TOLEDO take us track-by-track by means of ‘Inertia,’ a sun-soaked and soul-stirring EP that captures the ache of rising up, rising aside, and discovering grace within the in-between. Rooted in “residence grown nostalgia,” the Brooklyn duo’s six new songs glow with the quiet thrill of reconnection – proof that typically, going again is the surest means ahead.
Stream: “Zelda” – TOLEDO
TOLEDO have all the time made music that appears like a reminiscence – delicate and heat, worn-in and welcoming.
With Inertia, the Brooklyn-based duo sink deeper into their signature folk-inflected indie rock sound, delivering a sun-soaked and summery reverie constructed on friendship, fluidity, and feeling. The EP’s six songs discover TOLEDO doing their finest TOLEDO impression – wistful and buoyant, enchanting and smoldering – and in doing so, they’ve created their most interesting work but. A homegrown surprise in each sense, Inertia is the sound of a band leaning into their roots and discovering one thing new within the course of.
i confirmed you my tooth
in anger if you left
been barely every week
you’re transferring on to somebody higher
now all of my mates
are calling me outdated pal
and each new road
simply seems to be like a useless finish
however it helps me to assume
perhaps you’re listening now
– “Zelda,” TOLEDO
Independently launched Could ninth, 2025, Inertia arrives simply over a 12 months after TOLEDO’s experimental Popped Coronary heart EP and two years out from the duo’s gorgeous, critically acclaimed debut album How It Ends. Whereas Popped Coronary heart embraced synths and drum machines and How It Ends reckoned with childhood trauma, the band’s newest EP feels free and unburdened – written totally on impulse throughout a cabin retreat upstate, and grounded within the simple, instinctive pleasure of creating music collectively.
“This mission is imbued with the sense of ease that comes with returning to your roots,” TOLEDO – comprised of childhood mates Dan Álvarez de Toledo and Jordan Dunn-Pilz – tells Atwood Journal. “It appears like coming residence.”
“In typical TOLEDO vogue, we rented a cabin upstate with the intention of getting some preexisting songs recorded,” the duo clarify. “We caught to our weapons and recorded ‘Zelda’ as deliberate. However inspiration struck, because it usually does, and the remainder of the songs had been written on impulse. After our expertise recording Popped Coronary heart, we had been itching to get again to our residence base of guitar. Popped Coronary heart was all the time going to be the synth and drum machine EP, and How It Ends was all the time going to focus on childhood trauma. I swear it is a constructive, however we actually didn’t have a lot of a imaginative and prescient going into this recording… It was liberating to focus solely on the tune in entrance of us this time round.”
Regardless of its title, Inertia feels something however stagnant. TOLEDO could have returned to the folky, guitar-based palette they began with, however this EP doesn’t learn as a step again – it’s a step inward and a step ahead unexpectedly. “Engaged on Inertia helped carry into focus the issues we love about TOLEDO, and the issues we see in our rapid future,” the duo replicate. “We need to lean extra into an expansive sound, non-traditional instrumentation, bolder tune buildings. The seeds we planted in Inertia will certainly develop into the following album we write.” The stillness of the setting – a rented cabin upstate – could have implied relaxation, however what emerged is motion, momentum, and an unmistakable sense of artistic readability.
TOLEDO lovingly describe this file in three phrases: Dwelling Grown Nostalgia. It’s a becoming phrase for a group that wears its coronary heart on its sleeve – stuffed with intimate reflections, layered textures, and melodies that glisten like golden hour gentle. Inertia is dreamy, dusty songcraft at its most interesting, and a phenomenal bridge to no matter comes subsequent.
lean right into a joke i’ve advised a thousand occasions
journey over my very own pleasure
botching the punchline
now we’re sitting in silence
curtains closing behind us
however you smile
and attain out throughout the aisle
i can’t assist myself
i perk up my ears to chuckle
when i really feel like a catch
be sincere now
cant you inform i’m doing by finest?
is there trigger & impact?
There’s lots to find on this six-track, 23-minute journey – from textural prospers and melodic turns to lyrical gut-punches that linger lengthy after the music fades.
Inertia could also be transient, however it’s bursting with depth and dimension, inviting repeat listens and shut consideration. Highlights abound on the journey from the plush waves of opener “Trigger & Impact” to the spellbinding, cinematic splendor of nearer “Amends.”
