Curt Castle
Atlanta, GA | Established. Jan 01, 2018 | INDIE
Music
Press
Love songs are a dime a dozen, but commitment weighs more than gold. Curt Castle may or may not have crossed state lines for a lover, but he did drive all the way from Athens to Olympia, just to write and record his debut record. While tons of friends from near and far would eventually lend a hand, “Across State Lines (Supernova)” mirrors that solitary pilgrimage on the road—only Reid Weigner’s sparkly tubaphone (aka that glockenspiel-like twinkle you hear) rides shotgun with Castle and his solemn, Broadcast-like meditations.
At any rate, why knock a good love song? “I’ve written novels about you” might be one of the sweetest pick-up lines I’ve heard in a while; as a budding writer who devotes chunks of time to writing about other people, I’m all too familiar with the kind of crush that you can spend days, weeks, or months molding with words. And then fantasy blurs with reality, and your head reels trying to sort it all out. So when Castle describes the embrace on the beach in the second verse, is that a dream realized, or just an obsessed romantic’s dream? Either option reveals a writer in thrall.
So sure, chuck a dime in the slot. “Across State Lines” bookends the first single from Castle’s forthcoming pop odyssey If I’m Here At All, and fans of sophisticated serenades will no doubt swoon before the journey’s end. - Immersive Atlanta
After Athens buzz band Reptar went on indefinite hiatus a few years back, two of its members, Andrew McFarland and Ryan Engelberger, branched off as Semicircle and released an understated stunner of an LP in 2014’s Blown Breeze, Grown Grass and We Are Part of the Earth. Now, Engelberger has embarked on another creative path as Curt Castle, which will celebrate the release of its first recorded material—a 7-inch single—Friday at the Caledonia. The lead track, “Afraid of the Lightning,” is a punchy pop tune that should please fans of ’70s-soft-rock stans like Stephen Steinbrink. The B-side, “Across State Lines (Supernova),” is a Casio-hued slow-burner that bodes well for the inevitable upcoming full-length. - Flagpole
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Curt Castle’s years-long relationship came to an end just as the two bands he had spent his life playing with came grinding to a halt. He was left struggling with a question: How do we redefine ourselves when the foundations of our lives disappear? Without those once integral pieces of his life and his identity, Curt set out to figure out the who that remained within. If I’m Here At All began as he started to reform himself, to reassemble the pieces left behind in the void. An uninhibited examination of his past, of his fears, of his loss and of his hopes for the future, Curt Castle’s debut album is starkly vulnerable and honest, and fundamentally human. To him, that’s the way it has to be, if it’s going to be worth doing at all. Curt took a trip, driving across the country, his only company the thoughts in his head. These songs materialized out of that time being alone, singing (and sometimes, shouting) thoughts into the air around him. Out on the other side of the country, he recorded the songs with friends, spending the days sharing his songs with them, and the nights recording in their garage studio (Heavy Meadow Studios). Returning home to Georgia, holding an early, rough and cathartic version of If I’m Here At All, Curt reached out to producer / engineer Drew Vandenberg (of Montreal, Mothers, Kishi Bashi) at Athens, GA recording studio Chase Park Transduction. Together, they crafted a sonic landscape built on dynamic arrangements inspired by Harry Nilsson, soaked in synthetic sound reminiscent of Thomas Dolby's production work, and occasionally interspersed with electric guitarmony. The main engine of the songs though are the emotion of the lyrics and the catchy melodies they ride on. Those lyrics are woven from the cycles of hope and despair that pass over all of us. “Chances,” the first track on the record, is a piercing look at a relationship on the verge of falling apart. “All the Love in the World” looks at living with grief where each breath feels like an act of survival and triumph. And “Across State Lines (Supernova)” finds cautious hope in a new love. Now, Curt Castle has built up a high energy live show honed while opening around the country for headliners like Gomez, GIVERS, Dent May, Joan of Arc and many others. There’s a full band bringing the songs to life. In these live environments, If I’m Here At All’s songs about loneliness create an atmosphere of togetherness. Quotes: Solemn, Broadcast-like meditations... Fans of sophisticated serenades will no doubt swoon before the journey’s end. -Lee Adcock, Immersive Atlanta “Afraid of the Lightning,” is a punchy pop tune that should please fans of ’70s-soft-rock stans like Stephen Steinbrink. The B-side, “Across State Lines (Supernova),” is a Casio-hued slow-burner that bodes well for the inevitable upcoming full-length. -Gabe Vodicka, Flagpole Magazine
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