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Having already had a taste of their single, diamond’s & pearls, New York based Queens County Roots have causing a lot of excitement within the music world. With a love for collaboration, the band collaborated with Canadian Jesse Maxwell for their latest EP, Liminal, an impressive and intricate body of music which is full of character.
With Queens County Roots already winning giving me plenty of reasons to smile, I was only too honoured to be able to give the 5 track EP a listen myself. Beginning with opening track, Verses by Gaslight, a smooth and alluring song full of mystery and swagger that just draws you in.
The vocals are just so inviting, and the lyrics just call to your mind, in a way that I found it so easy to resonate with. The richness of this song does not just end there because it also has such energising guitar solos, especially around the 2 minute 30 mark, which make me just want to stand up and give a standing ovation. When all elements - lyrics, vocals and rhythm complement one another so effortlessly, that is the type of music which makes me feel like the music I am listening to is giving me a sensational spark.
After setting the bar high, I then move nicely onto FANTASAMA, which is probably one of my shining star tracks of this EP because firstly I just love Jesse’s vocals, and such a soothing voice where the lyrics just flow.. Talking about the lyrics, I really love the poetic playfulness of the songwriting behind FANTASMA because being able to hear lines such as ‘..every beat is electric, just like the flow of a lover’s kiss..’ is so beautifully heart warming.
And then when you add in a very epic saxophone solo, it just elevates the song to a whole new level, where you cannot resist its upbeat and infectious nature.
Two songs in, and already I am feeling like I don’t want to put this EP down, because I am enjoying every single thing about it. I always am on the lookout for music which I feel that natural bond with, and so far liminal by Queens County Roots is ticking all those important boxes.
Next up on the EP is One Step Ahead, which feels like you are transported to the heart of a very mysterious but engaging narrative. I like that Queens County Roots are keeping us fans on our toes by giving us a blend of different genres. With this being more of a guitar centred track compared to the other tracks, then it is like you have a mixture of blues and good ol pure indie rock. Lyrically I love the depth and is just another prime example of how this collaboration between Jesse Maxwell and Queens County Roots is such a natural fit. The way that Jesse hits some of those high notes and blends them in with the rest of the song, just makes you go wow!
After One Step Ahead, I then come to diamonds and pearls. As I said this is a song I have previous been able to listen to, and was probably my gateway into the world of Queens County Roots in the first place. You can read my thoughts on the song here, but what I will say whilst reflecting the overall EP, is that diamond & pearls was such a stand out song for me to hear as a single, so being able to see how it flows with the rest of the tracks which compose this EP, make me love it even more.
The EP ends in style while also making you hungry for more, with closing track Main Street. The songwriting on this EP has been epic throughout, but with a song like Main Street I think as a listener your able to focus on that even more, because its just an extra opportunity to witness that creativity synergy between Jesse and Queens County Roots. It's the type of dynamic which makes the listening experience as a music fan all the more enjoyable.
Having enjoyed every single track that was on offer with this EP, I have one more extra treat, as I was honoured to reach out to Queens County Roots very own Marlon Hurt to unpack liminal a little more.
Congratulations on the brand new EP, Liminial. Having been out for almost a month now, what has it felt like being able to share it with the world and watch its ongoing growth?
Thank you! I feel like the canned response to how it feels would be: great! amazing! awesome! And, to be fair, it has been all of those things! It’s wild to see songs that started life as a wisp of melody, or a small chord progression that I couldn’t shake, or a brief line of poetry, it’s wild to see these exist now completely external to me. The children metaphor is overused when it comes to artists and their works but only because it’s true. Part of the fun is watching my little daydreams step out into the light and take on a life of their own.
But releasing music into the world also invites a lot of anxiety and nail-biting, maybe especially because I believe so strongly in the final products. I want everyone else to feel as awed as I do by what my friends have accomplished—both Jesse Maxwell and my bandmates in Queens County Roots. I want to put these songs in front of as many ears as possible so everyone can marvel, the way I do, at the artistry that brings them to life. So I’ve been working pretty hard since their release to do exactly that, the way one labors when he owes a debt that can’t be properly repaid.
