A pandemic move back to Raleigh birthed one of the Triangle's best debut albums
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Stuart McLamb, left, and Charles Crossingham are the Raleigh duo behind Fancy Gap. Photo: Jordan Brannock
One of the Triangle's most exciting new bands, Fancy Gap, whose debut album is out Friday, could only have formed during the early days of the pandemic.
Flashback: Stuart McLamb, the artist behind the popular Triangle act The Love Language, had just returned to Raleigh from Los Angeles during the early months of the pandemic, looking, in part, to get back into the writing groove.
- And Charles Crossingham, a Raleigh-based music producer and friend, believed he had just the place to do so — a remote cabin in the small town of Fancy Gap among the Virginia mountains.
Between the lines: The cabin sessions were initially meant to be a new chapter for The Love Language, which hasn't released an album since 2018.
- But the connection the two artists formed in Fancy Gap made it clear that the music that ensued — full of depth and verve — was something else.
What they're saying: "We were in the shadow of the pandemic and the world was shutting down," Crossingham told Axios. "That was definitely lighting our fire to create something special, you know, sort of a love letter to the world."
Driving the news: Fancy Gap, named in honor of the music's birthplace, will celebrate its self-titled debut album with a release show Saturday at the Local 506 in Chapel Hill. Tickets are $15 presale, and $20 day-of.
What to expect: Fancy Gap's album is driving music in the best sense — with its propulsive bass and rapidly strummed guitars practically begging you to roll your windows down and tap the accelerator.
- It also has tinges of country music tones (on songs like "Little Heart Racer") — perhaps influenced by the duo's constant listening of the classic country radio station 98.1 WBRF coming out of Galax, Va.
- Other influences included '90s rock artists like Sheryl Crow and Counting Crows, whose bent toward poppy choruses inspired Fancy Gap to build the kind of songs you can sing along to, such as the opening track "How to Dance."
Thanks also to the pandemic, Fancy Gap was able to tap into many musical collaborators who suddenly had time in their schedules. "After such a weird period in 2020, there was just an enthusiasm to create," Crossingham said.
- Indie favorite Sharon Van Etten recorded vocals for the song "Strawberry Moon," while passing through North Carolina.
- Adam Lazzara, a North Carolina native and singer for the rock band Taking Back Sunday, was tapped to sing the chorus on "Filthy Habits."
- And Rami Jaffee, a keyboardist who has played with the Foo Fighters and The Wallflowers, kindly responded virtually to a request to play on many of the album's tracks.
What's next: McLamb said he's not done making music as The Love Language, but for now, he's just enjoying fleshing out the songs he recorded with Crossingham at the cabin in a live setting.
- The group is hoping to do a tour around the Southeast — but more importantly just keep investing their time in the Triangle's local music scene and continuing to collaborate.