When Sol Chase brought on a gaggle of musicians for a bluegrass gig in 2022, he couldn't have known what was to come.
Enter Big Love Car Wash, the Austin-based Americana folk quartet who've just released a sharp-witted and tradition-steeped debut album, Daydream. The brand new record explores cultural infusion standing on shared sustainable values as the band's members bring diverse experiences to the table.
Composed by Chase (mandolin, bouzouki, vocals), Everett Wren (vocals, fiddle, dobro, lap steel, guitar, percussion), David Rabinowicz (vocals, guitar, piano), and Taylor Turner (upright, electric bass), the group deems their musical collective a "found family," a testament to their immediate stage synergy and interpersonal understanding.
Fluttering strings welcome "Dream Journal," the 16-track album's candid opener, tackling the balance of wishing and wanting. Humbly, the tune admits its timely yearns, but the lyrics argue between fulfilling fantasy and choosing authentically. Hinting to the collection's theme of self-reflection and connection, "Dream Journal" was released alongside "Janna (She's Still at Sea)" in March under double release, Vignettes 1: Quiet Reverie.
"Dante" from Vignettes 2: Broken Mystique has an Appalachian-reminiscent rock jive that's impossible not to move with. As striking instrumentation weaves itself with each fiddle bowing and upright bass pluck, the tune traces the less organic trail of technology-induced isolation. "Cast and estranged / From our home nest / Singed and arranged / By a crass chef," cry the harmonic trio-formed vocals.
I've got a soft spot for complex complementary arrangements, but "If Everything Were Free" has an easy grandeur that paints the landscape of a zero transaction, nature and gift-filled existence. Bringing awareness to the highly developed world, fiddle, guitar, and electric bass offer a nostalgia that makes the contemplative tune comforting.
And if it weren't yet symbolic enough, "21st Century Telegraph" takes a poetic approach to contemporary commentary on the effects of social media. "Oh, but is it ever freeing? / Does it ever lift you up above your fears?" the ballad asks over thoughtful piano melodies. As discussion furthers, it's energetically reminiscent of the power of music and those who use it to question the status quo.
The inaugural opus that is Daydream sends Big Love Car Wash on the Daydreamer tour from New Mexico to Tennessee on June 12th, 2025, and the crowd is sure to feel the refreshing and intimate energy that gave the band their name.
Featured photo by Nicola Gell
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