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Listen: Running Red Lights – “Under The Wire”

Running Red Lights Press
After eight years, two EPs and countless shows on the 14th of January, Running Red Lights are set to release their debut album titled, “There’s a Bluebird in My Heart”. In celebration of the new album, they have unveiled two of the songs in a sampler available until February 14th. Stream their upbeat anthemic track Under The Wire below, download the sampler on Bandcamp and check out their tour dates here.

Stream: Passenger Peru – “Heavy Drugs”

Passenger Peru
Brooklyn duo Passenger Peru are set to release their self-titled album on January 28th on cassette and digitally via Austin, Texas based label Fleeting Youth Records. Passenger Peru is the brain child of Justin Stivers, who combines his talents with virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Justin Gonzales to bring you a raw mix of cosmic shape-shifting tunes teetering on the brink of danceability. The album was written and recorded over the course of a year in native Brooklyn basements and tranquil locations in the foothills of the Alaskan wilderness. The album finds the duo “blending the tender and vulnerable song writing of Yo La Tengo with the aural colorings and production of Brian Wilson and the tribal noise freak-outs of early Animal Collective.” Stream the psychedelic noise pop track below, pick it up for free from Fleeting Youth Record’s Bandcamp and pre-order the forthcoming album.

LITS’s Top 10 Tracks Of 2013 – Phillip Imkamp

LITS Phillip's Top Ten Tracks Of 2013
Over the past year, Lost In The Sound has moved in a new direction covering alternative genres and choosing to add focus on lesser known artists. With this in mind however we also continued to cover prominent outfits that we enjoy listening to and supporting. We added punk, metalcore, folk and ambient to our editorial genres to give us a more diverse array allowing us to promote more of our favorite bands and solo projects. With all of these changes we thought it would be much more reasonable to compile ten tracks from each of us reflecting on our favourites from the last twelve months. So, this year, LITS presents fifty tracks in five separate top ten lists. Our fifth and final list in this series is from Phillip Imkamp. Happy holidays to all!

10. Stay –  Patrck James from All About To Change – EP
Too me Patrick James is one of the up and coming artists of 2014. He released his debut all All About To Change EP this year, and to this is by far my favorite track. Just Patrick James and his piano.

9. Country Way – Rainbow Danger Club from SOUVENIRS
Since the sad depart and split up of Boys Climbing Ropes, Rainbow Danger Club are now the number one local band in Shanghai. Country Way is one of their calmer, folk orientated songs, and the accompanying harmonica makes it a great song to relax to.

8. Them – Little Green Cars from Absolute Zero
Another band to look out for in 2014, Little Green Cars craft some great harmonies. Although this song moves away from their more acoustic sound, it still has a nice electric guitar feel.

7. Give Me Some Love – We Are Monroe from Volume One
From one of my favorite new bands, their song Give Me Some Love is one of the faster tracks on my list. In this song you are able to hear the amazing vocal range that their lead singer possess, with power and control. A great song on a fantastic EP.

6. Backyard Skulls – Frightened Rabbit from Pedestrian Verse
At first I wasn’t too keen on the new Frightened Rabbit album, with my expectations being too high after their incredible first album. But after listening to it more and more, I got really into it, and Backyard Skulls became a standout track. This song has that classic Frightened Rabbit touch to it that can never go wrong.

5. Comrade – Volcano Choir from Repave
When hearing that Bon Iver broke up I was extremely upset but when discovering that the former front man, Justin Vernon, has his new project, I felt a little better. Though Volcano Choir may never live up to Bon Iver, it is still great to hear the trademark Vernon falsetto, and Comrade really expresses that. For those of you with Bon Iver withdrawal, I recommend giving this a listen to.

4. Polaroid Picture – Frank Turner from Tape Deck Heart
Having gained more popularity this year, Frank Turner was easily going to make this list, the only question was, which song? I personally found Polaroid Picture my favorite song of his while making this list, but almost any one of his tracks from the album Tape Deck Heart could have made it.

3. Slumville Sunrise – Jake Bugg from Shangri La
After getting the break out recognition that he so thoroughly deserves, Jake Bugg has not slowed down. We were lucky enough to have him release his newest album in November, with Slumville Sunrise being my favorite song from it. It’s classic Jake Bugg, with a smooth guitar, guitar riffs throughout, and a great shouting worthy chorus. With two albums under his belt at such a young age, he’s just going to get bigger and better.

