Central Floridian swamp-rockers C.B. Carlyle + the Desert Angels release new mini-album 'The Howling'

Even from his first solo releases in 2021, it was clear from the start that Lake County musician C.B. Carlyle was going for something different, something bigger. His strikingly moody songs and production exuded high concept and wove a Southern gothic spell that was hauntingly cinematic. That vision has only taken on more dimension and depth since blossoming into a band project.

After years of mostly singles, C.B. Carlyle & the Desert Angels have just released The Howling EP, a six-song suite that marks both their most extensive collection to date and a distinct new chapter in their sound. Carlyle and company first blazed their young trail with cowboy-noir sounds that evoked the badlands of the Old West. As teased by some of their more recent singles, and now outright with this new batch, the band has taken a turn that embraces and channels their native swamp terroir.

Also notable is that The Howling is the Angels’ most storming charge to date with a burlier, hairier blues-rock sound that conjures the same magic that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club did when they discovered roots music.

Across most of the record, on tracks like “Roadrunner (pt. 1),”“Roadrunner (pt. 2),”“The Howling” and “Good Was Ages Ago,” they ride hard on thundering grooves like apocalyptic horsemen. But even the two quieter numbers are still thick with the Angels’ trademark atmosphere and style.

Almost the entirety of this lush EP was recorded locally at Valencia College. The sole exception is “Sweet,” which is a practical field recording where Carlyle sang into a laptop mic while camping in the Smoky Mountains.

While The Howling marks a shift in sound, it’s a furtherance of the dark mystique that’s always been at the heart of C.B. Carlyle & the Desert Angels’ obsession. It’s a record that’s a testament to the band’s budding versatility and a reminder that no one around here is rendering the American roots with as much theater and aesthetic as they are. The Howling now streams everywhere and atop TLU's Spotify playlist.




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