Shaed – "Lonesome" (2017)

She opened up my heart

To a whole new love

I never knew was there

When it fell apart

And she left my arms

I was so unprepared

Washington Post pop music critic Chris Richards wrote about Shaed, a DC-area pop trio, in a recent issue of the Post.  You can click here to read his article.

Shaed consists of twin brothers Max and Spencer Ernst and singer Chelsea Lee.  According to Richards, the threesome have been inseparable since adolescence.

The article doesn’t specify whether the Ernst brothers are identical or fraternal twins, which is like only the most important thing to know about twins.  I’m guessing they are fraternal twins since Spencer is straight – he’s engaged to Chelsea – and Max is gay.

Chelsea Lee, Max Ernst, and Spencer Ernst 

Richards says Shaed’s more recent music is “high-gloss [and] high-decibel.”  I get the “high-gloss,” but I don’t get the “high-decibel.”  (Perhaps it’s “high-decibel” when compared to the group’s earlier music – which Richards describes as “understated folk songs.”) 

Later, Richards sums up Shaed’s new musical direction in these words: “A tight band gets tighter, and a big sound gets bigger.”  If you ask me, that characterization not only misses the bull’s-eye but also the whole damn target.

Chelsea Lee has a very nice voice, and the Ernst twins’ production is polished and professional.  But nothing about Shaed’s music is very exciting or engaging.  It’s perfectly pleasant to listen to, but I think there’s a lot of music out there that’s more worthy of your time.

One final note: there are a lot of great pop songs out there with less-than-memorable lyrics, but the lyrics to “Lonesome” are unusually forgettable.

Here’s “Lonesome”:

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