2. Lone Survivor – Castlecomer from Lone Survivor – EP
A personal favorite band that I have been following for the past four years, they finally released their second EP during this past summer, and it did not disappoint. With their perfect harmonies, and acoustic guitar melodies, you can’t go wrong with Lone Survivor.

1. I Forget Where We Were (Live) – Ben Howard from N/A
Finally the one I was most excited about, Ben Howard is one of the best singer songwriters of our current generation. After going on hiatus after winning two Brits, Ben Howard has come back blazing. Though he hasn’t relseased a recording of this song yet, it has been my favorite in every live show he’s played. He has moved away from using an acoustic guitar, and instead has picked up a gritty electric guitar. This combined with his pure passion for the music he makes I can not wait for a new release in early 2014. If the rest of the songs are half as good as I Forget Where We Were then it’s sure to be a classic.

LITS’s Top 10 Tracks Of 2013 – Erik Barns

LITS Erik's Top Ten Tracks Of 2013
Over the past year, Lost In The Sound has moved in a new direction covering alternative genres and choosing to add focus on lesser known artists. With this in mind however we also continued to cover prominent outfits that we enjoy listening to and supporting. We added punk, metalcore, folk and ambient to our editorial genres to give us a more diverse array allowing us to promote more of our favorite bands and solo projects. With all of these changes we thought it would be much more reasonable to compile ten tracks from each of us reflecting on our favourites from the last twelve months. So, this year, LITS presents fifty tracks in five separate top ten lists. Our fourth list in this series is from Erik Barns.

10. IdolSmith Westerns from Soft Will
The Smith Westerns have such a nice feel good sound, as Harri remarked. The whole album flows really well. Gotta show some love for the bois comin out of chi-town, ya dig?

9. Opposite of AfternoonUnknown Mortal Orchestra from II
Even though they have even more current work than II, Opposite of Afternoon was the song that really turned me onto the rest of their songs. A really mystical and psychadelic sound that always feels really smooth.

8. On Doing An Evil Deed BluesLil Ugly Mane from Prelude to Panopticon
The song changes its sound a lot as it progresses but I love the production. I’m a sucker for some nice brass instruments thrown in there for a bit too, you have to love that brass.

7. Sleep ApneaBeach Fossils from Clash The Truth
Sleep Apnea really turns down the tone of Clash The Truth, but I loved how Beach Fossils used some acoustic guitars and just went with this extremely dreamy melody. There are other favorite tracks off this album but at first listen Sleep Apnea caught my attention and I’ve loved it since.

6. What Drugs Got To Do With It?Pussy Wizard from What Drugs Got To Do With It?
Pussy Wizard remarks that this is “15 minutes of shits and giggles” but I loved it. Whether or not this compilation of songs is a joke, it has some really sick tunes in it. It tends to be pretty low key but has a few drops in the heavily distorted beat that just hit me like a wall.

5. Dig Deep EnoughGogol Bordello from Pura Vida Conspiracy
I have to throw some love at Gogol Bordello. Dig Deep Enough reminded me a lot of the song “Ultimate”, a really pleasant song that isn’t afraid to get down and dirty. A lot of fluctuation between punk and softer acoustic sounds.

4. Kill SomeoneCool Serbia from Cool Serbia
Kill Someone has a kind of dark sound but has a lot of jams in it.

3. A Lizard StateKing Krule from 6 Feet Beneath the Moon
This song is just really groovy, a really catchy guitar that feels really jazzy to me. I loved the whole album and would have thrown it all up here if I could have. Really stoked to see what else he does in the future.

2. PhiladelphiaMumblr from White Jesus/Black God
I kind of wish I could combine Philadelphia, Cats, Yo Nobody Gives a Feel, and Space God all in one “top track”. These songs are relatively short and are intended to go together on the tape. The combination is just a really fun set of songs for me.

1. Side OneLil Ugly Mane from Three Sided Tape Volume Two
Side One is probably not a very reasonable choice for a top track. It’s a mixture of short beats often with a few rap verses thrown in there but I love each an every beat on it. They all are just so phat, it makes the 16 minute compilation just kind of fly by.

