Your typical singer would not be seen dragging a 232 pound piano through the streets of Brooklyn, but Erin Durant is not your typical singer – she has been known to tote her portable ¾ size Kawai to venues without their own set of keys. On Islands, her sophomore album, Durant worked in tangent with TV On the Radio‘s singer and vocalist Kyp Malone to create eight picturesquely musical tales of life.

The lead single of her new release, “Take a Load Off,” plays out like a story, perhaps best enjoyed on a rainy afternoon. Its uplifting melody, scattered over cozy keys, quickly works its way into your bones. The track possesses a soothing, warm tone that would not feel out of place in a lullabye. By simply closing their eyes the listener is carried straight into the tune’s lackadaisical setting. You can smell the home-cooked meal in the kitchen; You can taste the wine shared amongst old friends. Durant caters to all the senses here and the mixing on the track carries a vintage air.

Erin Durant, on the song’s inspiration:

[su_quote]All the references that inspired it are in the song. Driving through Mississippi, where suddenly the highway gets into pine woods and the smell in the air is so different from the delta and the swamp. An innkeeper. A weary traveler. Comfort for a moment. Magic of the night.[/su_quote]

On “Take A Load Off,” Durant sings of the suspense of a journey and the stillness of a moment, giving a bright, traditional take on folk songwriting. Listen below.

After a few releases, the band is ready to unveil their first LP, where they explore the boundaries in between electronic sounds with catchy pop vibes. About the track, the singer Matt explained over an email:

[su_quote]

A friend of mine was telling me about an evening she spent with her boyfriend of the time, getting rained on all night in a tent and said in passing that they felt like an island. That imagery just stuck in my head. The track is about drifting off with someone, forgetting who you are or where you’re supposed to be.

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Zola Blood will be playing at The Pickle Factory on January 19. For now, you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud.