When it was released earlier this year, I made no effort to hide my complete adoration for Times New Viking's third album and Matador debut, Rip It Off. It was just the jolt my system needed in the extra snowy, cold winter. The superfluous melodies and ear-rupturing hiss made a perfect cocktail that proved all clean production does is make everything palatable for the feeble minded. Best of all, it improved on the formula of their previous two albums, both of which were awesome in their own right, showing a deal with a big indie like Matador didn't jeopardize what they built with Siltbreeze.
Striking while the iron's hot, the Columbus threesome announced that a new five-song EP would drop on October 21, just in time for their massive jaunt across North America with soul-mates Deerhunter (which lands in Montreal on November 11, Toronto on the 12th and Vancouver on the 20th). Titled Stay Awake, the EP will be released digitally and on seven-inch, the sleeves of which have been assembled by hand. Yeah, they're still DIY.
Not surprisingly, "Call & Respond," the first track to surface from the EP, doesn't mess with a good thing. Led by one of the most infectious riffs they've conjured up to date, thanks to Beth Murphy's synth tapping, the tune is a mid-tempo mover that calls on more of that piercing noise to blanket their harmonies. At the 47-second mark, it gets so heavy that the vocals dip in volume, which would normally be a major fuck-up but with TNV it somehow works wonders for their cred. I dunno what it is but the shittier they sound the better their music gets. Ace.
Times New Viking "Call & Respond"
Striking while the iron's hot, the Columbus threesome announced that a new five-song EP would drop on October 21, just in time for their massive jaunt across North America with soul-mates Deerhunter (which lands in Montreal on November 11, Toronto on the 12th and Vancouver on the 20th). Titled Stay Awake, the EP will be released digitally and on seven-inch, the sleeves of which have been assembled by hand. Yeah, they're still DIY.
Not surprisingly, "Call & Respond," the first track to surface from the EP, doesn't mess with a good thing. Led by one of the most infectious riffs they've conjured up to date, thanks to Beth Murphy's synth tapping, the tune is a mid-tempo mover that calls on more of that piercing noise to blanket their harmonies. At the 47-second mark, it gets so heavy that the vocals dip in volume, which would normally be a major fuck-up but with TNV it somehow works wonders for their cred. I dunno what it is but the shittier they sound the better their music gets. Ace.
Times New Viking "Call & Respond"
