Born during the 2020 global pandemic, Wooden Overcoat began as a project for multi-instrumentalist Brant Hajek marking a return to recording following the demise of Portland based band The Tamed West. The project’s blend of retro indie and psychedelic tones is a natural fit for what began as a one-man vehicle, but the many layers that make up the debut single ‘Home’ never suggest anything that’s been recorded on the quick and the cheap.

Blending indie pop and psychedelic tones, ‘Home’ has a very old soul. The crying guitar that fills the opening bars makes very little secret of a retro intent, but once a reverbed vocal arrives, the gloves are well and truly off. Settling into a mid tempo, a lush vocal melody is applied effortlessly to a chiming backdrop, creating a sound where huge 60s influences jostle against a vague shoegaze inspired riff, creating something pleasantly trippy. There are hints of Spacemen 3 in a melodic mood here, as well as the DNA from various jangly bands, but this is more than mere recycling: Wooden Overcoat are more than set to make these sounds appear inspiring again. Although ‘Home’, ultimately, values atmospherics over immediacy, the performance is so perfectly pitched that it’s a track that’s easy to love.

As part of the launch for Wooden Overcoat, the single has been paired with a new video by Francesca Bonci, an Italian visual arts creative known for her previous work with Tombstones In Their Eyes. Although the video clip gives very little clue as to the visual impact of the musicians involved, the use of distorted imagery using stock footage and colour manipulation creates a kaleidoscopic effect that appears genuinely sympathetic to a great soundtrack.

The full impact of ‘Home’ can be experienced below.