Love? Said The Commander - "A Place For Our Heads"

Words by Zach Romano.

We are very excited about Philadelphia duo Love? Said the Commander’s new EP A Place For Our Heads, released today on streaming services and Bandcamp. In these five songs, singer Kate Hall and guitar maestro Chris Bishop continue to demonstrate the strong songwriting and chops that have seen them become favorites on Philly indie-mainstay WXPN and accumulate a stream of accolades in their young career.

L?STC’s sound is anchored in Hall’s steady acoustic guitar over which two voices – her emotive alto and Bishop’s expressive Gibson SG- have plenty of room to interact and complement each other. Hall’s lyrics are honest and often disarmingly direct, and Bishop’s guitar weaves in as an exclamation mark or occasionally a rejoinder. The relatively minimal setup gives both room to shine, and the band understands how the space they allow their songs makes the additions and flourishes they do permit themselves that much more impactful. When a violin comes in on “Fire Light,” sounding almost like a saxophone at first, it’s quite stunning.

The songs L?STC writes deal with loneliness and searching for connection in bleak circumstances, and by design or not, this feels like a record of the times. “Misery,” for example, describes trying to find the joy in dancing in your apartment (not many other places to dance these days) despite an undercurrent of, well, misery. A Place for Our Heads sees the band integrating more bass than they have in previous releases, and the songs, especially “Misery” and the title track, benefit from the pulse and rhythm provided by the low end.

A Place for Our Heads is now streaming wherever streams can be streamed, including Spotify. You can purchase the EP on Bandcamp. I would encourage you to check out their excellent first EP A Million Miles Away as well. Keep up with Love? Said The Commander by liking them on Facebook and following them on Instagram. We hope to see them in NYC soon!