Stephen Sanchez & Devi Debut New Duo, “Dress & Tie”

The pair harkens back to the 1950s with three beautifully vintage tunes.

After the immense success of “Until I Found You,” Stephen Sanchez is back with something new — a team-up with singer-songwriter Devi. Under the name “Dress & Tie,” they’ve just released three new songs.

On them is exactly what I come to Stephen Sanchez for — classic, old-school beauty. His debut album was centered around a 1950s conceptual love story, and it seems he’s carrying that concept with him further in the career. From the single cover, it’s clear the group is aiming to invoke this - the lettering and texture is undeniably ‘50s. The music is simple and beautiful, often centering around a strumming guitar and gorgeous melodies. It’s pleasant and easy listening, which could either benefit or hurt the group, but I believe that they’ve succeeded in what the music was meant to do. The third song, “Always Been You,” is in my opinion the most captivating of them — the melodies are undeniably stunning and classically Sanchez. The build in the final minute on the track is much needed after the simple, light nature of the first two songs — it gives a driving feeling, a sense of pulse and emotion that their love-ridden lyrics capture.

It’s a strong start for “Dress & Tie”, and I’m excited to see where they go from here.