True North – No Exit Wound. A slow-burning, immersive, soul-blues rock opus that hits deep and true. For a debut track, this is a powerful announcement of this group’s epic capabilities. Gracefully and mindfully blending elements of classic, blues, soul, and rock into a sonic masterpiece.
The mood here is introspective, expansive, and deeply soulful. “No Exit Wound” feels like falling endlessly, euphorically, through space and time, never knowing when the ground will swallow you up. You can picture this playing in dimly lit, smoky, underground gatherings, often where the best pieces of music are created.
Producer Ben King, who also plays bass guitar, makes the instrumentation feel rich and atmospheric. While also maintaining a breezy, hypnotic improvisational tone. Kind of like a The Doors x Nick Cave x Aretha Franklin collaboration. On keys, we have the superb Matthias Jordan, whose measured yet groovy interplay lays the groundwork for melodic overtones. With great restraint and needle-point percussions, Milan Borich’s drumming holds the beat excellently.
Lead Singer and Songwriter, Tones Thorburn’s vocals are at the core of this. His vocal delivery is seasoned, controlled, and smooth. A deep, resonant voice that creates depth and emotion. Think of Johnny Cash’s Hurt. Adding great balance to it all is Sandy Mill’s voice, harmonizing glove in hand with Thorbun. They complement each other immaculately, in a way that puts the spotlight on the overall sound always.
The lyrics are simple and yet convey themes of faith, existential struggle, love, and transformation with ease and a quiet strength. It expresses a pain, ‘Shot by your love’, with resilience and in a reflective way, rather than shouting it out.
While the emotional tone can be dark and haunting, there’s a graceful surrender to what it is that transcends these heavy emotions.
True North – No Exit Wound’ is an impressive debut track from a lineup of experienced musicians that hits all the right tones, in the right ways. There’s a real soul to this that is rarely felt through music these days. Best enjoyed in a dark place, with time to burn.
Stream ‘True North – No Exit Wound’ on Spotify here:
