Down Time - Spirit (2022) [Hi-Res]

Down Time is an LA based indie rock band that has created a diverse body of material
ranging from low key bedroom ballads to dense psychedelic grooves. At the core are
timeless rock songs guided by the imaginative and soul bearing lyrics of front woman,
Alyssa Maunders. The songs are close and intimate while also producing thorns. They
capture the complexities of the human spirit, the best and worst of our kind.
The band got started in Denver where they developed their sound and built a loving
audience over 7 years. They released their debut full length Hurts Being Alive in 2020,
which was produced by Denver sweethearts, Pat Riley and Alaina Moore of Tennis. On
the eve of the album being released the band played a sold out hometown show to a
room full of rowdy fans. One week later they had to cancel their West Coast tour due to
fears of the spread of a new virus. It’s a common story from the last couple of years.
Everyone’s got a hard luck Covid story and this is theirs; seeing their baby fade into the
depths of Corona-obscurity. Naming their debut album Hurts Being Alive turned out to
be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
They decided their time was better spent writing and recording rather than watching the
terrifying loop of dark news stories, they escaped to a remote house in Pagosa Springs,
CO. As the snow fell on the Rockies and an angry mob of vigilante rioters stormed the
capital in Washington DC, Down Time recorded a group of songs to tape that would
later become Spirit. From start to finish it was written, performed and produced by the
band in a small room with blankets stapled to the walls.
Some songs capture the flame of loss while others hold the solitude of a quiet meadow.
That is the beauty of Maunders’ lyrics; they are somehow specific and poetically
adaptable at the same time, creating an effect that is deeply relatable, all with a vocal
delivery akin to Adrianne Lenker. The vocals float on top of solid grooves provided by
the band’s secret weapon, David B. Weaver (drums/bass) and melodic flourishes from
Justin Camilli (guitar/keys) which take it to another sonic plane. In an age where
rehearsal space is prohibitively expensive and laptop-pop reigns supreme, Down Time
is succeeding at keeping the band together.