New Haven indie rock duo Ports of Spain is composed of singer-drummer Sam Carlson and guitarist Ilya Gitelman. While the band has been kicking around the Connecticut music scene for the past decade or so, the two-piece have finally shared their full length debut, Able Archer. It is their first bit of new music since 2015’s Tea Leaf Bloom EP.
Able Archer is a classic extension of Ports of Spain. Building and refining on the duo’s previous work, the album is a lean, workmanlike construction that features all of the trademark components that fans have come to enjoy from the New Haven band: a locked-in rhythmic chemistry, a subtle tension between every multi-parted song movement, and just enough pure rock energy where the music fits in underground punk venues and large-scale stages alike.
Coming off the songwriting developments of his debut solo album last year, Carlson sounds matured as both a songwriter and a vocalist, with cryptic lyrical images that resonate on a different level than in the past.
Check out the video for single “Cast Iron” and stream the album Able Archer below:
