The sibling duo’s “Low Low” came in just ahead of the latest release from Americana’s The Michigan Rattlers. Check out the full chart and listen to tracks from all of the recordings.
Making a Splash: Cal in Red during their recent release show at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids. (Photo/Marco Miranda)
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Kendall Wright of the Grand Rapids synth-based indie-pop duo Cal in Red expresses enormous respect for established West Michigan bands that have long impacted the scene.
So when the duo’s full-length debut album, “Low Low,” entered the Local Spins Hot Top 5 Chart for September at No. 1, it came as a complete surprise.
“It genuinely is,” he said. “I feel like we don’t consider ourselves ‘chart-toppers’ around here. There are a lot of names that come to mind from the local scene — Major Murphy, The Fever Haze, The Skinny Limbs, many more. Those feel like local giants to us.
“You also just never know how a record will be received. It’s awesome to know that people are connecting with ‘Low Low.'”
Indeed, listeners and radio programmers have responded enthusiastically to the 10-track studio project released in late August: “Low Low” was the regional album that received the most radio airplay at Grand Rapids’ WYCE 88.1 FM in September.
“It means the world to us,” Wright said of support for the latest release from Cal in Red, which he formed with his brother, Connor, five years ago. “To feel like the community has our back is pretty special. The support from programmers and those at WYCE has been invaluable. Getting texts from friends saying they just heard us on the radio never gets old. It’s not something we take for granted. West Michigan seems like the best possible homebase for us.”
While still synth-driven, the duo has added more guitars to its musical arsenal since the siblings started sharing song ideas while listening to the likes of Porches, Beach House and Tame Impala.
“One thing that’s really stayed a constant is that we make music that we’d want to listen to. It’s important that if we’re going to release a song, it’s one that would sit at the top of our own playlists,” Wright said.
“I think we’ve both matured as songwriters and that allowed us to present a catalog of songs on ‘Low Low’ that just couldn’t have come up with five years ago. We even pulled out the acoustic guitar, twice.”
After its recent Pyramid Scheme album-release show, the duo has a busy November lined up with shows in Chicago, Ill., Bloomington, Ind., Brooklyn, N.Y., and Davenport, Iowa, as well as a Nov. 10 show back at The Pyramid Scheme and a Nov. 13 appearance at Detroit’s Lager House.
“Low Low” topped the latest album release from Americana favorites The Michigan Rattlers, “Waving From a Sea,” which ended September at No. 2, followed by several artists with repeat entries on the Hot Top Chart.
Albums from In the Valley Below and Candid Antics tied for No. 3 and releases by Joey Gados Jr./Noah Mercil/Ben Steer and Earth Radio tied for No. 4. Pablo Eskobear, who topped the July chart with “Trapped in the Forest,” rounded things out at No. 5 in September.
Listen to tracks from all of the albums via the Spotify playlist below.
LOCAL SPINS HOT TOP 5 ON SPOTIFY: September 2024
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