LITS’s Top 10 Tracks Of 2013 – Keith Yeo

LITS Keith's Top Ten Tracks Of 2013
Over the past year, Lost In The Sound has moved in a new direction covering alternative genres and choosing to add focus on lesser known artists. With this in mind however we also continued to cover prominent outfits that we enjoy listening to and supporting. We added punk, metalcore, folk and ambient to our editorial genres to give us a more diverse array allowing us to promote more of our favorite bands and solo projects. With all of these changes we thought it would be much more reasonable to compile ten tracks from each of us reflecting on our favourites from the last twelve months. So, this year, LITS presents fifty tracks in five separate top ten lists. Our third in the series is from LITS contributor and Liger Tea Party frontman, Keith Yeo.

10. So Long SoldierAll Time Low from Don’t Panic: It’s Longer Now!
In October, pop-punk giants All Time Low re-released their 2012 record Don’t Panic, entitled Don’t Panic: It’s Longer Now! (haha penis joke??) promising four brand new songs to the original track list (along with the obligatory acoustic versions of the bigger songs on the album, of course). While I definitely didn’t love the new songs (A Love Like War featuring Pierce The Veil frontman Vic Fuentes felt like a waste of a great collaboration with a ton of potential), the re-release pushed me to revisit the 12 songs ATL released in 2012, and, damn, So Long Soldier was a good fucking song. Alex Gaskarth tells the story of his journey from being a “little boy from just outside of London” to becoming the “voice of a generation” with his powerful vocals, highlighted by aggressive guitar riffs played over Rian Dawson’s lightning speed drumming. So Long Soldier is an awesome throwback to the band’s early punk roots, and gives long time fans incredible amounts of nostalgia which is something that I’ll always appreciate from any band as big as All Time Low. (Also that guitar riff, goddamn!)

9. Peace SignLights from Siberia (Acoustic)
Siberia (Acoustic) is pretty much exactly what the name suggests, an acoustic reinvention of Lights’ second album Siberia. The acoustic album was a really interesting take on the synth pop (and occasional dubstep) flavor of the original. The track Peace Sign features fellow canadian singer, Coeur De Pirate, who contributes her voice to half the song… IN FRENCH. Safe to say it took me by surprise, the french translation of the original lyrics give the track an interesting spin, making it much more than a plain, boring “acousticyfied” rendition. Additionally, (after a quick wikipedia check) I feel that it was a sick way to include the francophone from Montreal who is credited with “bringing la chanson française to a whole new generation of Quebec youth”. Peace Sign (Acoustic) is a great, mellow spin on the more upbeat original (which I also love), dishing out a more intimate listening experience with a finger plucked acoustic guitar and small touches of orchestral strings. And besides, french lyrics make everything at least 20% better.

8. Right Back At It AgainA Day To Remember from Common Courtesy
It would be a bit of an understatement to say that A Day To Remember’s latest album was highly anticipated. After a three year wait filled with legal battles and huge delays in release dates, Common Courtesy was self-released by the band. Right Back At It Again was the second single released off the album and is probably one of my favorite tracks off the record. Filled with catchy hooks and heavy breakdowns, the song isn’t the most creatively experimental thing the band has done. But after a three year wait, the typical pop-punk/metalcore combo song is just what I wanted from A Day To Remember. Besides, how sick was that “BRACE FOR IMPACT” right before that final breakdown? (Answer: really fucking sick!!!)

7. ClairvoyantThe Story So Far from TSSF vs STYG Split EP
Read my review of the track here

6. DeadReal Friends from Put Yourself Back Together – EP
Real Friends is great pop-punk band that I, unfortunately, only got around to checking out this year. Their EP Put Yourself Back Together was released in June. With 7 solid tracks, I found Dead to be my favorite; and great example of Dan Lambton’s extremely honest, albeit straightforward lyrics and his raw, heartfelt delivery. Also, was it just me that got majorly hyped when the the last few lines came in?

5. AtonementGeorgia Maq from Friends & Bowler’s Run – EP
One of the coolest things about working at Lost In The Sound is the awesome music that gets recommended to me from the other writers. Shoutouts to our editor Harri Gibson for introducing me to Georgia Maq, an acoustic singer-songwriter from Melbourne, Australia. I fell in love with the her EP at first listen, the angst-filled track Atonement being a favorite. Some of my favorite lyrics from the song include, “All my fucking rhymes are bad, / and my only good song is about my Dad” and “My name’s Georgia Maq, / and I have to learn to be comfortable with that / because I am all I have.” Georgia’s songs are simple, straightforward, incredibly witty and just overall a good time.

