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‘Chorus’ out August 19 STREAM: “The English Softhearts” – 

SoundCloud / Wondering Sound

Philadelphia indie-pop outfit Literature are set to release their sophomore album‘Chorus’ on August 19 via Slumberland Records. Stream the album’s first single “The English Softhearts” on Wondering Sound.

‘Chorus’ is available for pre-order on CD/LP via Slumberland and digitally on iTunes.

Tour Dates:

9/07 Washington DC @ George Washington University
9/08 Marietta, OH  @ Project Active Media
9/09 Cleveland, OH @ Dag house
9/11 Nashville, TN @ Betty’s
9/13 Savannah, GA @ The Bomb Shelter
9/14 Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor
9/15 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
9/16 Brooklyn, NY @ Death by Audio
More dates TBA

Bio:

Philadelphia, PA’s Literature features Kevin Attics, Nathaniel Cardaci, Chris Schackerman, and Seth Whaland. Attics, who’d written for numerous music trades as a teen, met Cardaci and Whaland at the house venue they both operated in Austin, TX. Cardaci and Whaland each ran small imprint labels and, a million adventures later, the trio decided to form a band. Upon moving to Philadelphia the group befriended Schackerman who also joined the fold.

In 2012, following a well-received single and a track on Gerard Cosloy’s “Casual Victim Pile II” compilation they released their debut album, Arab Spring, which became a cult hit within the indiepop community. That album is sharp and immediate, almost mod-ish in its attack, but always tuneful and going for melody where it counts. They toured the US in support, and have performed with the likes of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Eternal Summers, Ted Leo, Sic Alps, White Fence, Gentlemen Jesse, Hospitality, and Brown Recluse. They also appeared on Terre T’s Cherry Blossom Clinic.

In 2013 they released a follow-up 7″, “Tie Dye” and contributed a track to Esopus Magazine alongside artists like Jens Lekman and The Shins. They also played at that year’s NYC Popfest, which helped cement the buzz that was steadily growing amongst savvy pop fans. Arab Spring was treated to a re-mastered re-press, which followed the first pressing and quickly sold out.

Autumn of 2013 saw the band begin work on their second album, Chorus, with lauded engineer Gary Olson (whose body of work includes records by Crystal Stilts, Mad Scene and The Beets) at his Marlborough Farms studio in Brooklyn, NY. As a beautiful autumn turned into one of the harshest winters in recent memory, Olson and the band began stretching out, enhancing the album with studio techniques dating back to the late 60s including true-tape flanging, sending vocals through Leslie speaker cabinets, and the same analog style of automatic double-tracking created at Abbey Road Studios.

The result is an album that is as immediate as it is timeless, full of effortlessly catchy and well-crafted tunes that echo pop legends like Smiths and Orange Juice. All of that time in the studio has resulted in a rich, considered sound that puts the band’s arranging and playing front and center. Chorus is one of the most exciting pop records in years, and marks Literature at true contenders.

Literature

Chorus
(Slumberland Records)

Street Date: August 19, 2014

Pre-order CD/LP – iTunes

1. The Girl, The Gold Watch, and Everything

2. The English Softhearts

3. Blasé

4. Tie-Dye (Your Life)

5. Court/Date

6. New Jacket

7. Chime Hours

8. Chorus

9. Jimmy

10. Dance Shoes

11. Kites

LITERATURE LINKS: