Great Lakes – “Into the Fold”

Whether you mean the band or the mighty bodies of water, I’m pretty partial to Great Lakes.

And, if you listen to the brand-new track “Into the Fold” by the band that shares the name of our “inland oceans,” you’ll find a few similarities between the two. Both are implacable while inexorably moving, and both will slowly engulf you until you realize that you’re far from shore – but, strangely, you’re OK with being surrounded by miles and miles of sound. Or water. Wait, are we talking about the lakes or the band again? Either way, you can drown in both, but only the band makes that an undeniably pleasant experience.

Layering drone upon drone, “Into the Fold” is the aural equivalent of the best benzo experience you can imagine. The sound creeps up on you until you’re firmly ensconced – or in the fold, if you will – making it one of the finest song-length extended metaphors that I can recall. And, perhaps most impressively, it does all this in just over three minutes, with the help of some casually persuasive vocals by Ben Crum and a nicely building guitar buzz.

You can listen to “Into the Fold” for the first time right here, but you can only buy it on Dec. 2 (or pre-order it now) it as part of PIAPTK Records CD-Record Singles Series, which allows for the physical disc – yes, they still make those – to be play in both a CD player and on a turntable. How do they do it? Science, I guess. You can learn more about the project here, but for now, how about just letting Great Lakes wash over you, no matter where you happen to be?