Near Northeast Washington, DC-based Progressive Folk | Indie Rock | Lo-Fi | ExperimentalLinksEmail: nearnortheastmusic@gmail.comLabel page: http://www.etxerecords.com/near-northeast/Facebook: facebook.com/nearnortheastSoundcloud: soundcloud.com/near-northeastBandcamp: nearnortheast.bandcamp.com- The True Mirror full-length CD and Indali Variations 1-8 cassette are Near Northeast’s second and third releases, following their 2015 debut full-length Curios. While True Mirror shares aesthetics and instrumentation with its predecessor, it forges forward into new ground as a band building both craft and confidence atop a strong foundation built of diverse musical backgrounds. The songs, at-times darker in tone but also more varied in their musical exploration, take Near Northeast's finely executed indie-folk sound to new heights with acoustic ballads, roof-raisers, electronica-inspired elegies, and barn stompers. - True Mirror opens with a lush introductory ambient soundscape, '(alaap).' ‘Temecula’ lays a sinister pulse for Kelly’s opening statement of ‘don’t let me get in the way, and mess you around / don’t let me lead you astray, you know I’d hate to see you go down,’ from which a chorus of vocal harmonies and violin swirls over the rhythm section’s heartbeat. ‘Just Do Your Thing’ drifts into more hopeful territory, before venturing off on a post-rock trip in 'What to Say' and 'Here & Now.' ‘Col,’ an electronic ode punctuated by pizzicato violin, brings the first half of the album to a reflective simmer. The second side of the album embraces rougher acoustic energy on tracks like ‘Bottomfeeder,’ ‘The Streets Sent Me,’ and 'Quintana.' There are moments both serene and somber in 'Stitches' and 'Missed America,' which feature cello and horns respectively, before the album unfolds to its climax, the infectious, sarod- and tabla-infused beauty of ‘Indali.’ -The album’s companion cassette Indali Variations 1-8 offers an ascent through delicate blooming ambiance inspired by ‘Indali’. The sparseness of these deconstructed versions highlights the intimacy of a band entranced.-Near Northeast formed in Washington, DC shortly after meeting while playing a South Asian music festival at the Kennedy Center. Guitarist Avy has made music in San Francisco, Portland, Europe, and India. Antonio developed his approach to percussion in Bosnia and New Mexico. Violinist and vocalist Kelly grew up singing and playing in Atlanta and Athens, Georgia. Austin took up the bass during his childhood in Virginia. While their aesthetics reflect the music on which they each cut their teeth --- Latin American, Indian, Balkan, and Appalachian --- their songwriting chemistry and musical adventurousness reach past these reference points.-Near Northeast is Kelly Servick, Avy Mallik, Austin Blanton, Antonio Skarica. Special thanks to our guest musicians -- Soumya Chakraverty (sarod), Debu Nayak (tabla), Isabelle Cutting (cello), Robin Swearingen (trombone), and Scott Firestone (trumpet).