“The quality just feels timeless – it helps you feel good, helps you perform with so much more energy.” Frontman Josh Lane is talking about the stylish vintage clothes that characterise the look of Thee Sacred Souls, but he could just as easily be talking about their music, an irresistible brand of righteous, sun-blessed soul that consciously rekindles a classic ’60s and 70s R’n’B sound. “Absolutely,” he concurs. “It’s all part of the same package.”
Since forming in 2019 and signing to New York soul and funk label Daptone after only their second show, they’ve built up a keen following from touring with the likes of St Paul & The Broken Bones, Belle & Sebastian and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats. Their forthcoming second album Got A Story To Tell promises to further cement their reputation as standard-bearers for classic American soul.
The sound of Thee Sacred Souls, so marinated in quality that it could have been preserved in oak casks, evolved after drummer Alex Garcia and bassist Sal Samano hooked up with Lane via social media and jammed in a garage while sharing their love for lesser-known soul 45s by acts such as the Fabulous Performers and the Dream Team. Lane in turn brought his own passion for Northern Soul and more mainstream voices such as Al Green and Marvin Gaye to bear, the latter of whom are clearly echoed in his resonant, higher-register vocal style.
Early on, Lane also brought a conscious lyrical element to songs such as “Give Us Justice” – an early college radio hit for the band written amid the Black Lives Matter movement in tribute to victims of police brutality such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. That topical awareness has since matured into a more broadly defiant, positivist worldview heard on new songs such as “Love Is The Way” and “One And The Same”.
“It baffles me that values so basic and true still bypass the powers that be,” says Lane. “I’m trying to say, regardless of state lines or tradition or culture, we’re all connected. Music is one powerful force that unites us, and reminds us of that.”
He condemns the resurgence of a “patriarchal, imperialist mindset, all about conquering and dominating.” Resistance against such power structures fuels the new album’s opening song and lead single “Lucid Girl”. As Lane explains,
“in a lucid dream, the dreamer isn’t held down by the dream. A lucid girl is someone who lives in this patriarchal society that we’ve all been birthed into, but doesn’t allow it to hold them down. It’s inspired by a lot of strong women in my life, whether it’s authors that I really enjoy like Bell Hooks, or activists like Angela Davis, or my Mom.”
The message lands all the more powerfully coming wrapped in Thee Sacred Souls’ lovingly crafted sound. Lane is quick to credit the role of Daptone label boss Gabriel Roth, who also produced Got A Story To Tell. “Gabe is an amazing producer and engineer, and he gets such a great sound from using just analogue gear,” Lane enthuses. “The label feels like a family, one that really respects and reveres the soul tradition and helps us to do the same. We feel blessed for that connection, to play a small part in the long story of soul.”
Got A Story To Tell is released by Daptone on October 4