Colorado-based band Tenth Mountain Division is pushing the sound found in the mountains in bold new directions with their high-energy electro-acoustic sound. With Producer Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth) at the helm, the band recorded their third studio album with engineer Todd Divel (Hard Working Americans, Fruition) at Silo Sound Studio, recently dubbed the ‘Abbey Road of Denver’ by Westword. Butte La Rose is set for release June 18.
Tenth Mountain Division is built upon the long-friendship of mandolinist Winston Heuga and guitarist MJ Ouimette. The two first met and started playing music together in high school, eventually landing at the University of Colorado in Boulder together where they formed Tenth Mountain Division as an acoustic trio. Over the next few years they added drummer Tyler Gwynn and keyboardist Campbell Thomas. Soon after their debut album (Cracks in the Sky) in 2016, the band’s lineup solidified with the addition of bassist Andrew Cooney and so did their sound: a high-energy fusion of roots-inspired, Southern Rock boogie that heads into unchartered territories. This is elevated even more with all members sharing in the songwriting, vocals, and arrangements. The band is named in honor of the famed military unit the 10th Mountain Division, the WWII pioneers of mountain combat who founded Vail, CO and many other ski areas across the country.
With ten songs, including one instrumental, Butte La Rose captures the essence of Tenth Mountain Division—fun, danceable, and surprisingly thoughtful and heartfelt. Ouimette calls it, “a snapshot of TMD’s last year of touring fused with new offerings that will intrigue the ear with stylistic diversity, unified by the personality etched in each song.”
Today Glide is excited to premiere “Got Too Excited,” one of the standout songs on the new album. Brimming with bright and hopeful horns, the song finds the band tapping into a soulful sound that brings to mind the bluegrass-soul-rock stylings of acts like the Gourds. Bringing together a tight rhythm section with a laid back groove, the song manages to tie in rock, soul, boogie, and a nice touch of funk to make for a sound that presents Tenth Mountain Division in a more sophisticated light. Andrew Cooney commands the spotlight with his big, vibrant vocals that balance swagger and humbleness.
Cooney describes the inspiration behind the song:
“’Got Too Excited’ was a Dewey Cox moment. The words came out of my mouth and I knew it had to be a song. The lyrics came together in an instant. The icing on the cake, though, is definitely the horns and soul stylings that were shaped in the studio session.”
LISTEN:
Photo credit: Mountain Trout Photography
