A Review of The Orange Blossoms’ Green Light - a ten-track post-punk and alternative rock statement…

Green Light is a ten-track post-punk and alternative rock statement rooted in deep engagement with New York’s musical history: the Velvet Underground, the Ramones, the Arctic Monkeys, the Strokes, all present as ancestors rather than templates…

That haunted, nocturnal relationship with the city as idea rather than geography gives the album its distinctive atmosphere across tracks ranging from ‘Avenue A’, an experiment in dissonant harmony that took three years to complete, to ‘Milestones’, written at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B in a moment of transition.

“There’s this dreamlike, romantic version of New York that exists in the minds and memories of so many,” the band explains. “If you walk alone late at night in a haze for long enough, you can still find it.”

Track-by-track, the record moves between dissonant experimentation, melodic power-pop and noisy improvisation, ‘Watch The Skies’ blending Kim Gordon-influenced noise with Crazy Horse-adjacent improvisation, ‘Sentimental Blues’ reaching for emotional honesty from Union Square’s vantage point, ‘30 Minutes To Change Your Life’ delivering straightforward melodic power-pop built around one of Sutton’s favourite melodies.

The band’s irreverent declaration that they hope it inspires someone to escape the trappings of music theory is entirely consistent with a record that follows its own instincts everywhere!