Kelley Stoltz – “The Quiet Ones”

For those of us who’ve found the entryway into Stoltz’ disorienting alternate history of pop, each new record is a tumble down a new unseen corridor in his secret world. The last record pulled on a crooked tie and a cocked smile for a power pop pub crawl that came and went with only the lucky to nab it for their shelves and the rest to pine. Stoltz is a wily one, though, and he’s not through with 2020 just yet. Another LP looms, with the SF songwriter returning this time to his roots at Agitated Records, stewards of his ’01 kicker Antique Glow. The first taste of Ah-etc packs the power pop back in the suitcase and returns to the lacquered Formica lilt of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Tiptoeing a guitar slink through hallways of chromed keys, the song turns up the voyeurism and eavesdrops on the neighbors, lurking with a queasy charm. Stoltz, ever the Echo & The Bunnymen fan, spent time as a touring member and his bandmate Will Sergeant returns the favor and lends guitar to “The Quiet Ones.” There’s something of a lost afternoon feeling to the track, swirling around the listener and feeding the internal monologue that turns neighbors into puzzles that populate the mind. The loneliness is palpable and the fluorescent flicker just seeps into those synths harder on each listen. The LP is out November 20th from Agitated.

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Kelley Stoltz • Ah!(etc) • UK ALBUM TOUR 2021

Thursday 8th July • Ramsgate, Ramsgate Music Hall
Friday 9th July • London, The Lexington
Saturday 10th July • Isle of Wight, Rhythmtree Festival
Sunday 11th July • Bristol, The Crofter’s Rights
Monday 12th July • Cardiff, The Moon
Tuesday 13th July • Chester, St. Mary’s Creative Space
Wednesday 14th July • Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club
Thursday 15th July • Newcastle, The Cluny
Friday 16th July • Glasgow, Pop Mutation Festival (The Flying Duck)
Saturday 17th July • Liverpool, 81 Renshaw