Gosh, this song . . . this band . . . has a way of evoking memories of a certain period of my life. Lo-fi indie rock with only 2 members. One on guitar and vocals, and the other on drums. They released a very short–only 3 songs–but brilliant self-titled EP on Tooth & Nail in 1997. T&N had a fantastic run of EPs around that time (Pedro the Lion, Warlord, Inner Means, Training for Utopia, etc.) and this was certainly one of them. The songs were lo-fi, but not noisy. Melancholy, but not sad. This was a new sort of indie rock. Short, melodic songs with semi-cryptic lyrics about relationships and lost loves. Those always make the best pop songs, right?
A year later they returned with a fuller band and more upbeat song for their (yet-again) self-titled full length. The album had all the qualities we loved about the EP, but adding a third member created a fuller sound, and further defined the 50s/60s influenced pop qualities hinted at on the EP. There were also faster tempos creating what felt like actual pop songs instead of melancholic ditties.
Though that was all we heard from Delta Haymax per se, they continued on as Blessed Light releasing an EP for Made in Mexico and full-length for Mill Pond Records. Here’s the opening track from the debut Delta Haymax EP, entitled “Tidal Wave.”
