Self-described as “western swing by easterners and rock n’ roll for heartbroken idiots,” Strong 7s is co-led by Andrew Backer and Nick Saia. Long-time friends who grew up together in New York City, they have been playing music together in some shape or form for about 16 years. They met at a jazz camp in upstate New York and spent years playing together in several jazz quartets that performed Django Reinhardt’s music, both in New York and Baltimore. Eventually, Backer began writing his own music, which increasingly leaned away from jazz manouche and towards country and western swing. Saia, in turn, lends his skill at arranging to bring the songs from Backer’s living room to full-throated band performances, resulting in their debut album, Entertain Themselves, which is available everywhere.
With their debut album officially out in the world, everything is on the upswing for this duo. “Yes I Do,” the album’s intro and an early favorite from the LP, does a stunning job of introducing this band as the sentimental songwriters they are. With a grainy, lo-fi feel that is emphasized by a nostalgic swing from the vocals, “Yes I Do” transports the listener to a calmer state of mind, a twangy place of solace. It is easy to get lost in the immersive texture of Strong 7s, but there is some nuanced fusion work at play here. The band blends traditional country tones with bluesy melodies, tying it all together with subtle jazz undertones. “Yes I Do” only scratches the surface of the magic contained on Entertain Themselves, a debut album that is worth every second of its runtime.
“This song is a sticky patch of emotional residue. It had been congealing/vine-ripening in Voice Notes jail on my phone for a while now, and I’m delighted by how it came out on the record,” explains Backer.
