Track 003: Sumbuck - "Time She Takes"
Folks, little do you know it, but you’re a part of history* right now. For the first time in this newsletter’s existence, I will be featuring a song on its day of release.
You might recognize Sumbuck’s raspy vocals as those of Taylor Meier, the lead singer of Caamp. Soulful, deeply moving, and impassioned, Meier’s voice is so soothing, as seen throughout Caamp’s entire discography, and in every song that he has released as Sumbuck.
There are so few artists in the world, in my opinion, who release as consistently quality music as Meier, whether with Caamp or as Sumbuck. Simply put, I think he is one of the most talented and listenable artists I know of, and any time he releases music it’s almost guaranteed to be an instant addition to the rotation.
This morning (last night?), Sumbuck released two new singles, “Time She Takes” and “We Will Dance Again;” and the former has been on repeat the last few hours. Staying true to his folky roots, Meier also infuses elements of blues into this track - and it’s a fucking jam. I don’t know if this makes any sense, but you know True Detective Season 2? Well, this song feels like it could be the soundtrack to those scenes in which Colin Farrell goes to the bar and it’s smoky and hazy and divey, and the woman is singing up on stage. I mean, to be fair, I haven’t watched that season in a couple of years - it was easily my least favorite of the three (perhaps it’s high time I revisit that one) - so I could be totally off here, but that’s the first comparison that comes to mind.
Just in case that comparison is way off, I’ll just say this: I want to play this track on a record player, lie down on the couch, and drink a heavy beer of my choosing out of my favorite pint glass. “Time She Takes” is a song to get lost in.
The last couple of days, I have been using superlatives to get into the song a bit deeper - favorite quality of the song, favorite moment, favorite lyric. I could do that for “Time She Takes,” but it just sort of wouldn’t feel authentic. I need to live with this song a bit more - listen to it around the house, play it at night, bump it in the car, sing it in the shower - before I can really make those judgments. So I’ll just say that “Time She Takes” is dope and Sumbuck is incredible, and you just really have to listen to this song (like, right now).
Stream the song:
P.S. “We Will Dance Again” is also incredible, and I might have to feature that song in the very near future as well.
P.P.S. You know those surveys they do for big, important elections that ask voters which candidate they would prefer to have a beer with? Well, I get big-time common man/man of the people/let’s hit a dive bar energy from Meier, and I would love to crack open an ice cold PBR with the man himself.