While they’ve got a litany of attributes that could be credited with their ongoing success among CCM and hybrid country music fans in recent years, I think that the vocal component of Lavendine’s sound is their greatest weapon in the war on modern mundanity. Rather than giving us the same kind of harmonies that a lot of their contemporaries are more than content to peddle as original content, this pair of twin sisters accentuate instrumental melodicism with an equally moxie-packed lyrical foundation, giving us a far more full-bodied sound than the status quo calls for. Their new single “Here to You” embodies their persona and, moreover, where they’re going in this business next.
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Lyrically, the yearning that Lavendine describe so vividly is breathtakingly personal and honest, and scarcely does it ever come across as being anything other than raw and unfiltered. There’s so much energy in the chorus that, whether they would have layered the vocals together or not, we would have felt a profound physicality from their output in any case. Words have weight when they’re conveyed by the likes of these players, and I don’t believe I’ll be the only critic to comment as much on this single.
The string arrangement in the background backs up our singers brilliantly, and I would argue that their overall presence would have been diminished without the moderately electrified country influence over the structure of the hook in “Here to You.” There’s a Nashville-style indulgence on the backend of this mix, but it works out remarkably well when taking into account how much pressure these vocalists are putting on the groove with their singing. This is a solid formula and one that they’ve clearly spent a lot of time cultivating to be all that it can be for their brand.
By utilizing a delicate framework for the percussion and the bassline, it allows for Lavendine to create a wildfire of emotion behind the microphone we might not have experienced were they being less adventurous with the parameters of this single. There’s no understating the positive impact that pushing yourself in the recording studio can have when you’re working with the kind of talent that this duo is, and in this new track we’re starting to see a more progressive side to their songwriting and producing style that could result in some of their most critically acclaimed content to hit record store shelves to date.
With vibes that bring to mind Roses and Cigarettes in their tragically short-lived prime, Lavendine are offering a masterclass in Christian country melodicism in “Here to You” that their fans and new listeners are going to fall in love with the same this fall. There’s been a lot of buzz around these two in the past, but with the relative lull in new material from many of their closest competitors, this is a moment in their history where mainstream attention isn’t just a possibility – it’s feeling like the next natural step in their career together. Lavendine are hitting all the right notes in “Here to You,” and making it known how serious they are about this medium.
Chadwick Easton