Eggy – Waiting Game (2024) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Eggy, the New Haven, CT rock quartet known for its improv-focused live shows, has released its long-awaited sophomore album, Waiting Game. The ten-track LP, recorded with producer James Petralli (White Denim) in early 2023, marks the first full-length studio release from Eggy since 2019’s Watercolor Days.

While often (and not necessarily incorrectly) categorized as a “jam band,” Eggy—comprised of Jake Brownstein (guitar, vocals), Dani Battat (keys, vocals), Michael Goodman (bass, vocals), and Alex Bailey (drums, vocals)—aimed to break that mold on Waiting Game. Labels like melodic indie-folk, Laurel Canyon-inspired pop-rock, and introspective Americana feel more appropriate than “jam band,” which they tend to classify as a “community” rather than a “genre,” but one element in particular sticks out: While Jake and Dani, along with longtime lyricist Pat Amarante, are the primary songwriters on the record, Alex sings lead on every track.

The band hadn’t set out to make an album of “Alex songs,” Brownstein explained to Live For Live Music last year. During the four-week recording process with Petralli in Los Angeles, both Jake and Dani tracked lead vocals for songs they had written on the album. In both cases, they elected to go with Alex’s take. “I’ve put enough of myself into this music that I’m not really worried about giving songs I wrote to him to sing,” Brownstein told Live For Live Music of the creative choice. “Now, I just want this thing to be as good as it can possibly be.”

The wide range of sounds encompassed by the songs on Waiting Game put the band’s impressive growth over the past five years on full display. Each track on the new album presents its own journey complete with immersive production, thought-provoking lyrical content, and tactically restrained musicianship (with radio-friendly runtimes and a notable absence of “jam band” instrumental solos). Despite the strength of each individual song, however, Waiting Game is best enjoyed as a whole, a rare “no skips” album in a modern music landscape that often puts a premium on single tracks and social media-ready snippets.

“This album is something we’ve wanted to make for the past five years, but funny enough, it only took us three weeks to complete. Planning for this project came about rather serendipitously, when Dani and Alex met James Petralli following a White Denim concert in September. By April, we had taken up residence at his home studio in Pasadena, sharing beds and sleeping on sofas in the control room. We didn’t see much more than the four walls of the studio, save for the three blocks that surrounded, the two coffee houses within walking distance and the single sandwich shop around the corner.

Like many of our favorite albums, this effort captures a very specific moment in time. For us, that means the amalgamation of experiences from four friends who have lived in the same house together through the pandemic, and shared in the same van rides for nearly three hundred days touring on the road. To us this album feels like a step towards maturity, as it sees the acceptance and departure from our 20’s (for most of us).

Alex, our drummer and lone holdover at 27 years-old, was ushered into the lead vocalist role for the entire record. This was entirely by design during the songwriting process. Being a band born out of a music scene that emphasizes the live rendition, we chose to go against tradition and record music that had never been performed before. There was a sense of freedom in the writing process, that we didn’t have to imitate anything we had done before. Instead we felt encouragement to lean into every creative calling, push our own boundaries, and discover our limitations. A reflection of our own lives cemented over thirty-six minutes.”

Tracklist:

1-1. Eggy – Laurel (03:23)
1-2. Eggy – A Moment’s Notice (03:52)
1-3. Eggy – Smile (04:00)
1-4. Eggy – Shallow Rivers (02:57)
1-5. Eggy – Come Up Slow (03:31)
1-6. Eggy – Must Come Down (03:30)
1-7. Eggy – Way Of The Stone (04:26)
1-8. Eggy – So Long (04:44)
1-9. Eggy – Waiting Game (02:35)
1-10. Eggy – Gentle Clown (03:25)