“Trigger & Impact” units the tone with urgency and appeal – a love tune born in a voice memo and completed in a flash. Its brisk pacing mirrors the joys of a brand new crush, whereas the lyrics (“Can’t you inform I’m doing my finest? / Is there trigger and impact?”) stroll the road between hope and hesitation. A repurposed COVID-era bridge provides a layer of TOLEDO’s trademark nostalgia, making it a quintessential entry level into the EP’s sun-kissed world.
“When He Comes Round” is without doubt one of the file’s standouts – an easy-to-love, harmony-soaked pop tune with tooth. The band lean into their rock instincts right here, drawing sonic inspiration from Tom Petty and Steely Dan as they observe electrical guitars and drums stay to tape. The result’s soulful and emotionally charged, with a roaring instrumental break and a hovering, singalong-ready chorus. It’s infectious in all the suitable methods, and one in all TOLEDO’s most energized performances so far.
Simply as affecting, although in a gentler means, is “Zelda,” whose intimate vocals and shimmering acoustic work provide a second of stillness. Anchored by a repeated chord development and no formal refrain, the tune thrives on motion and coloration – Mellotron strings, bongos, even bursts of brass and banjo – all layered with care. “Zelda” is a vivid standout, glistening with tenderness and restraint, and maybe the purest expression of Inertia’s “homegrown nostalgia.”
The bridge of “Zelda” simply so occurs to be the band’s favourite second on the whole EP. “We by no means would have ‘written’ these string melodies,” they share. “In a means we did, however we actually let the Mellotron information us. It’s so rewarding to scroll by means of presets till the right one reveals itself to you.”
properly i couldn’t inform
the waking from the dream
thought i noticed you final
in plastic lined angel wings
i bury my face in black till it ends
the load of your shadow
hovering over my mattress
however it helps me to assume
perhaps you’re listening now
“Tall Children” is one other gem, as a lot a sonic experiment as it’s a reflection on love, worry, and the need to carry on. Its gratitude-tinged lyrics and swirling manufacturing make it one of many EP’s extra formidable cuts, with the band leaning into large drums and daring tonal shifts. “Good Blue,” in contrast, is quiet and contemplative – a sparse and haunting piece that facilities on a sequenced piano line and delicate drum machine. It’s one in all TOLEDO’s few songs that started with lyrics first, and the emotion lands with each hushed phrase.
i couldn’t sleep the evening you took
my hand and pulled me nearer
when i felt your arms round my neck
the solar got here up and adopted us
till the day was over
and that i walked residence the tallest child
– “Tall Children,” TOLEDO
Closing observe “Amends” is as gorgeous as it’s heavy: A slow-burning reckoning with fading friendships, hardened hearts, and the top of innocence. Its ¾ rhythm belies the gravity of what’s unfolding – “Gone are the times the place we are saying what we imply,” they sing, and the ache is palpable. It’s a gut-wrenching finale that speaks to the EP’s emotional core: Issues change, folks develop aside, and time retains transferring – however by means of music, TOLEDO make peace with all that’s been misplaced, and all that also stays.
however you’ll take all the pieces in your stride
and that i’ll all the time comply with suite
the loneliest evening
is the evening i’ll remind you
that it’s just a bit line within the sand we are able to’t cross
and there’s time in our palms
however it’s all working out
so we attempt to determine on the very best loss
i don’t perceive
you don’t need to make amends
properly what’s a bit of lie
we are able to promote with our palms crossed?
if we smile they will’t inform
that it’s all working out
and it’s true that we do what we are able to
however i don’t perceive
you don’t wanna make amends
gone are the times the place we are saying what we imply
Whereas Inertia is full of sonic coloration and wealthy, radiant textures, it’s the songs’ lyrics that lend the EP its placing emotional weight.
TOLEDO discover the ache of rising older and rising aside – of missed possibilities, unsaid phrases, and the bittersweet nature of change. There’s grief of their phrases, but additionally grace; longing, in addition to love. Time, reminiscence, and human connection type the spine of the file’s storytelling, usually in delicate but placing methods. “I used to be so afraid that they’d come take it from me,” they sing on “Tall Children,” capturing the fragility of latest love and the worry of shedding one thing simply because it arrives. On “Zelda,” they replicate on lingering heartache with poetic precision: “I bury my face in black till it ends / the load of your shadow hovering over my mattress.” These strains hit arduous not as a result of they’re loud, however as a result of they’re sincere – steeped in vulnerability, and delivered with out pretense.
It’s no shock that two of the band’s favourite strains encapsulate the EP’s emotional vary. From “Amends,” they pull the poignant, plainspoken reality: “Gone are the times the place we are saying what we imply.” And from “Trigger & Impact,” a lyric that captures hope within the face of uncertainty: “The curtains closing behind us / however you smile / and attain out throughout the aisle.” Every is a quiet gut-punch – a poetic reminder of the gap that kinds between folks, and the tender, fleeting moments that carry us again collectively.
