Only Ever: Marfa - Melancholy, Turbulence, and Hope
The self-titled album by the band Only Ever, released in February 2024, is the first full-length material from the group consisting of Bill Hamilton, Ivan Beltrán, Kent Evans, Ray Herbert, and Andrew Czornyj. The album contains 6 songs with a total duration of 48 minutes and 8 seconds.
Only Ever is characterized by a melancholic and ethereal approach, with songs that mix elements of slowcore, shoegaze, and ambient, using these genres in an accurate and timely manner to give greater expressiveness to their compositions. This album is presented as a release from the difficult moments experienced by each of the band members. The structure of the songs often starts softly until reaching a climax. The first two songs on the album, Diatom Bloom and Drifters, have ethereal and atmospheric bases that will be developed in the other pieces. These songs use various effects and white noise to create a friendly and comforting musical barrier for the listener, giving way to the guitars and drums that provide a slow but steady tempo in the melodic construction.
The rhythm and flow of these two songs set the stage for what, in my opinion, are the album's peak pieces: Soup and Marfa. Soup begins with rhythmic and expressive drums accompanied by various effects, presenting a change in the composition's atmosphere, making it more tragic and heartbreaking. The strong presence of the bass and the melancholic rhythm pave the way for the album's masterpiece, Marfa.
From the moment Marfa begins, a heavier and more reflective aura is felt due to the atmospheric effects. A moving and tender keyboard accompanies this intimate construction, taking the melancholic load to a higher level. At the 1:54 mark, the most moving part of the album appears with the enveloping keyboard, which seems like a reflection or complaint, accompanied by drums that mark a slow but steady tempo. All this subtle and sentimental construction intensifies until reaching a climax at the 4:50 mark, giving us a masterfully constructed piece, a definition of classic Texas post-rock.
The last two pieces of the album, Shift and On a Pale Horse, continue with this sentimental and intimate essence but reduce the atmospheric power provided in Marfa, presenting a warmer and more reflective sound.
Personal Emotions
I discovered the band with this particular album, just two weeks after its release, and it was a delightful experience. I find it interesting how they address such complex and dark feelings in each of the six pieces, but at the same time, they offer us a glimpse of hope. The strongest points of the album are the emotional weight given by each of the band members, allowing the listener to feel identified and moved by these great sonic constructions.
As an alternative note, I felt that the album has a certain inclination towards elements that remind me of jazz, perhaps I could be wrong in feeling that way. I was reading South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami, the favorite writer of my favorite person, and when imagining the scenarios and references to jazz, I couldn't help but remember Marfa. I decided to finish reading the book with this melody on repeat. The intimacy and sentimentality of the book reminded me of the feelings evoked by the band.
Conclusion
I invite everyone to give this still little-known band a chance, offering us complete and original material with an overwhelming emotional load. I give it a rating of 9.5/10, as it made me experience very intimate things that would be impossible to explain with words. I eagerly await more material from the band to see how they continue to surpass themselves.
Written by Ángel Eduardo De la Cruz Carreta