I will level with you, I had such a hard time deciding which of the 5 tracks was my favourite, as they were all incredible. From a song writing perspective were there any tracks you had a lot of fun making?
This is such a great question, because ‘making’ and ‘fun’ mean so many things in the context of music. To start with ‘making,’ it’s obviously a process, and since I’m not a one-man band, songwriting for me is really a three-stage affair. First, I dream it up and write it down. Next, I put it in front of my bandmates, who always change it for the better with their interpretations. (These become the live versions that we play at shows.) Finally, these choices are projected through the lens of the studio process where they bend and refract in often amazing ways—ways that can give the studio releases a markedly different energy than when we play the songs live.
And each stage has its fun! For instance, I’m still amazed by the transformations that Jesse wrought on “Verses by Gaslight” and “Fantasma.” He uncovered nuances that we’d never be able to replicate live but are so integral to what these songs are now. But on tracks like “Main Street” and “Diamonds & Pearls” the process was different. It was more that Jesse managed to make the songs sound even more like themselves, if that makes sense?
But to really answer your question…I personally had the most fun making “Fantasma.” Or maybe witnessing the making of “Fantasma” is more accurate. As a songwriter, I love being surprised by what people find in my music. So when Jesse delivered his first pass at the tune, no joke, I laughed out loud like a kid at Christmas. Just pure delight. But then, Jesse can have that effect on people.
What has 2023 been like for you overall?
A rollercoaster! It was a winding road to get to this point. I was in a weird spot for a while, both with music-as-art and music-as-business. We actually tracked these songs back in 2022 but there were delays, mostly self-inflicted, and the whole project had started to feel more like a burden than a triumph—so much so that I ended up putting QCR on hiatus for the summer of 2023 so I could get my head together. But then Jesse called me to say that we could put these five songs out through The Orchard, which is the subsidiary of Sony that he’s signed with, and I was immediately roused from my self-absorption, like anyone would be.
Let's talk about the very cool artwork on the cover of Liminal, which is just as eye catching as the music itself. Tell us a little bit more about the work you chose to represent the vibe of liminal?
I actually started life as a visual artist! And then I was a theater artist, until—hallelujah—I finally realized that I’d been a songwriter all along. I’ve created every piece of artwork related to my music releases through the years but this one is definitely different. On a lark, I asked one of the new AI image generators floating around the internet to show me a disco rave. I had “Fantasma” in mind, because it was scheduled to be our first release. Everything the AI gave me was awful…except for that one image. It was like a lightning strike because it seemed to speak to why Jesse and I chose the EP title Liminal to begin with. As a quality, ‘liminal’ is defined as a borderland, a transitional space between one state and another—the fuzzy boundary where the conscious mind creeps into the subconscious mind and vice versa, for example. And the inspired messiness of that image really seemed to capture something for Jesse and me that is, well, ‘liminal.’ The colors in the visual space suggest a dance club and a cave at the same time. You can almost see figures dancing, but the harder you look the more indistinct they become. It has an alien quality to it, like liminal spaces often do.
But you know, so much about art is bottling that lightning strike—after you’ve spent years teaching yourself how to properly align the lightning rod, of course.
Is there anything you’re most grateful for as you transition into the next chapter of Queens County Roots?
Oh man, yes. Again, I’m drawn to the canned answer but—again—it happens to be true: I continue to be grateful for all these people who let me hang out with them and play music, not just because they’re great musicians but because they’re also just delightful humans to be around. I’d love to name names: the next chapter of Queens County Roots is Shakar Brumfield (vocals), Josh Clark (saxophone), Katie McMurray (trumpet), Hope Johnson (Keyboards), Marcel Hamel (bass), Luke Gefell (drums), and Marlon Hurt (i.e., me on guitar).
We’ll be releasing new music with this line-up in January! I’m also eternally grateful for Jesse, who’s one of my favorite people on the planet, and for our ongoing collaboration. And not to be too corny, but I’m grateful to an outlet like Darkus. What you do day-in and day-out is no small undertaking. But a lot of great music would go unheard if you didn’t—so thank you!
A huge thank you to Marlon for taking the time to speak to us. The latest EP, liminal is out on all major platforms now, so if you haven't already, be sure to check it out!
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Article By Thushara S. Chandrasiri
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