Released at the tail end of last year, “Acorn St.”, the debut EP from New Jersey alt-rock collective Time Well Spent, is absolutely worthy of your attention. The six-piece draws on an eclectic and often unexpected range of influences across the spectrum of alternative music, and the result is something pretty damn special indeed.
Each of the band’s two lead vocalists is used to striking effect throughout. Guitarist and keyboardist Joseph Keller’s calm, moody tones take center stage on opener “Writings On The Wall”, offering a beautiful, haunting contrast in an otherwise monumental track, acoustic and electric guitars layered on top of each other to produce a genuinely magical sound. Keller returns on the curiously-titled “What Once Was (the one dave don’t like)”, which has the band leaning into more shoegazing sensibilities as it spirals ferociously like a Catherine wheel, a dazzling storm of noise. Dave, sorry if you’re reading, but there’s nothing not to like here!
Second singer Aaron Ortiz offers a more nakedly emotional presence, laying his heart bare on the soulful “Running Out Of Place”, punctuated by a cinematic guitar solo that really amplifies the anguish. Ortiz’s intensity hits its apex on the anthemic “Broken Glass”, easily the record’s heaviest cut. He sounds triumphant here; the repeated cry of “I’m on top of the world” atop the stadium-like guitar has you cheering for him as he claws out of the rut he’s trapped in at the beginning.
The closer, “Empty Space”, was a last-minute addition and is something of a rough diamond. Eschewing all the bells and whistles experimented with on the prior songs, it’s two minutes of just Keller and a guitar. Intimate, introspective, and intentional, it’s the perfect way to close proceedings.
Though they’ve been together as a group for a while, Time Well Spent only made their live debut earlier this month. We look on with bated breath to see how these new experiences shape the band’s future work and help them grow as performers, because Acorn St. positively brims with promise. Exciting times ahead!
Written by Matt Ward