4. The Robot With Human Hair Pt. 4Dance Gavin Dance from Acceptance Speech
The Robot With Human Hair returns for the fourth time in Dance Gavin Dance’s new album Acceptance Speech. The band has seen its fair share of lineup changes and three different vocalists throughout their lifetime. Acceptance Speech marks the first album of Jonny Craig’s replacement, Tillian Pearson. I pretty much love everything this band puts out, but Tillian’s unique vocals are just such a good fit for the band, which he shows with this song. The back and forth between Tillian’s clean vocals and Jon Mess’s screams give me chills every time I listen to it. “I wear my soul on my sleeve at night, SE-SE-SEARCHING FOR SUBSTANCE!!!” Pretty much everything in this album is great, this song just gets a little extra love from me, being the Robot’s final appearance before it’s death.

3. This Is How and The Wind ShiftsSilverstein from This Is How The Wind Shifts
2013 marks the 13th year for canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein since their formation. Despite being the soundtrack of my angst-ridden middle school existence, the band had unfortunately fallen off my musical radar in recent times. After a recommendation from a friend, I decided to check out their February release This Is How The Wind Shifts, a solid album with great tracks from start to finish. While listening, I came across a fan made youtube video that merged the two tracks that formed the album’s title, This Is How and The Wind Shifts and just, holy shit. Alone, the two tracks seem like two interlude tracks, but put together, they formed an entirely new song. The coolest thing about it is, each song lyrically makes sense on it’s own, but still remain cohesive when put together, the back and forth between the two tracks a giving it whole new meaning. This Is How The Wind Shifts makes for one hell of an easter egg, giving a whole new level of depth, creativity and craftsmanship to Silverstein’s songwriting and sums up the entire concept of duality that the album is built on (each song has a parallel e.g. Arrivals//Departures). If that isn’t the best damn example of a what a title track should be, I don’t know what is.

2. Can You Feel My HeartBring Me The Horizon from Sempiternal
UK metalcore band Bring Me The Horizon really pushed the creative envelope of the genre with their latest album Sempiternal. Can You Feel My Heart is the first track on the record and I was pretty surprised with what I heard. A big booming synth intro and epic ambience in place of down tuned breakdowns over Oliver Sykes’ intense screaming. Speaking of, Can You Feel My Heart it’s probably the most impressive examples of Sykes’ vocal work to date. The frontman shows a newfound diversity in his skill set, from big melodic screaming to, surprisingly, mellow clean singing. The track is also a huge step up lyrically, containing one of my favorite lines ever, “the higher get the lower I’ll sink, / I can’t drown my demons they know how to swim.” Can You Feel My Heart was a great surprise for me and just set an awesome tone for the rest of the album which was in my opinion, one of the best releases of the year.

1. Passing Through A Screen DoorThe Wonder Years from The Greatest Generation
This year, we saw the release of the the third and final installment in The Wonder Years’ three album trilogy, The Greatest Generation. Passing Through A Screen Door was the first single revealed by the band and honestly is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. The song comes in strong, with vocalist Dan “Soupy” Campbell belting out his honest and heartfelt lyrics at the top of his lungs, declaring his fears and anxiety toward growing up and what society demands how someone should live their life. Soupy’s defeated, emotional delivery of the line “Jesus Christ, did I fuck up?” is my favorite moment in my entire music library. The track is half emotional breakdown and and half what can only be described as “FUCK YEAH MOTHERFUCKERS”. Passing Through The Screen Door is everything I love about this band and definitely deserves the number 1 spot on my list.

LITS’s Top 10 Tracks Of 2013 – Harri Gibson

LITS Harri's Top Ten Tracks Of 2013
Over the past year, Lost In The Sound has moved in a new direction covering alternative genres and choosing to add focus on lesser known artists. With this in mind however we also continued to cover prominent outfits that we enjoy listening to and supporting. We added punk, metalcore, folk and ambient to our editorial genres to give us a more diverse array allowing us to promote more of our favorite bands and solo projects. With all of these changes we thought it would be much more reasonable to compile ten tracks from each of us reflecting on our favourites from the last twelve months. So, this year, LITS presents fifty tracks in five separate top ten lists. Today we present our second list of the series by Harri Gibson.

10. Manger – The Sweater I Gave You from One
I only found out about the One, Two, and Three EP’s a couple of weeks ago, but the constant tape fuzz warmth and the duet vocals create this great pop tune perfect to start off my list.

