I absolutely love it when people I know or members of bands I know decide to do a solo project. There’s something about just putting it out there with nothing to shield you from the scrutiny that I admire so much (probably because I couldn’t fathom doing it myself). Zache Davis is someone whose music I have followed starting a couple of decades ago with The Girls, and more recently in Maniac and Weird Numbers. It’s safe to say I’ve been a fan of everything he’s done (that I’ve heard). The Sting is no different. There’s so much going on here I was almost overwhelmed at first. It’s somehow vastly different, yet elements of his previous bands peak through from time to time. This is a mellow, mostly acoustic guitar-based journey in introspective song writing. I find myself laying back and closing my eyes to take it all in when I listen. It feels like being bathed in a warm glow. Then I’m hit with a line such as “like a spring vasectomy, contains uncertainty” and a big ol’ smile hits my face. This is a beautiful and magical album. The more upbeat (and electrified) tracks are spaced well throughout to keep things moving. While I absolutely hope this doesn’t mean the end for Zache’s band-based projects, I’ll always welcome more of this. Serious Sunday morning coffee music. –Ty Stranglehold (Egglord, zachedavis.bandcamp.com)