Curtsy

Ventura five-piece Curtsy make a startling first impression on their debut full-length album Something I Can't Control, with songs and vocals that come alive with resplendent assurance. Featuring walloping single "Run Cold", the slickly-produced effort marries ringing guitar arrangements with a spiraling array of keyboard effects, giving the album's overall sound a stark luminosity.

The band does carry a strong post-shoegaze influence, but only in spirit, as they prefer to construct gentle soundscapes that waft beneath a powerful anthemic thrust. Not to mention that they fully embrace clarity over dissonance, carefully considering each and every element they introduce as if detailing a floral portrait with a fine paint brush. Vocalists Crystal Napoles and Austin Knecht compliment each other with careful precision, carefully considering every verse with a harmonic naturality reminiscent of turn-of-the-century darlings Stars during their guitar pop phase. It proves that though they openly doubt their instinctual urges, the band couldn't be any more in control of their songcraft. - Juan Rodriguez

Something I Can't Control is out now on all digital outlets. - The Deli Magazine

Curtsy is a Ventura-based indie rock band who ironically formed from the ashes of a country folk act after Crystal Napoles (vocals, keys) and Austin Knecht (guitar, vocals) continued to write together. The duo soon recruited a solid rhythm section and the result is a melodic pop blend of soaring guitars, dreamy textures, and pristine harmonies. Here’s the last track, “One Less Thing,” of their recently released debut album, Something I Can’t Control, which was produced by Jon DeBaun (The Mars Volta). - Free Bike Valet

Wash away the midweek slump with some ethereal indie from Curtsy. Their latest single ‘One Less Thing’, taken from their debut album ‘Something I Can’t Control’, is a church of reverb with a duet of divine vocals.

Female and male vocal duets often work extraordinarily well in reverb-coated guitar music. It’s something about the contrasting tonalties that just feels right in a musical context, colouring the instrumentation according to whoever is delivering the most prominent vocal. ‘One Less Thing’ encapsulates this perfectly, with male vocals dominating the push of the verses and female vocals leading the hook.

Of course, none of that vocal intertwining would work without something good to flow underneath. A rumbling bassline, staggering drums and crystalline guitarwork are definitely good enough to provide a strong undercurrent melody. The bass and drums ground the song and offer a sense of stable consistency while guitars ring out luxuriously with no set placement, soaring off while everything else stays relatively linear.

Put it together and you’ve got a fantastic indie track from start to finish, with a beautiful melody and contagious chemistry. - Fresh Beats 365

Ventura, CA indie-pop five-piece, Curtsy, just released their debut album, Something I Can’t Control, and are on the right track to becoming indie’s new buzz band. Comprised of Austin Knecht, Tamara Simons, Crystal Napoles, Kai Dodson and Joey Felkins, the band explores all areas of the pain that comes with every day life – hence the clever album title – with the sweetest, darkest shoegazy vibes you could ever desire. Blending well-textured guitars, driving rhythms, angelic harmonies all rounded with perfect pop hooks, this is one band you’re gonna want to press play for. - The Daily Listening