Sumos Announce Surfacing
Funny how I spent the night watching Manchester acts only to come home to a track from another band from the area: Sumos. The group just announced Surfacing, their debut LP for Meritorio and Safe Suburban Home, with this new pop ditty to entice you to give it a listen. For me, this song embodies almost a classic alternative rock feel; it’s got just the faintest hints of noise fuzzing out the edges, but with this core that just seems breezy and euphoric. I was easily hooked by the teasing intro, switching from a lo-fi vocal to something brighter and more emphatic, building in that sweet hook for my ears. If you’re enjoying what you hear, Surfacing is out on May 12th.
While I’m sure we’d all welcome a second EP just like 
It’s always great to have friends reach out to you and point you in the proper direction, so I’m glad that I heard about this new Geddy Laurance/Michael O split tape before it was too late! We’ve covered Michael O many times (as Mantles and solo), and Geddy played drums in everyone’s favorite, Boyracer, so now we get them both together! With the GL tune, you get a little more pacing, primarily with a faster strum and thicker drum beat; the Laurance vocals do have a touch of a fading daylight feel to them, sort of wilting as they hit your ears. You’ll also find a contrasting guitar line working against the strum, sort of like the counter-punch to the jangle, which was a really nice recording touch. Michael’s tune has some bop to it, so don’t think its totally gone, but his voice sounds a touch fragile in the tune below (which I adore); there’s also this backing vocal popping in that sort of reminds me of Television Personalities somehow. And, this probably sounds like a slight, but there’s just a certain feel to Mr. O’s tune that almost feels like its still in the works, like things aren’t finished or polished; its pop honest at its finest. If, like me, you’re in love, then grab the split from