Compelling in its twangy guitar drives and harmonious vocal soaring, “Is It Real?” is an inviting success of a track from Maryland-based band Mr. Husband. Comprising longtime friends, the act embraces a warming rock sound with psychedelic tints, bolstered by elements of soul, R&B, jazz, and classic country. They describe this release, which marks the first single from upcoming album Song for the Old World, as “a song that pines and strains to be in touch with the truth and see clearly what is right in front of us.”
Lush guitar twangs and a steady, jangly undercurrent pair with a driving rhythmic pulse as the track gets underway, quickly bolstered by a magnetic vocal introspection. “I’ve been bottoming out tonight, I’ve been wondering, if I’m going anywhere,” the vocals let out, searching for hope and arriving into a blissful “is it real, or a dream?” hooky ascent. The shifts between heartland rock verses and anthemic hooky questioning make for a delightfully engaging listening experience, capped off by a delectable intermingling of guitar and steel layers.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