9. Glossed – Smith Westerns from Soft Will
Hailing from Chicago, their album Soft Will is one of my feel good albums when I want to stray away from depressing tracks. Frontman, Cullen Omori’s airy vocals make this dreamy pop number for me and I’m looking forward to whatever is next from them.

8. I Still Think About Who I Was Last Summer – Old Gray from An Autobiography
I had to put at least one emo track on here… There’s an acoustic version of it on the Big Footprint Records compilation that’s pretty cool too. The slow guitar melodies, the heart wrenching lyrics and the spoken word prose at the end really show how far this band have come since their 2011 demo.

7. Good Shit – Georgia Maq from Friends & Bowler’s Run
Melbourne’s second finest, Shit Street Band for life! Plain and simple – acoustic strumming, strong vocals and easy relatability for any lost teenager. Friends & Bowler’s Run has been on repeat since I first picked it up, and a new release in the new year would be greatly appreciated.

6. Virgin Veins – Coma Cinema from Posthumous Release
Amongst the melancholy, this track stands out the most for me on the album. I would have chosen Survivor’s Guilt but the little blues-like electric solo and the refrain, “so lonely / so ugly / and confused” pushes it ahead of the others. The 12″ just got here yesterday so thanks Fork & Spoon Records!

5. Other Voices – The Orwells from Other Voices EP
Raw garage punk straight out of high school, with all the teenage angst you could ask for. This song only makes sense if it’s played loudly and any track that has the lyrics “Don’t grab my hand / I’m not your friend / I’m waiting for my life to end” deserves to be on a top ten list.

4. How They Made Us – Wil Wagner from Laika
I know that  I should probably choose the titular track from this release, but it just wasn’t as relatable. I used to sing this song when I walked home, and had no clue where Punt Road was but it still meant something. I believe there’s a new solo album from Wagner in the coming year, and I’m pretty happy about that.

3. library – Julia Brown from to be close to you
There’s a hi-fi recording of this song on their 7″ but I’ve always preferred the fidelity of the album. Hauntingly beautiful lyrics, a violin, and Torts’ hair all coming together for an exceptional pop tune.

2. Back Flip – The Front Bottoms from Talon of the Hawk
I was skeptical when I knew they were adding two new members to the band, but everything stayed the same, the trademark lyrical style, Ullyich’s pulsating percussion and the arpeggiated powerchords. If anything the additional members just created bigger fuller build-ups and songs, which is always a plus. I just loved the lyrics and couldn’t get it out of my head for a very long time.

1. Ducks Fly Together – The Smith Street Band from Don’t Fuck With Our Dreams
Simply put The Smith Street Band are better than The Beatles ever were. I was split between this and Self Control for my favorite track of the year, but this song has everything, the sense of pining for someone, the signature crescendos, and a chorus that deserves to be shouted. Also it’s a bit more optimistic than the rest of these tunes and that’s needed at times.

LITS’s Top 10 Tracks Of 2013 – Alex Huang

LITS Alex's Top Ten Tracks Of 2013
Over the past year, Lost In The Sound has moved in a new direction covering alternative genres and choosing to add focus on lesser known artists. With this in mind however we also continued to cover prominent outfits that we enjoy listening to and supporting. We added punk, metalcore, folk and ambient to our editorial genres to give us a more diverse array allowing us to promote more of our favorite bands and solo projects. With all of these changes we thought it would be much more reasonable to compile ten tracks from each of us reflecting on our favourites from the last twelve months. So, this year, LITS presents fifty tracks in five separate top ten lists starting off today with Alex Huang‘s.

10. AngelsMayday Parade from Monsters in the Closet
It took a while to get used to Mayday’s new sound after their perfect debut full-length A Lesson in Romantics, but the while was worth it. While there are no refreshing curveballs, Angels is just an amazing song that is just representative of the band’s talent.

9. Violence is Violence (Enough is Enough)A Day To Remember from Common Courtesy
The one track that convinces me that A Day To Remember can make heavy songs well. An amazing song that got the hype for Common Courtesy rolling and really highlights how versatile the Floridian outfit really is.

8. A DisasterpiecePalisades from Outcasts
Metalcore has been suffering from a wave of mediocrity and unoriginality—similar-sounding vocals and breakdowns being played over and over again. This breaks it. I like this track a lot because it keeps true to metalcore while experimenting successfully with heavy electronic influences. I lose it every time when the dubstep kicks in.

