Tiger Beach’s new EP, “Heath Row,” was inspired by a multitude of things.
It was first inspired by the famous airport in the United Kingdom, “a place where goodbyes and reunions are constantly happening while the great machine of commercial aviation throws us to and fro across the globe”.
Heath Row was also the name of a village that existed around 600 years before it was leveled to make the airport. “It was a small semi-arid landscape that housed a number of sporadic dwellings. A place where many lives were lived, human and nonhuman, now not but an echo in the name of an airport.”
Lastly, a heath is a type of shrubland habitat that typically grows in dry, nutrient-poor, acidic soils found mainly on free-draining, infertile, acidic soils. “The aesthetic of a Heath matches the light airy feeling that many of these songs give me.”
Tiger Beach is an indie rock group based out of Raleigh, NC.
As someone who is currently based in North Carolina for school and spent last fall studying abroad in London, this felt like the perfect review for me.
Let’s dive in:
Moon
A ballad to the planet, the combination of the banging drums and the introspective lyrics hooked me in, creating a level of intrigue after a quick minute.
Little
A complete surprise to my ears, but a pleasant one at that. A funky, almost 8-bit sound in the intro followed by a shout.
I told you once I’ll tell you again
I don’t think this is good for me
After a few lines, the computerized sound comes back, only to be drowned out by the lyrics yet again.
Licorice
Serving as the halfway mark through the EP, Licorice explores the disconnect between the idea that life moves on and wishing you could keep people, places, and exact moments the way they are. The guitar was instantly my favorite part of the song. A close second is the lyrics, as I am one for emotionally layered lines.
Say What You Want to
The backtrack on this song was very light and ambient, a stark contrast to the song’s lyrics, talking about bad dreams and falling out of love.
Forming
Like 7 pm on a cold autumn day, this felt straight out of an indie rock film. The raw visuals in the lyrics swirled with the gradual decrease in peace, and the lyrics gave me goosebumps. An incredibly artful song.
A Dark Cloud Over an Endless Field
A beautifully intense piano, a genius way to end the EP. Four minutes of a piano’s melody, rich with emotion, a perfect way for the listener to sit and reflect on the EP itself.
I’m really glad I took the time to sit down and listen to Heath Row, and I encourage anyone who can to do so as well. Hats off to Tiger Beach.
Written by Emily Stabell
