Equal parts dream-pop and heartland rock, RRest filled the room and all of the ears it held on a rainy Wednesday night at The Earl in East Atlanta. Lead singer Wes Ables delivered lyrics that rang both eager and pensive, with a well-pitched warble in his voice to match. Fans of The Killers or Modest Mouse would have dug the vibe with its ethereal guitar layers and a lo-fi style that lent itself to memories of scratchy 45s.
RRest made me want to light a cigarette and drive down Eastern Avenue with the windows down. For those who have never been, the 18-minute drive from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor into Greektown shuttles you through warm & gritty scenes of life speckled with tepid memories of what has been and what could have been. Standing front and center watching RRest rock The Earl, I could think of little else. It was like hanging out with The Black Keys’ stoner brother; a dude who is somehow simultaneously wide-eyed and cynical. Forgive me my hometown nostalgia—I blame the music.
Their wide stylistic variety blends well with their laid-back stage presence, making RRest a group that anyone will want to catch. Keep an eye out for their debut self-titled album dropping this October. Meanwhile, I’ll keep an eye out for you at their next show.
Rating: 4.5/5
Artist: RRest
Location: Atlanta, GA
Genre: Alternative, Dreampop, Post-Rock, Rock
Bandcamp: http://rrest.bandcamp.com/album/rrest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rrest.music