7. Life @ 11A Day To Remember from Common Courtesy
Because just one ADTR track wasn’t enough. Life @ 11 is my favorite track off the new album, which is saying a lot because Common Courtesy was, in my opinion, the best overall album of 2013. This track both reminds me why I fell in love with ADTR in the first place and comforts me that their talent and creativity haven’t burned out yet.

6. hostageDangerkids from Collapse
Dangerkids has made an amazing breakthrough. Being called “Linkin Park 2.0,” their songs can be characterized by metalcore with angsty rap influences—not the steamy senseless stuff that Attila screams about. This is probably my favorite track off the album, especially since I really love the chorus on this one.

5. Crooked YoungBring Me The Horizon from Sempiternal
When it comes to musical direction, Bring Me The Horizon’s Sempiternal really takes the cake. They really stepped it up in this album, particularly in the clean vocals department. Crooked Young is my favorite on the album particularly because of the instrumentals… so, so good. I’m a sucker for classical influences and this is a perfect example of how well they mesh with heavy tracks.

4. PompeiiBastille from Bad Blood
This is the one track that got Bastille the global recognition they deserve, and for good reason. It’s just an all-around sublime piece. The background vocals are enchanting and the melody is catchy as hell. There’s also something about that accent that fits with the song perfectly. There’s also a version of Pompeii where they play at the British Museum—an alternative version that is equally powerful, one for which I give my highest recommendations to watch.

3. What I Never Learned in Study HallIce Nine Kills from The Predator
Ice Nine Kills are underrated, and I don’t know why. They are an incredible band with an especially talented vocalist. Their recently-released The Predator is a solid EP that really shows potential. In particular, What I Never Learned in Study Hall has become one of my favorite songs ever. Really.

2. A Love Like WarAll Time Low from Don’t Panic: It’s Longer Now!
All Time Low, with their upbeat swag and their witty lyrics, have never disappointed, and their recent album has been nothing short of spectacular. And they killed it again with the re-release, including new songs such as A Love Like War. Since first listen it has quickly become a staple in my pop punk playlist. The music video is particularly awesome… watch it!

1. TechnicolorMadeon from Technicolor Single
I don’t think a list could be complete without this eargasmic piece. After no original tracks for months too long, Madeon dropped us a massive, six minute long track that just blows all his old work (besides Finale, but that’s my opinion) out of the water. This is just an incredible track that progresses from beginning to end, like a novel or a movie. It tells a story. It’s amazing.

Watch: Clockwork Noise – “The Tourists”

Clockwork Noise Press
Irish five-piece outfit Clockwork Noise are fascinated by juxtaposition – the marriage of quiet and loud, classical and contemporary, pretty and ugly, chaos and order. Their debut album Whethermachines is the culmination of a long journey exploring this concept. A large number of their songs evolved from two years of performing live, which spun into an intense pre-production phase, marshaled by Torsten Kinsella of God Is An Astronaut and finally after several years of experimentation nine tracks were cemented into place by Ivan Jackman of Silverline Studios. The last song of the full-length, “The Tourists” provides a good taster for the combination of all these ideas integrating a refined string section, frantic digital noise, delicate harmonising, intricate guitar work, and sincere vocals and lyrics. Watch the point of view music video for the track below. Stream their debut record on Soundcloud, download it for free on Bandcamp and check out their website for more information.

Interview: Marietta

Marietta Press
Philadelphian four piece emo-punk outfit Marietta have recently released their debut album summer death. I got the chance to speak to the band about the recording process of their new record, Philadelphia’s music scene, the media’s favourite buzzword “emo revival” and more. Read the full interview below, pick up their discography digitally on their Bandcamp, and pre-order their debut full length on vinyl from Soft Speak Records.

First off can you introduce yourself, the rest of the band and the respective instruments that you all play please?

I’m Evan – I play guitar and sing. Ethan sings and plays guitar, Ben plays bass, and Andrew drums.

So your Demo was released nearly two years ago now, and you’ve just released your debut album summer death, how has the band evolved since your beginnings?

When we started this band, it was just Ethan and I writing songs together – shortly thereafter, Andrew came along and wanted to play drums. We were like that’s pretty tight. Originally, we were writing songs without a bass, not to mention we had both just started using alternate tunings. I think the biggest differences between our early stuff and summer death are the technicality of the parts. We’ve gotten better at playing and we’ve also gotten better at adding dynamics to songs that we wouldn’t have thought of before.


