Icarus Phoenix’s Alt Folk in ‘I Should Have Known The Things You Never Said’ is One For the Books

Icarus Phoenix is a Baltimore-based indie folk and folk rock band led by Drew Danburry. The group has a stellar ability to merge 70s folk with a contemporary sphere of songwriting. Their themes are instantly unique, elaborate and meticulously crafted into music. Edged with experimental, sometimes even futuristic fringes, folk rock gains a modernity like never before. Listeners of Nick Drake, Neil Young, Cigarettes After Sex, and  Alanis Morissette are sure to enjoy the creative writing, presentation, and ideas of this band. 

‘I Should Have Known The Things You Never Said’ is the group’s latest album; a collection that was teased with tracks like High Tide, Painting, and Doctor! Doctor!. It is a ten-track album that forms along diverse planes and aesthetics of folk rock. It shows off the spectrum of the band, sometimes speckled with gentle acoustics and other times, teeming with uplifting riffs, rising sensibilities, and evocative vocals. Every track is unique and distinct from each other. Matching the emotion with the soundscape, they bleed into each other to cast the listener in an immersive cycle. 

Tracks like ‘High Tide’, ‘In The Blood’ and ‘Doctor! Doctor!’ engage with folk rock the way Nick Drake used to. It is doting, hypnotic, immersive, and profound. The riffs are resonant and so are the vocals. They form on the surface, readily lifting off to dissolve in the listener. On the other hand, ‘Live. Give. Lose, Grow’ and ‘When It’s Time To Go’ are heavier with harder riffs, harder beats, and a launching basslines. They carry the listener to a brink of emotion, teetering on the edge and expand it from there. 

‘Sword and Harp’ is a country folk track with fun and catchy riff cycles. ‘Kanashimi’ featuring Lake Mary is a slow daze. Folk dilated with shoegaze features, trance arrangements, and deliberate vocals. It is ethereal in a way that makes you buoyant, lifting you into beautiful suspension. The track ‘Painting’ is modeled similarly, with cerebral calls for deep feeling and contemplation. Listen Now! 

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The album is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music!

You can listen to ‘I Should Have Known The Things You Never Said’ by Icarus Phoenix here -