on the EP, “don’t Invest in Me”, is a soulful song that sets the tone for the rest of it. The simplicity of a guitar and a voice create a sense of intimacy, making him connect more with his audience. “Brooke Revisited” is the second song and it lets us into Adam’s feelings about a death of a friend and reconnecting with an old friend. Adam tells a story in this song, painting a picture of sadness, but also of hope. The next song is also the title of the EP. “The Archer” is like “Brooke Revisited” in its story telling, however, this song uses more metaphors to get its message across. Naming the EP after this song is fitting because of the tone of the EP. Adam uses back-up vocals to drive home the feeling and depth of this song.
“More than anything” is the fourth song on this EP, and it follows suit in looking into Adam’s thoughts and emotions. An interesting thing Adam does is matching the guitar progression to the lyrics and tone of his music. This creates an interesting relationship between his voice and the guitar, melding them together in a pleasant harmony. The final song on this EP is “Past Hound”. Adam shows off his range by dipping down to his low notes but also ripping those high notes in the chorus. A feeling of finality and closure accompanies this song. Compared to the rest of the EP this song feels like Adam comes to a catharsis in this closing number.
Through my digging into Adams career and social media I found an excellent series on YouTube called One on One, where Adam plays in a winery in New York. The acoustics are awesome and only add to Adam’s amazing voice. While listening to Adam I couldn’t help comparing his vocals to that of Grizzly Bear, an American folk rock band. You can find all of Adam’s social media on his website. His EP is available on iTunes, Spotify, and GooglePlay. I strongly suggest picking this up.
Drew Kolohon is an avid music fan who is finishing up his Bachelor’s degree in English.
