Sister Species are a Minneapolis-based chamber-folk septet fronted by accordionist/songwriter Emily Kastrul (Betazoid, Hazel Ra). With a keen eye for the natural world and emotional terrain, Kastrul crafts raw and vibrant songs that are equal parts celebration and lament. Featuring the 3-part trumpet section of Jake Baldwin (Har Mar Superstar, McNasty Brass Band), Noah Ophoven-Baldwin (Percheron, Realtree) and Sten Johnson (McNasty Brass Band, New Sound Underground), guitarist Willow Waters (The Earth Tones, Still Unstill), bassist Ryan Hays (The Earth Tones, Still Unstill), and drummer Lars Johnson (McNasty Brass Band, Radiochurch), Sister Species’ full ensemble supports Kastrul’s intimate and intricate songwriting.
With two full-length records already released into the world – “Heavy Things Do Move” and “Closer Now” – you may already have been lucky enough to hear their music which has been tagged at some point as warm and luminous, a term we wholeheartedly endorse having listened to their forthcoming album Light Exchanges due for release tomorrow.
“Light Exchanges” is a love letter to staying put. During this time when tactile connections are sparse, “Light Exchanges” is full of acute & sensual observations about our daily lives & practices, from cutting onions to holding hammers to magnolias in bloom.
Ranging from a pop song about the inevitable heat death of the universe to a drone influenced track about loss & cottonwood trees, “Light Exchanges” is punctuated by 3-part-trumpet interludes that serve as emotional counterpoints to the songs. I like to imagine the trumpets as alien guides bringing the listener through the galaxy to visit the different planets of lyrical songs.
Watch the video for ‘Cottonwood Trees’…if the vibrancy and intimacy of this song don’t grab you then I don’t know what will.
Order Light Exchanges via Bandcamp here: https://sisterspecies.bandcamp.com/