Matter + Spirit

2016 release. With two records under their belt and a coast-to-coast fanbase growing from their New York City home, The Candles have earned a reputation for weathered, back-alley roots rock. But with their third album, Matter + Spirit, the quartet adds a layer of wind-blown dust, embracing the open space and honest sensitivity of the American heartland like never before. Formed in 2009 by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Josh Lattanzi - a veteran sideman who has toured and recorded with artists like Norah Jones, The Lemonheads and Albert Hammond, Jr., for more than a decade - The Candles also include guitarist Jason Roberts, keys player Pete Remm and drummer Greg Wieczorek, allowing Lattanzi to step confidently into the spotlight and lay his well-travelled soul on the line. Recorded at Brooklyn's Degraw Sound with producer Ben Rice, Lattanzi took a new approach to the nine tracks on Matter + Spirit, committing himself to focused stories capable of standing on their own - no matter the arrangement. What emerged was a sound forged in the sunset rock of the '70s but tempered by twang, proudly placing slippery dobro and steel guitar alongside ethereal harmonies, all laced with an element of casual, big-city cool.