Song of the Day: Posse - Kismet

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription . This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear.  Today’s song, featured on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “Kismet” by Seattle indie rock outfit Posse, from their recent 7-inch single for Saddle Creek Records.Posse - Kismet (MP3)If you've devotedly followed the Song of the Day podcast, you've come across Posse and their music a couple times. The local trio has graced us in the past with fearsome romps like "Sarah" and the breeziness of "Afraid". With every new release, the band reveals another layer to their swooning guitar-rock sound. But last August, it seemed like that last we'd heard the last from the band. They'd posted a status, alluding that they wouldn't be playing shows for a long time and recommended fans check out The Band's classic documentary The Last Waltz to understand how "the road is a goddamn impossible way of life, etc." It was a welcome surprise when the band announced that they'd be kicking off Saddle Creek Records's new Document series - an effort to highlight artists and scenes from around the country. It's a fun concept, but having Posse back is even better.

As with every Posse release, "Kismet" finds the band venturing even further outward from what we've come to expect. Subtlety has always been one of the band's strengths and then flex that skill masterfully on their "comeback" track. The song eases in with a reverb hum and methodical tapping on the cymbals. Each instrument crawls into frame on its own time, a thud of bass here and a chime of guitar there, with no vocals coming in until after a full minute in. When band members Paul Witmann-Todd and Sacha Maxim finally do reveal their voices, they sound despondent and distant. The inflections in their voices are slight, but even the most minute turn in melody feels like a giant leap as they intertwine with one another. All of the looming tension pays off with a fearsome, almost sinister, guitar solo. Then it all fades away gain as Witmann-Todd and Maxim contemplate if they can see into the future.

Posse does not currently have any live dates lined up, but you can keep tabs on the band by following them on their Facebook page. In the meantime, revisit their last KEXP session from 2014: