Opal Eskar

OPAL ESKAR | EP | SPIRAL VALLEY RECORDS | MAY 19, 2023

 

Bio:

Opal Eskar is the latest convergence of some of Philadelphia’s busiest indie musicians.

After releasing a one-off single “Sunlight Is Breakin’ Out” (“Dreamy,” said NPR-affiliate WXPN) as a trio comprised of Karl Blau (vocals), Heyward Howkins (vocals, guitar), and Chet Delcampo (vocals, guitar, bass, keys) last summer, Opal Eskar is joined on new recordings by two more members of the Philly fabric: Charlie Hall and Robbie Bennett of The War on Drugs.

Opal Eskar will release its debut self-titled EP on May 19, 2023 via Spiral Valley Records.

To get an idea of the band’s sound beyond “dreamy” (which it is!), look no further than the comprehensive careers of the members of Opal Eskar and the company they keep.

Blau met Howkins and Delcampo after relocating to Philly following a highly prolific period in the Olympia, Washington area where he released dozens of records and helped nurture the scene that brought the K Records label and influential artists such as Laura Veirs, The Microphones, and Earth — many of which Blau recorded and performed with — to prominence.

More recently, Veirs, along with My Morning Jacket front man Jim James, appeared with Blau on a cover of Link Wray’s ten-minute epic “Fallin’ Rain,” a cut from Introducing Karl Blau, a covers collection of overlooked country songs by Blau, released by legendary UK record label Bella Union.

Delcampo has two earlier album releases to his name, as well as another pair as Hong Kong Stingray. His list of current and former collaborators is long, including Kid Congo Powers, Joel RL Phelps, and Dave Lovering of Pixies. Last year he released a single with Howkins as Later Fortune, called “lush, sophisticated art pop” by Brooklyn Vegan.

Howkins has released two full-length albums of his own, and is a founding member of the choral group The Silver Ages with members of Dr. Dog and The War on Drugs, the Grammy®-winning rock band that features Hall on drums and Bennett on keys, the same instruments they contribute to Opal Eskar.

Like Howkins and Delcampo’s Later Fortune project, which covered David Bowie’s soul-noir classic “Win” (from the Young Americans album, which was recorded in Philly), Opal Eskar cannot help but be influenced by the man.

Delcampo says, “A few years after Bowie’s death, I was reflecting upon his methodology of assembling an interesting cast of characters into the right room at the right time. Tony Visconti, Brian Eno, Nile Rodgers, Mick Ronson, and many others.”

Inspired to assemble his own group of collaborators this way, Delcampo reached out to Blau (whose work he had long admired) and Howkins brought Hall and Bennett to the band.

Opal Eskar’s own song about modern love is the EP opener and first single, “And Yet Love Rules.” Blau says the song asks us to “let love be the governing force in exchanges with other humans. Let the innocence of our inner child — the curiosity that permeates life — help lead our actions and interactions.”

That sentiment permeates the entire EP — the blissful sound of a group of musicians with their own thing going on, but whose mutual respect for each other’s work inspires a creative curiosity that makes it to tape (yes, the EP is an analog recording!)

The debut EP by Opal Eskar arrives on May 19 via Spiral Valley Records and preceded by the singles “And Yet Love Rules” (March 17), “The Woodsman” (April 7) and “Open Mind” (May 5.)

NEWS:

PRESS QUOTES:

“Gentle, melodic.”
— KEXP, Seattle
“Dreamy... a reflection of the languid heat wave energy while a solid means of keeping sonically cool.”
— WXPN (NPR), Philadelphia
“Simmers at the edge of lush art pop and melodic indie rock, carried by meditative keys and meandering guitar lines.”
— Under The Radar
“Blissful... ethereal... an eclectically pleasing sound that brings to mind the more artsy and mellow work of acts like TV On The Radio.”
— Glide
“A soulful psychedelic swell.”
— Folk Radio UK
“The track has a certain nostalgic quality... a suitably dreamy affair, combining widescreen Americana with the smooth luxury of The The or Matthew E. White.”
— For The Rabbits
“It’s just the right amount of hallucinatory, which pairs well with its themes of opening the doors of perception.”
— Treble
“​​A quirky blend of hypnotic indie pop and gently percussive low-fi soul... Opal Eskar may very well have captured laconic reflection better than anyone else in recent memory.​”
— Stereo Embers
“The blissful sound of a group of musicians with their own thing… but whose mutual respect for each other’s work inspires a creative curiosity.”
— Ghettoblaster

PRESS RELEASES:

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Assets:

Opal Eskar (L-R): Chet Delcampo, Karl Blau, Heyward Howkins. Photo credit: Mecky Elvita Madl. Click for hi-res.

Opal Eskar EP cover art. Click for hi-res.

“Sunlight Is Breakin’ Out” single cover art. Click for hi-res.

“And Yet Love Rules” single cover art. Click for hi-res.

“The Woodsman” single cover art. Click for hi-res.

“Open Mind!” single cover art. Click for hi-res.