Manatree Release Delicately Intricate Single “Drifting”

With their sophomore record Engines only four months old, Richmond favorites Manatree have already set their eyes on their next project, and released the first taste of their new direction.

“Drifting” was released this past Friday, November 19th, being tagged as off of their newest EP due out in early 2019. It represents the shift the band has undertaken since the recording of Engines, one where the band experienced line-up changes and began incorporating more electronic sounds into their music. If “Drifting” is any indication, this new direction may result in the band’s most compelling music yet.

The song is a sparsely decorated tune, where the space between notes and instruments create a lush backdrop that the vocals exploit in order to explore some emotional tricky material. Moving between the echoey drum hits and warm keyboard notes, the lyrics are carried by a calming melodic tone, one that helps eschew the song’s more hesitant meaning, as explained by the band to us recently.

“One of the most satisfying parts of making music — and one of the main forces driving the music we’re writing now — is the feeling that you’ve created a more unique and multilayered statement than either the lyrics or the instrumentals could evoke on their own. ‘Drifting’ is about anxiety and uncertainty, and we felt it was important to find the right sounds to offset those darker themes with a sense of optimism. We are also very lucky to be able to work with phenomenal artists Mitchell Craft and to see their own personal interpretation of our music.”

You can catch Manatree twice in town next week — at Strange Matter on Wednesday, November 28th alongside Saw Black, The Wimps, Kenneka Cook, Addy, Recluse Raccoon, Strawberry Moon, and another artist to be announced as part of a special Commonwealth Of Notions show in honor of the venue’s closing series; and then the band plays the following night, Thursday, November 29th, at The Camel alongside Stray Fossa, Bottled Up, and missangelbird.

If you ask us, both shows seem can’t miss, but you won’t go wrong with either, especially if the band is armed with more new songs like “Drifting.”