Many indie acts have a strange relationship with summer--what's a thoughtful moper to do in anthem season? But Brooklyn's Rabbits nail the hopalong art ditty, and without resorting to anything twee. This is indie rock at its least precious: loose, rugged, and harmonic.
This week marks the release of Brooklyn's White Rabbits debut album, Fort Nightly, on Say Hey Records. The album follows on the heels of the band's highly praised SXSW performance, which led NME Magazine to declare the group the #3 band of the mid-March conference and The Tripwire to write, "I couldn't help but stand up and get my dance on to them."
One listen to Fort Nightly and it's easy to see why White Rabbits cause fans and critics alike to sing their praises. The band cleverly combines sounds and styles from eras past into addictively catchy compositions. "If Liberace joined a swing band, and enlisted a guitarist addicted to eclecticism (Western, surf flecked, and C&W (included), it might sound a bit like this. Yet somehow, The White Rabbits pull this surreal set straight out of the hat, because for all its fractured elements, the group still magically conjure up coherent, complete songs. As lyrically eclectic and clever as it is musically, this is one fascinating album," AllMusic.com writes.
Fort Nightly was produced by Chris Zane, whose credits also include Asobi Seksu, Les Savy Fav, and White Rabbits' label mates Shy Child. The album hit all stores today, just days before the band hits the road for a nation wide tour with Mystery Jets in support of the release. See below for recent press quotes and full tour dates.