I’ve been streaming the new album quite a bit, and everything just seems to fit together so well; the crescendos, the twinkly melodies, the pulsating drums, and that perfect transition between soft-spoken and wailing vocals. How do your songs come together? Do the instrumentals or lyrics come first?

Ethan or I will write a song in its entirety on guitar. Then we’ll show the song to the rest of the band, and we bang it out together. Usually vocals are put in last.

Speaking of your debut release, you recorded it in a variety of different locations, why was the process like that?

We recorded the record all over the place – it was some pretty DIY shit. Our friend Eric Muth, to whom most of the credit goes to for how great the record sounds, hooked us up with East Room Recordings – where Eric recorded drums. Then we just divided up the recording amongst places we had access to – some of it in our (Ethan and I) house, some of it at Ben’s old house (Michael Jordan house), and some at Drexel’s recording studios.


I noticed that all the proceeds from the vinyl pressing of the new album go towards the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and I just want to say that’s awesome. Was there a reason for this specific foundation?

That idea is all Michael from Soft Speak Records. I’m not fully sure why he chose that foundation, I believe that his college roommate or friend suffers from Cystic Fibrosis; regardless, I commend him for his charity. He’s a cool-ass dude.

There seems to be quite a few emotive bands coming out of Philadelphia right now and in 2012 you guys did a split with Modern Baseball titled Couples Therapy. Is there a strong community feel between all the bands?

Absolutely. If you’re in a band and you play in this particular scene in Philly, chances are we’re already friends. I want to be clear on something, though – you don’t even have to be in a band to be friends with everyone in the scene. If you engage with the scene in any way, whether it be going to shows, making art, filming, photographing, etc. you are part of the scene and there is a respect and care for one another that you can’t find in many other circles. I think everyone in the scene would agree that we’re all willing to help one another out, and we’re all stoked on what everybody’s doing.


Do you think there is an “emo revival” or do you believe you are just apart of a third wave of emo bands?

Third wave, fourth wave, fifth wave; some sort of wave. The whole emo revival thing is just music journalists finally paying attention to a genre of music that was born, died, was buried, and then resurrected from the grave, only to be shot point blank with a shot gun. I think that Marietta is a part of a newer wave of emo music that a lot of people have coined “twinkle.” Emo has grown, mutated, and morphed into so many different things that are so far apart musically but remain unified by the genre- so to answer your question – yes, we are the step-sons of bands like Algernon Cadwallader, Snowing, and Grown Ups.

On the topic of genres, which bands did you grow up listening to, and how did they influence your music?

Personally, my tastes went all over the damn place throughout middle school, high school, and even college. I had a big folk punk phase with bands like Defiance, Ohio and Against Me! Then I became interested in heavy shit like The Jonbenét and Daughters. Then I was really into indie music like The Microphones and Sufjan Stevens; after that I got into new emo through bands like Algernon, Merchant Ships, Age Sixteen, etc. I can’t say for sure how any of these bands influenced me because I would say that any music I’ve listened to, ever-including Linkin Park in 4th grade, has influenced the way I write songs.

Alright, kind of off topic, but are you excited about the new Star Wars movies and perhaps seeing Dantooine on the big screen?

Shit, this is definitely Ethan’s territory. He LOVES Star Wars. I’m sure he’s half excited, half skeptical for how the new star wars will turn out.

Any last words, plans for the future, or something you want to say to your fans?

Thanks y’all! The response to our album so far has been really incredible. We plan on going on tour this winter with State Lines, Old Gray and a ton of other cool bands! Hopefully within the next few months we’ll get to work on something new! Really though – our fans rule. I can’t stress enough how important it is to support local music/local scenes. The fact that kids actually get stoked on us is the coolest thing ever. You guys are cool. You rock.

Watch: MT – “Alpha Romeo”

MT Press Shot
Hailing from the UK, MT have released a euphoric indie pop track called Alpha Romeo. Produced by Dan Grech (The Vaccines, Lana Del Ray) this new single is a pop anthem of seismic proportions, complete with hook-laden melodies, an unshakeable rhythm section, and the catchiest of choruses. The accompanying B-side, titled 77 produced by Charlie Huggall (Florence and The Machine) continues in the same vein with massive pop hooks and thunderous synths. The single will be available on limited 7” vinyl from all good digital stores. Watch the music video for the track below and follow the band on Facebook and Twitter.