In the end, Inertia appears like an intimate reaffirmation of goal – each for TOLEDO’s members, and for his or her listeners; a second of reflection that factors towards the long run.
It’s an EP that embraces vulnerability, champions development, and cherishes connection in all its kinds.
“Now we have began enjoying these songs out, and there’s a particular second that occurs whereas enjoying ‘Zelda.’ The power of the room follows the dynamic of the refrain, and we are able to have a look at on the viewers and whisper, ‘Perhaps you’re listening… now,’” TOLEDO smile. “With each launch, we hope the mission (or tune) falls on new ears and makes a connection.”
“In the end all we wish is for somebody to really feel much less alone on this rattling universe. If our music performs a small half in that for somebody, our mission is achieved. As we proceed writing and recording, it turns into increasingly more strengthened that we’re in the suitable place, doing what we’re alleged to be doing. We’re nonetheless having a blast, we’re nonetheless bouncing concepts off one another, nonetheless discovering ourselves by means of the music.”
Expertise the complete file by way of our under stream, and peek inside TOLEDO’s soul-stirring Inertia EP with Atwood Journal as Dan Álvarez de Toledo and Jordan Dunn-Pilz take us track-by-track by means of the music and lyrics of their newest launch!
This file is proof that typically, Inertia is what strikes us most.
TOLEDO will probably be bringing Inertia – in addition to songs from “each TOLEDO period” – on the highway this summer season, fall, and winter as they embark on a newly introduced headline tour throughout the US – discover full dates, tickets, and extra data at thebandtoledo.com!
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Stream: ‘Inertia’ – TOLEDO
:: Inside Inertia ::
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Trigger & Impact
This tune got here collectively the best way all of our favourite TOLEDO songs do – shortly. I obtained a voicemail from Dan that contained the primary verse + refrain, and the remaining was easy. That’s the energy of latest love! Even the tune’s lyrics strengthened a way of urgency. They beg the query: are you selecting up what i’m placing down?
We chopped up an outdated covid period tune and repurposed it as a bridge. One other oft used TOLEDO trick.
When He Comes Round
My dad texted me to inform me it gave the impression of a Tommy Tutone tune. We had been going for a Tom Petty factor. Or perhaps even Steely Dan. “Soiled Work” was high of thoughts. We spend a lot time in a reasonably or languid house sonically, so it feels good to rock out. That is our try at rocking out. We tracked electrical guitar and drums stay to tape. Tuned the acoustic down till the strings had been good and flappy.
Zelda
Zelda set the EP in movement for us. It was the primary tune we tackled on our recording journey, and it supplied a enjoyable problem to type. The chords repeat and repeat, and we didn’t have a refrain, so how may we hold issues fascinating? We leaned closely on our Mellotron 4000d, utilizing preset string and bongo samples to drive the tune and supply sonic shifts. I shouldn’t prescribe labels, however that is my favourite latest TOLEDO observe.
Tall Children
Whereas many of the EP went by means of little revision and remained near the unique iterations, Tall Children took a couple of tries to get proper. Lyrically, the tune is an expression of gratitude, and there was a model that leaned into this wholesomeness and introduced like a straight up love tune. Perhaps this was the suitable transfer, however it’s not the place we settled! We used this tune to push ourselves, capturing for a bigger drum sound and dealing to squeeze a variety of tonal shifts right into a moderately brief tune.
Good Blue
To place it bluntly, the tune is about comforting somebody the day after Tr*mp was elected. It was actually written that morning after. There aren’t a variety of phrases right here, and we needed to have a easy tune on the EP. We centered round a sequenced piano line and a drum machine, and this instrumental sat on a tough drive untouched for a very long time. A uncommon event for us, we went in lyrics first and not using a melody in thoughts.
Amends
We referred to Amends as “¾ tune” for a lot too lengthy. It clearly grew to become far more than it’s time signature. It’s most likely the heaviest tune on the EP, to the extent that it’d even be an outlier. We had been too excited by it to put it aside for one more mission. The primary lyric existed on a notes app for a couple of months. I believe the load of these phrases demanded consideration, and worry of an inside deep dive stored them at bay. Now we have a variety of songs that cope with lack of innocence, however we’re formally outdated now. The innocence feels prefer it’s virtually gone typically! Friendships fade, folks change, exteriors toughen.
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© Joe Pietropaolo
an EP by TOLEDO
