Atlanta five-piece Lotus Grove have been in each other’s orbit since middle school, which puts their musical relationship somewhere north of fifteen years. That kind of history tends to either calcify into comfort or produce something genuinely cohesive, and from the sound of “Ordinary People” it’s the latter. The band’s lineup is an interesting mix on paper – a touring metal drummer, a folk-leaning frontperson, a classically trained keyboardist – and their reference points span Fontaines D.C. to The Killers to Spacey Jane. “Ordinary People”, recorded at Maze Studios in Atlanta with Ryan handling lyrical duties while the full band shaped the arrangement, is the second single from an ambitious twelve-track album rollout.
Musically, the influence of the 2000s pop-rock scene is strongly present here, particularly in the choice of melodies. The focus is on tight rhythmic support for addictive vocal hooks rather than riffs with vocals on top, as in rock, so it’s definitely more pop than rock. It’s great pop, though, in the sense that it’s not this hyper-polished designed-for-radio song – no, it’s a real song with a great live-sounding performance from everyone involved.
With ten more tracks still to come in the rollout and shows scheduled across Atlanta and Charlotte, Lotus Grove are clearly in a productive moment. The diversity of influences in the room could easily have produced something muddled, but “Ordinary People” sounds like a band that has figured out how to filter all of that into something focused. Looking forward to picking up the album that fills in around it.
