Upstairs Divine - "Come and Go" (2007)

Upstairs Divine is an exceptional indie band from nearby Ruston, LA. I was turned onto them by a friend who constantly raved about their EP and how great they were live. When I finally got Upstairs Divine's self titled EP, the first thing I told her was that they were too good to be from Ruston. Honestly, their music sounds more like something that would be coming out of New York or Seattle, not northern Louisiana. That being said, the EP is a fantastic set of six songs that showcase vocals from both Ben Jones and Bethany Raybourn. The music and vocals remind me of bands like Sleeping at Last and Eisley with equal focus on keys and guitar. I think Upstairs Divine are strongest on tracks where the duo split the vocal duties such as the driving “Prints of Whales” and the more folksy “Vienna.” Today’s song is the last one on the EP and is an epic closer clocking in at nearly eight minutes. It’s a slow building tune consisting mainly of Raybourn’s vocals and light electric guitar until the climax in the last minute and a half. This EP is the perfect soundtrack for late night driving or rainy days like we’ve been having here the last week. The band are no longer performing live, but still maintain their Myspace so perhaps we haven’t heard the last of them. At least I hope not.


Upstairs Divine - "Come and Go"