Real Companion is the music of songwriter Seth Sullivan and multi-instrumentalist, producer, and artist Derek Wycoff. The musical duo lives and works in Boone, North Carolina, and they released a delightful alternative/indie rock record over the summer, Nü-metal Heroes.
This musical pair has a quirky sense of humor, as I could tell from the tunes and their descriptions of the project. Their Bandcamp bio says they like to spend their days discussing the finer details of basketball offensive strategies and the merits of early Nineties Springsteen records. Seth also signs off the liner notes of the new record with, “Singing stupid songs in stupid times.”
While they have a tendency for irreverence, the tracks on Nü-metal Heroes are anything but stupid. The dry comedic flair of the lyrics is backed up with the rich sounds of jangle pop, New Wave textures, and what I would venture to call ‘alt-Appalachia’ indie rock.
Up-tempo, neon-bright tracks like “Piedmont Reason” carve out a peculiar yet charming sonic landscape with sardonic wit and are one hell of an earworm. The song sparkles like a surprising pick from a roadside diner jukebox: nostalgic, a bit lonely, but always full of odd charm.
“Great Valley” has a rhythmic tightness with a bubbly, danceable beat driving through the fog of countrified guitars. It pulses with a carefree energy that would make it at home on an Eighties college radio station, yet the duo skillfully interweaves modern indie sensibilities and sounds.
“Liberty Dreams” packs a heavier punch but still offers swooning melodies mixed with whimsical wordplay and radiant, ringing chords. The song evokes small-town monotony and quiet magic, wrapping the listener in the irony of finding beauty in the mundane – a theme throughout the album.
“New Moon Ave.” takes a slower approach. I pictured the song playing outside a Waffle House under the moonlight, the fog rolling in, the coffee long gone, and perhaps a twinge of middle-aged existentialism pervading the senses.
While Real Companion makes gorgeous music, they know how to laugh at themselves. The music is grounded in their personal realities but whimsically detached, so any sentimentality or pretension is never detected.
For those who love a bit of humor with their nostalgia, or for anyone who’s ever found themselves driving through the mountains late at night, this album offers a lovely soundtrack to the in-between moments of life.
Like Boone, North Carolina, itself—half college town, half mountain getaway—Real Companion crafts music that’s equal parts laid-back and restless, funny and poignant. A strong record from a duo with plenty of stories to tell.
Check out Nü-metal Heroes by Real Companion on Bandcamp here.
Leave a Reply