As the 2nd LP in The Harper Conspiracy’s discography, Shift N Reality presents a nostalgia trip the golden years of 70s folk rock such as Fleetwood Mac, Heart, and Traffic. With Susan Harper as front woman, the band has grown from their debut EP Curious Mortal Minds in 2017, to their debut album Forging Stories in 2021. Breaking the 3 year gap, this release brings an exciting new chapter to their catalog.
Enchantment chugs through like an 80s power ballad from Boston or The Smiths. The duet vocals lament to the stars dreams of changing this unjust world are quite touching in an innocently optimistic way. The mini-guitar solo interludes are also a nice touch creating a formality to this speech’s time on the podium. What Matters dials the excitement back to a care-free self-reflection asking to prioritize that which is most important to you and questioning the damage of mis and disinformation could do on your psyche. The common theme of self-care and self-consciousness appears to be an underlying theme.
Breathing in the forest to meditate, Delicate Balance switches gears with gentle flute, prickly acoustic guitar, and voices that echo from a distance. The song walks a thin tightrope balancing its growing energy while also maintaining its haunting atmosphere. Cutting through directly, the following track, I’ll Fall With Your Knife cuts through the heart with its blunt tone. Little by little, the tune builds into a collage of shoe gaze-like sonorities resembling Alison by Slow Dive accentuating into a bittersweet, retrospective, flavor of regret. As the final seconds of this track trail off, we seamlessly segue into the next track, Arrow. This song puts that nostalgia and loss we’re feeling into perspective like recovering from a comma. Whether it be lovestruck or heartbreak, the track is yearning and trying its best to move on in a healthy way.
A cover of The Cure’s classic Lovesong appears to give a welcomed surprise among an album of originals. With a twist of 50s soul and Reggae grooves, we build up to the originals classic chorus. It’s as if the ghost of the original is shifting back into reality. The Climb sets a firm, ominous, and dark atmosphere like a haunted house with smoke and unlit hallways. It’s as if the climb is more scary in appearance than it is in risk. As we take another step, we realize it wasn’t that hard. The track makes you feel as if you’re in an unyielding mindset continuing at an ox’s pace. This vibe is pulled out beneath us during the final ditty, Covalent. This light-hearted love song uses chemistry euphoniums, jumpy ukulele, and sing along vocals to create the innocence of Raffi to entertain children and (hopefully) put a smile on their parent’s faces.
Shift N Reality is an album themed around introspectiveness. The songs are in your head due to their catchiness and relatability. Its textures and production are both warm and vibrant. However, if I were to say anything negative about it, I will say it’s one-note and geared towards an audience of middle aged 70s and 80s pop rock fans wearing rose-tinted glasses. While not everyone’s cup of tea, Shift N Reality is a confident LP that understands what it is and sticks with it instead of reaching too high to become something it’s not.
7/10