The Ballantynes, Faith 7″

1 December 2020 / by Patrick McEachnie
Album Image for The Ballantynes - Faith 7” (Released 2013-04-19  by La Ti Da)

The Ballantynes are a seven-piece garage band from the east side of Vancouver, BC. They’ve just released their third 7” – another two-song ripper, “Faith” b/w “Velvet”. All three of their 7”s have come out on the local-to-them La Ti Da Records, with “Faith” coming out in early 2013 as the first installment of the label’s 2013 subscription series.

 

Self-described as “when garage meets gospel”, “Faith”, the a-side, falls in line perfectly between the two, while the band’s earlier material tends to pick one over the other. The song is packed to the gills with hooks from all seven members without seeming frivolous, which is in itself a feat to be admired.

 

The b-side of the 7”, “Velvet” is a more jangly, hectic effort, and utilizes the male-female vocals somewhat neglected on the a-side, inviting singer Jarrod Odell (formerly of Tranzmitors) into the mix.

 

Between the two tracks clocking in at just over six minutes collectively, I find it hard to believe that you’ll have a toe left untapped.