New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Indie alt-pop/rock band Del Pelson dropped a new single and accompanying music video for "Heather Lou" today. An infectiously catchy tune blends bright indie-pop melodies, driving bass-lines, and energizing beats, for a dip into anthemic summer hit territory. While the melody provides an upbeat, care-free track, the lyrics reveal a more difficult story, of watching a loved one struggle, and feeling at a loss for how to help.
Vocalist and guitarist Cal
Nelson shared, "The song is about seeing your partner become distant or depressed, and wondering what the cause could be and if there is anything you can do to help. It leads to an internal battle, with the idea that maybe the best help I can be is to set you free from me." It's an intimately personal and difficult conversation, when depression and mental health issues cause their own sources of divide and emotional separation.
With introspective reflection, the lyrics portray one's inert need for shared love and support, even when a loved one is suffering. "I cannot let you fall by the wayside / Darling, I really need you on my side / If you turn dark blue, I cannot get you." While they don't claim to have the answer, Del Pelson lead the gateway for an important conversation between couples, of how to support and uplift one another, even in hard times.
The band shared that they have been performing the song live since last summer, using feedback from the crowd to fine-tune the track before heading into the studio. "We had a lot of fun with it in the recording studio because we knew exactly what we wanted and were able to knock it out in a single day," said Nelson. "We even have Heather Lou singing the high part in the last chorus!"
Del Pelson also released an accompanying music video for the single, which premiered via
Music Existence. Depicting
Nelson as a 'therapist' to Heather Lou, the band performs, while he tries to decipher how he can help her out of her sadness and depression. With a white backdrop and colorful clothing, the characters' and members' performances pop on screen. "The blue/yellow contrast between Heather and Cal is very important symbolically throughout the song and visually aligns the two characters with the lyrics."
"Heather Lou" comes as the first new release since Del Pelson's EP Wide World, released last May. The band is planning to release a series of upcoming singles over the following weeks. Based in southeastern Florida, they've been actively building a name for themselves with regular shows, including performing at 2016's UndertowJam, and opening for national acts including Kurt
Travis and Brent Walsh. "Heather Lou" is out now and available on all major digital retailers, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.
UPCOMING SHOWS:
4/3
Bayside Miami - Miami, FL
4/13 Bouganvillea's - Miami, FL
4/19 Robot Brewing - Boca Raton, FL
4/26 Dada - Delray Beach, FL
4/30 Boynton Beach Film Festival
ABOUT DEL PELSON:
A little bit pop, a little bit indie/alternative rock, Del Pelson's catchy style can't be pigeon-holed. The band's sound is somehow both laid back and energetic, thanks to the diverse personalities and styles of its four members. Front man Cal
Nelson is a rare songwriting talent with innate creativity and a unique way of seeing and hearing the world; Garrett Kealer's drumming ranges with incredible subtleness to virtuosic grooves;
Nathaniel Spiner brings melodic yet driving bass lines to the frontline, and Patrick Montanari acts as the band's secret weapon with impressive saxophone skills, foundational keyboard layers, ands lick guitar leads. Together, Del Pelson breaks age and gender barriers with its catchy indie-pop melodies and powerful alternative rockbeats, exploring love, life, and irony with musical undercurrents of jazz, blues, roots, folk, reggae, and surf. With two EP's under their belt, Del Pelson is gearing up for the release of a series of new singles in early 2019.
The band is well known for their live chemistry and their obvious enjoyment is infectious. Del Pelson performed in the 2016 UndertowJam, featuring Young the Giant and Bear Hands. They have since opened for other national acts including Kurt Travis, Brent Walsh, and more. Formed in 2015, Del Pelson has since been featured in 104.3 The Shark's Open Swim Podcast Series with Erin Lee, Miami New Times, PureHoney Magazine, Soundbite Magazine, York Calling, Mystic Sons, and more.
WHAT THE PRESS ARE SAYING:
"…an art-rock outfit from the wilds of Boca Raton that would not be out of place touring with a band like Beirut." - Tim Moffatt, Pure
Honey Magazine
"US outfit take their cues from
Bombay Bicycle Club on this uplifting indie-pop release" - Chris Bound, Mystic Sons
"… sounding like a mixture of 80s and 2000s indie, with a good dollop of brit-pop and alternative rock thrown into the mix." - Jane Howkins, York Calling
"Wide World EP is perhaps South Florida's catchiest summer anthem of 2018″ -
Jessica Gibbs, Miami New Times
