Western Love is IATT's much-anticipated second album. Its details have been kept mostly out of the public eye, though a few songs have been made a part of the band's set list for live shows.
"Western Love," the title track of the album, was primarily written by Brandon Bujnowski, and is the band's only ballad. It is also unique in its 6/8 time signature. The song is explained by Alec as being about a man who enters a town with a grudge on his mind and a gun in his hand, but leaving with a song on his heart and a guitar on his back. When listening, be sure to stick around for an ending that's sure to leave you feeling moved:
I think, for a not-yet-released project, the best place to hear about the new material is from the band itself. On a basic level, Dan Victor shared that "[it] will be a full length album, and is a cinematic themed LP. We have 4 songs for the album already in rotation at the live shows:"
"Western Love"
"Welcome to Brooklyn"
"In Your Face"
"All They Care About."
Why I pried further, I was also told by Dan that "this will be a more mature album [than Kill the Kittens], fully integrating the current band line-up." In fact, he assures me that the band has been quite busy, as they "have all put work into coming up with the songs we have. The unwritten ones will continue to show our progress. It will be more musical, [... and] I am sure there will be some surprises."
Perhaps most importantly, the album will remain true to the IATT's "dream rock style as "it will certainly retain the message that Kill the Kittens resonates: Positivity, Peace, Art, Groove, [and] Love."
Unlike the previous album this one will also have Kat Melen (Bass) and feature more of LS Bell (Congas) who are "two wonderful people who came in this year that have made all the difference in making our sound that much more funky and full."
Speaking of funky, one of the new favorites by the band is "Welcome to Brooklyn," which has a special place in the hearts of all of those who, like the members of IATT, call the big BK their home.
LS Bell had his own take on the new album, explaining to me, "I think there’s a totally different narrative [from Kill the Kittens that] we’re working with. I think this is going to relate more to an internal struggle about a guy defining himself, although not necessarily trying to fit in. Throughout all that, he falls in love and allows changes to take place." On a more general comparison, he adds that we should expect it to be "a bit more epic with wider story arc," though he cautions that these are just his personal thoughts on the project.
Kat Melen says "it’s shaping up to be a very solid offering" and finds the overall style undefinable, but gives it a little bit of explanation anyway when she adds that it "has a more varied mix of song styles [than Kill the Kittens], as well as a mix of authors, with sounds ranging from blues to waltz."
"In Your Face" is another new song which you can see performed here in the Studio at Webster Hall. It's powerful chorus draws you into the story of the song and challenges you not to sing along with Alec's smooth voice.
Steven Reyes gives his own take on the album, explaining that "Western Love will have a much more ballad-like feel and will draw more inspiration from the funk side of things. Songs like "Welcome to Brooklyn" emphasize the funky feeling, but "Western Love" displays our more rigid song writing and gives a little more purpose to the music. We also have some more anthem-like styles that make the live shows a lot of fun."
According to Brandon Bujnowski, Western Love is going to be a great representation of the band because they're "really trying to engineer this up so that it's the culmination of several genres wrapped into one big ball that is I Am the Third, and that will launch us into 2013 in a positive way."
One thing that's for certain, this album is definitely going to be something to keep an eye (and an ear) out for. When a band is this passionate about their craft, it's not hard for that love and determination to flow into anyone listening, and I think this album is going to be a shining example of that contagious, uplifting attitude that I Am the Third is becoming famous for.
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