Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from Arkansas-based duo, Project 1268. Dwelling is the third single from their forthcoming second album. Project 1268 are high school friends, Haley Webster (Lead Vocals, Composer) and Craig Brown (Keys, Sax, Composer.)
Dwelling is a story of redemption, resolution, and rebuilding. In this song, the duo hope to present something that will resonate with people going through similar situations and give them hope.
Dwelling starts with some gorgeous Supertramp-style keys, bass and percussion. The stereo reverbs in the finger clicks work perfectly and gives the song plenty of space. Even before the vocals come in, we’re engaged and interested.
Haley’s vocals are warm, clear and bright. She has a touch of country twang in her voice, and more than a few moments that one could liken to Madonna’s style (particularly the song, Crazy For You). The harmonies that come in to accentuate certain sections are used perfectly, and with just enough distance to make the lead vocal really shine.
We love the incidental alto sax. There are some great licks here, and another nod to Supertramp, perhaps – a band we adore!
Something we were particularly drawn to in Dwelling is that there is always something happening to maintain the listeners’ interest. Be it an extra vocal line, a quick sax riff or some additional piano, there is plenty to keep the listener thoroughly engaged from start to finish here. This is really encouraging and interesting writing and scoring.
The middle 8 is a particularly high point in the track. The vocals here are positively triumphant, building and building into an instrumental section with some more gorgeous sax moments. The song then drops right back to piano and finger clicks and a swift fade out.
Ideas from our ears
A cut around 45-50Hz would reduce a slightly boomy peak in the low end. A boost centred around 140Hz could add some extra warmth and fullness to the low mids too. It may be a touch ‘brittle’ in the very top end so a gentle roll-off starting around 10-12kHz could help. Lastly, to our ears, the track sounds like it could benefit from being pulled back around 3-4dB from the final limiter. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final Thoughts
This was our first introduction to Project 1268, and we’re eager to hear more. Superb songwriting, great subject matter and great execution. Clearly, two highly talented musicians and songwriters that we believe deserve a far wider audience. Add them to your Spotify playlist today!
https://www.Project1268.com
https://www.facebook.com/Project1268
https://Twitter.com/Project1268
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ykx5UrpbG2FgygmbbU4vM?si=J1rUIT70QgG8oHuu8i-gtQ
https://on.soundcloud.com/e7gta
https://youtube.com/@user-nh4jj6vg4u
https://Www.instagram.com/project_1268_band