Track Review: If By Whiskey // Higher Planes

After a lot of head-scratching, hitting the delete button and trying to think up a suitable introduction, I realised that describing If By Whiskey would be best using the dude’s own words. So, according to Aaron Overtone (lead vocals, guitar, bass and drums), If By Whiskey is “a project made up of a small-town kid from Niceville, Florida and his friends.” Pretty succinct, don’t you think?

Well, now the introduction is over, let’s get to the meat of the article. Currently based in Los Angeles, California, Aaron writes music looking at the ups and downs of life and all the bittersweet emotions in between. Inspired by The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Pixies, frontman Aaron Overton leads his “nice kid” trio to create innovative, exciting and captivating indie-rock tunes.

‘Higher Planes’ is If By Whiskey’s sophomore single and one of the tracks off their upcoming EP. A follow-up to the debut ‘Far Known Place’, ‘Higher Planes’ has a rock element to it not evident in the folky debut. The basic instrumentation, with Aaron playing the majority of the instruments, complements the bold yet gruff lead vocals.

“‘Higher Planes’ is about the ways in which we remember things and the things we convince ourselves of, true or not. It’s about how often two people can talk past each other, each taking a different understanding from the experience and keeping a memory that can be later flawed on its own.” – Aaron Overton on ‘Higher Planes’

While it is easy to recognise The Beatles influence in their tracks If By Whiskey adopt a brusque attitude with ‘Higher Planes’. Lyrically, quite a poignant track the emphasis on misunderstandings is enhanced by the simplicity of the single. Oozing raw honesty, genuineness and slightly nostalgic sincerity, these “nice kids” are slapping a modern twist on the iconic indie bands of yesteryear. I look forward to what else they have up their proverbial sleeves.