Meet Couch: a band of college students based in Massachusetts who are single – or seven-handedly – breathing new life into the soul music scene. A blissful culmination of jazz, pop, and funk influences emulsify flawlessly in their single, “Black Bear Lane.” This feel-good track transcends generations. I’m hearing odes to Aretha Franklin, Anderson Paak, Diana Ross, and The Carpenters in both the groovy instrumentals and the velvety-smooth vocal delivery. Couch is kicking it old school, with a delightful modern twist.

Opening with cinematic strings and faint birds chirping, “Black Bear Lane” is the sonic equivalent of looking out your window to a perfect summer’s day the morning after a thunderstorm. Soul-cleansing and mellow, this track is a sigh of relief. A much needed one at that. In a music era saturated with manipulated vocals, heavy thematics, and often overworked production, Couch’s Black Bear Lane is the refreshingly pure track we need.

The Boston-based group has something truly unique going for them. And that is the ability to produce unadulterated, soulful, and truly good music.

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