The latest single off their upcoming debut album, Mainland Break’s sun-soaked jangle-pop song “Calling After” is a sweetly soaring anthem of star-crossed summer love that promises to uplift and inspire, even in the wake of loss and longing.
Stream: “Calling After” – Mainland Break
Deep at the heart of ‘Calling After’ is a tragic line about lost summer love among two people, who find each other at the wrong time and pine for one another in alternating timelines.
It’s a cruel twist of fate that summer love – that so sought-after, literal heat-of-the-moment kind of romance – is often one of the quickest flames to go out. Thankfully, the same can’t be said of summer songs: You can play your favorite sun-kissed tunes for years and years to come. They’ll never break your heart or dash your dreams; winter, spring, summer, and fall, they’re here for you – all you need to is call, and in this case, it’s Denver’s Mainland Break who are picking up the phone.
A sun-soaked jangle-pop anthem of tragic, star-crossed summer love, “Calling After” is a sweetly soaring revelry that promises to uplift and inspire, even in the wake of loss and longing.
Dead heat of the summer
Still felt in the night
Streetlight by the water
It’s audaciously bright
We’ve been walking ragged
Burning holes in the soles of our shoes
I’m like a boiler in a boiler room
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Calling After,” the second single taken off Mainland Break’s forthcoming debut album, One Way Ticket to Midnight (independently out July 21, 2023). The Denver, Colorado-based five-piece of Evan Oliver, Kevin Kohl, Travis Rice, Ian Gassman, and Steven Hennig, Mainland Break initially introduced themselves and their sunny indie rock sound with 2019’s Short Stay EP and the standalone single “Gun Without Hire.”
They returned this May after nearly four (long) years with their album’s title track and lead single, “One Way Ticket to Midnight,” which was praised by Under the Radar as “a driving indie rock singalong, carried by a propulsive bass line and a gleaming chorus.”
“Calling After” is sonically brighter compared to its predecessor (even if its lyrics can feel quite dark at times). Buoyant and bustling perhaps it’s no wonder that this song is set to be the album’s opening track, setting the scene for the radiant musicality to come.
You were pulling at strings
Trying to unravel me
The barrier king softly calling after
Calling after, calling after
You were calling after
Calling, you were calling, your words falling
“‘Calling After’ starts with a blast of sun-soaked guitars and a roving rhythm section, which makes this sugar cube of a track come across as an upbeat pop anthem,” Mainland Break tell Atwood Magazine. “Deep at the heart of ‘Calling After,’ however, is a tragic through line about lost summer love among two people, who find each other at the wrong time and pine for one another in alternating timelines.”
“As one of the debut singles from our first album, ‘Calling After’ spotlights the bright and dark contrasts of Mainland Break, especially in how instrumentation and sounds can juxtapose subject matter. The music video for “Calling After” is inspired by the sunnier elements of the song. It depicts Mainland Break meeting up on their bikes and circling downtown Denver. They discover some gimmicky bikes and enjoy a circus-like ride in City Park. It features a cameo by Andy Rauworth of Gauntlet Hair and cindygod.”
Dead heat of the summer
Still felt in the night
Streetlight by the water
It’s offensively bright
We’ve been walking ragged
Burning holes in the soles of our shoes
I’m like a boiler in a boiler room
For those who’ve been bruised or burned recently, “Calling After” offers a space of solace. For those looking for their new favorite song, this track is equally ready to be the soundtrack to 2023’s summer. Mainland Break let loose in the best way possible on this glistening, golden-hued single, all but ensuring we pay close attention to them in the lead-up to their promising debut album’s release.
One Way Ticket to Midnight is set to release July 21, 2023. For now, get lost in the heartache-y warmth and wonder of “Calling After” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
You were pulling at strings
Trying to unravel me
The barrier king softly calling after
You were calling after, calling after
You were calling after
You were calling, you were calling,
your words falling
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Stream: “Calling After” – Mainland Break
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