Free Electric State

Conceived in Durham, NC in 2009, Free Electric State draws from shoegaze and noise rock to create a dark, velvety wash of sound. The quartet, formed after a barroom discussion about Krautrock by guitarists David Koslowski and Nick Williams in 2009, quickly garnered rave reviews about their blistering live shows. On their debut LP, ‘Caress’, Free Electric State wraps listeners in a tense yet comforting embrace. It isn’t a gentle, loving brush across the cheek. It’s a sensually charged touch—the kind brought about by powerful emotion and breathless anticipation. The album was recorded and mixed during six rainy days by Jerry Kee at Duck Kee Studio #8 (Superchunk, Polvo, Kingsbury Manx) in the quiet town of Mebane, NC. Often big, often lush, the group’s engrossing sound is generated by guitarists Koslowski and Williams’ wall of blissfully dense guitars, while drummer Tony Stiglitz steadily pounds out heavy, driving rhythms. Singer/bassist Shirlé Hale’s mournful voice adds a somber element to her dark and often impressionistic lyrics of loss, lust and regret. According to Merriam-Webster, to caress is to “touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner.” It’s a small gesture — a private, intimate sort of thing, but Free Electric State’s ‘Caress’ resonates inside these emotional recesses while also booming through rock’s vaulted halls. “It’s not just this blissed out, fuzzed out experience,” says Williams. Yeah, it’s more than that. . . Transcendental rock that mines ore from the veins of 80's post-punk. Flashes of Siouxsie and the Banshees flirt with motorik beats and guitars that alternate between Edge-esque shimmer and shoegaze smear. ~ Jeremy Withers