slumberland records

keeping it foolish since 1989

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After anxiously mounting anticipation, Evans the Death release their self-titled debut album. Filled with twelve blistering tracks they weave a distinctive magic, coupling main songwriter Dan Moss' gift for melody with Katherine Whitaker's unique vocal stylings. The songs both document and channel the exuberance of youth via the prism of five pop music obsessives and were recorded late Summer 2011 with producer Ex-Test Icicle and current Warm Brains man Rory Atwell (Veronica Falls, Male Bonding, The Vaccines). Dan describes what the band were aiming for:

"We wanted to make the best sounding record that we possibly could as we're bored of bands just settling for a half-arsed sound. There were no real fixed reference points when we made it; we just borrowed stuff from any of the pop music that we've grown up with. I think it's also a very economical album. There's no dilly-dallying around when there should instead be a hook there. We're very proud of it and glad we paid little or no attention to what is currently fashionable in music."

Named after the undertaker in Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood, Evans the Death comprise of Dan Moss (guitar, vocals), Katherine Whitaker (vocals, keys), Olly Moss (guitar), Rob Mitson (drums) and newest member Lan McCardle (bass) — original guitarist Matt Gill having left the band following the completion of the album. Attuned as much to the lyrical dexterity of Morrissey, Lawrence Felt, Edwyn Collins, and Jarvis Cocker, as to the scuzzed up melodic exuberance of early My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, The Pixies, and the I Am Kurious Oranj era of The Fall, the band effortlessly blend precocious musical literacy with the kind of unerring self-awareness which makes for a perfectly pitched pop sensibility.

Following the release of their instantly acclaimed debut single, the urgent and unsettling latent-cold-war-paranoia love-song "Threads," and the the scathingly acerbic and the boldly fragile second single "I'm so Unclean," Evans the Death have been given extensive airtime on BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6Music, as well being made John Kennedy's 'Xposure Big One' on XFM. The press have not been slow to follow with glowing reviews in Artrocker, This Is Fake DIY, SoundsXP and Drowned In Sound. An extensive UK tour in late 2011 and constant gigging in London has helped to hone their performances into thrilling, energy-packed live shows.

Both "Threads" and "I'm So Unclean" feature on the album, as does their current release, the infectious and exhilarating "Telling Lies," but in truth the record is chock-full of bona fide classics, from the hi-octane opener "Bo Diddley" to the psychedelic pop of "Catch Your Cold" and the epic "Morning Voice" (on which Katherine's vertiginous vocal delivery is given free rein), to "You're Joking", the only song on the album not written by Dan. Penned by his brother Olly, it's an intangibly moving album closer in the vein of The Smiths' "Please Please Let Me Get What I Want."

With their infectious and frenetic brand of guitar pop making them one of the most exhilarating new groups around, Evans The Death are certain to make a big impression in 2012.

"There's sharp songwriting at play here. The hooks are all in the right place, brash and urgent in the very best way." - This Is Fake DIY

"a wonderful marriage of converse elements elegantly crafted into its own neat mess" - Artrocker

"…plenty of wit and masses of noise, a marker for even better things to come." - SoundsXP