Water Street - All We Tried To Be

Water Street

All We Tried To Be
self-released; 2022

​By Dino DiMuro​

Water Street is a pop/Americana band from beneath the shadows of the Appalachian Ridge in Blairstown, NJ. Formed in 2016, the group took their name from a real street in Blairstown, and have been gigging and recording ever since. Covid hit while they were tracking their new album All We Tried To Be, causing all the studios to shut down. They returned to an old warehouse in Blairstown where they’d originally practiced for gigs, bringing along Joe Webster to produce and engineer. The band members are Dave Paulson (vocals/guitar), Mike Stark (lead guitar), Joe Byrne (bass) and Connor Konecnik (drums). 

The group states that their music “mixes soulful acoustic melodies, enticing bluegrass mandolin riffs, and a driving rhythm section with some hints of funk.”  The songs on this album “reflect life during the past three years, where some of the band's members got married, got CPA licenses, and suffered breakups due to distance and isolation, as well as trying to sort out a difficult political paradigm and what it actually means to be an American today.” They’ve been told their sound is similar to The Head and the Heart, and that’s true, though Water Street’s songs are a bit higher-pitched and less dependent on piano. Mixing took place at Sound on Sound Studios in Montclair, New Jersey, and was mastered by Joe Lambert Mastering in Cortlandt Manor, New York.

My first impression was that these songs sounded amazingly professional for having been recorded in a rehearsal warehouse. I also noticed that the band seems to have uncredited female backing vocals as well as piano and other instrumental overdubs that are not listed. Musically they have an accessible, acoustic pop rock style, but with enough inventive touches and surprising melodic layers to charm even a crusty avant-gardist like myself.

“Alexandra” starts us off with an upbeat folk pop tune similar to Pete Townshend’s solo work. Paulson’s vocals reminded me of Michael Stipe with some of the rough edges sanded off. One minute in, there’s an abrupt and exciting blast of fuzz lead. The subject matter fits perfectly with the medium-fast tempo: “The GPS is saying 80 / but all I really want is 80 million miles with you.” There’s unexpected bursts of harmony with an uncredited female singer, and a sweet, sitar-like acoustic ending.

“People” is more gentle pop rock with piano overdubs and nicely recorded drum fills. It’s a jangly tune that builds drama toward the choruses with several melodic changes within the pop framework. “Something Better” has a funky stutter beat, with the vocals more like Lionel Ritchie or an Americanized version of Phil Collins, and is one of the most commercial tracks so far. By now it’s clear the Water Street template is to start simply before quickly adding layers of melodic complexity. This track features great quiet-to-loud dynamics, with most instruments dropping out for the vocals toward the end. Almost painfully clean and accomplished! 

“Summer Rose” is a muted love song, starting with just quiet acoustic and voice that possibly incorporate the natural warehouse reverb. When I say muted, it sort of sounds like the band’s playing under a wet tarp. It took me a little longer to warm up to this track, but Water Street’s ability to up the ante in the final section of their songs won me over yet again. There’s also a tasteful and inventive lead solo. “On My Way” is an upbeat folky mandolin song that moves into chunky rock with quadruple beats on the drums. I love the thrilling chorus vocals of “Take my hand!” which seems like a more logical title for the song.

“The Promise I Made” features more gorgeous acoustic strumming (that’s gotta be a pricey guitar!) matched by the higher-pitched vocals that again echo Phil Collins. Strings and synths fill out the picture. “Collateral” uses the old trick of zooming in backwards at the start, leading to another chunky mandolin-based rock song with quickly-sung lyrics. “Can you tell me who you think you are / playing fancy rhythms on your blue guitar / I hope you learned it ain’t all about you / but today and tomorrow it’s clear you’ll continue to write your stupid love songs.” The boys missed another obvious title with the terrific sung choruses of “one act play.” A short acoustic jamming section leads to the dramatic vocal conclusion. WHO is their female singer?! 

“Dog Song” is a bluesy shuffle, as befitting a dog loping down the street. “Well, I got your plus one invitation / to the cocktail hour interrogation… big words, big names, small conversation.”

“Only Us” moves toward Glenn Hansard vocals and compositional style. Acoustic guitar, mandolin, piano and drums are eventually backed by strings and synths. Like a Broadway show tune, this is another track where the power of the song builds slowly and quietly until exploding in your heart. “What a Life” ends the album with a fast one-two beat: a taste of Americana, with a final mandolin solo. Love the line:  “Morning coffee with the gluten free sunrise.”

​These songs were almost uniformly great, to a degree that it became kind of eerie. Though a bit mainstream for me, nonetheless I can’t recommend the music of Water Street highly enough!

Become A Fan

official website

Tweet