When Los Angeles based songwriters Kaylee Atherton and Mario DiLeva met in the summer of 2017, they never intended to be a band. But when the two friends who shared similar musical tastes and influences (Modern Alternative Rock and 90s Grunge bands) began to write songs together, the accomplished performers and musicians realized they had something special. They wrote their first single, “Done With You” after a couple of weeks of writing together.
Wanting an authentic voice and sound for their songs, the songwriting duo created the four-piece Alternative Rock band, Edgewater Angel. K-Lee Marie is the lead vocalist; Mario is the band’s bassist. The name is a combination of two homes — one inspired and one real. Mario’s hometown of San Pedro, a port town on the edge of LA, inspired “Edgetown” and “Angel” is short for Los Angeles where Mario and Kaylee are based.
After many marathon writing sessions, Edgewater Angel took their songs to the studio in March 2018 and recorded their five-song EP. Edgewater Angel plans to release the EP single by single with the full EP released in early 2019. The band is currently performing in and around the Southern California area with a tour planned for the Fall of 2018.
“Done With You” right out the gate is a kick-ass, take no prisoners rocker.
The opening guitar riffs are fierce and furious emulating the 90s grunge sound. They drop off to a single guitar loop that awaits the entrance of vocalist K-Lee Marie. With her beautifully smooth and enchanting vocal, she draws you in first with a statement and then a question. She incorporates a wonderful sing-song quality in the pre-chorus lyrics that set the emotional stage to come. If you think you know where this song is going, don’t hold your breath; you’ll pass out.
The drums, bass, and guitar slowly ramp up together with K-Lee Marie’s voice as the song creeps into the line of the chorus. Then this is where the “Buckle Your Seat Belt” sign comes on. The band explodes into a heavy hitting launchpad from where K-Lee Marie’s powerhouse vocals take off and soar to the atmosphere when she sings, “The lullaby that makes you cry” and onward. You can’t count the goosebumps on your arms. She brings her vocals back down to earth with a gritty conviction in her voice with the last line “I’m done with you.”
You get to take a breather in the next verse which circles back to the first in musical style and vocal tone. It’s here that the lyrics convey some self-doubt creeping in. Once again, the verse builds into the pre-chorus which then explodes into the chorus along with K-Lee Marie’s vocal prowess. But don’t get comfortable; this song is beautifully unpredictable as it gets to the bridge.
At the bridge, the music abruptly stops and then just the drums provide the melody. It is here during the bridge that there is a nice twist in the lyrics. After declaring being done with this person you thought was perfect because when you peeled away the layers, you found them rotten to the core, you take pause. You question yourself. Am I really done with you? There’s that doubt again. In real life, we often second guess ourselves when we think we want to cut our relationship ties and move on.
Then K-Lee Marie’s vocals drop full force back into the last chorus and with the last words, “I’m done with you”, the song abruptly ends. Like the finality of having made your decision.
Highly recommended. If this is a preview of their forthcoming singles from the album, we’re in for quite a ride. You’ll want to add Edgewater Angel to your Bands To Watch List so you don’t miss out on these very talented songwriters and musicians.
You can purchase “Done With You” on iTunes and Bandcamp