After a 6-year hiatus, musician Rickie James Follin and his band Guards are on the heels of releasing a new LP, Modern Hymns, out May 22. They’ve teased the album with several singles including the most recently released “Beacon.”
““Beacon” is a letter I wrote to my daughter before she was born. She is 3 now and dislikes most songs with reverb so she isn’t into it haha,” said Follin about his new song. “The message is essentially to not listen to what “they” tell you. Sonically, the song has a heavy bass synth sound with some horns sprinkled in. Structurally, the song veers into a cinematic kind of atmosphere by the end of it.”
Although his daughter may not like it, more seasoned music connoisseurs will find the song to be an uplifting message packaged in a perfectly catchy pop song. In it, Follin takes a personal hope for his daughter and turns it into an endearing and lasting message for anyone wishing to express love or care toward someone.
This year, Guards have released three other singles including the song, “Last Stand,” to which they’ve also released a retro, black-and-white music video for. All four singles, “Beacon” included, are little bites of pop bliss filled with lots of synth and bass. While the sound of the singles stay light and crisp, the lyrics paint a vivid bouquet of emotions with beautiful contrast and color.
Modern Hymns was recorded over five years adding to the album’s wide breadth of sound. Both Follin and other bandmates were involved with other musical ventures including playing and recording with bands such as The Strokes, The Last Shadow Puppets and Tame Impala.
You can listen to Guards new singles on Spotify or other listening services. For more on Guards’ music, visit their website.
