Pittsburgh-based band King Blue Heron has just celebrated their first-year as a band back in February of this year. Following the formation of their band, they released their first single titled ‘Ora Et Labora’ back in January of this year. The band who claims themselves to be “old testament indie-twang something or other” on their instagram bio is composed of 4 members, Emily Hardenberger (vocals/lead guitar), Seth Berkin (vocals/bass), Bailey Willets (rhythm guitar) and Lucas DiBlasi (vocals/drums). King Blue Heron owes their unique musical style to their do-it-yourself composition, each member having recorded their own parts and commissioning a friend to do the artwork for the band. We join them in celebration of their year and a half with the release of their second single, titled ‘Allegheny River.’
“Loving someone living with addiction is a specific kind of hell – ‘Allegheny River’ was written to try and grapple with that”
- Emily Hardenberger, singer
While the song alone is a calming and soft playing melody, the message in the song is meant to show both sides of a relationship in which one person is an addict. The overall vibe of the song relays a form of patience from both sides, which slowly turns into a sadder tone as the roles change. King Blue Heron does a great job at elaborating upon this experience by showing the attempt to grasp an understanding from both sides and show that there is pain on both ends of a relationship like the one they show. The lyrics, and therefore the roles, switch midway through the song, the lyrics conveying very different messages as that happens:
“Force down a fifth of whiskey // I’ve been sleeping better on my own”
“I could be the one you hate but I don’t think it would make you change your mind”
Having listened to both of their released singles, there is a lot that can be said about the messages that King Blue Heron attempts to convey. The use of their personal experiences adds a depth to their music and their message is clearly passed from artist to listener. I won’t spoil ‘Ora et Labora’ for those who are listening about the band for the first time here, but I will encourage you all to listen to the song and get to enjoy King Blue Heron’s effort and passion.
We’re delighted to get to cover the new release for this up and coming band and hope to continue to cover their releases as they grow. You can listen to their new single on all streaming platforms, you won’t want to miss out on this!
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Follow King Blue Heron
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingblueheron/?locale=gb
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KnbNS8rZ6vhCPD1AjNRkj?si=fYqiSU7jTH6AfkAS-DD7Ew
