San Francisco/Oakland’s The Mantles have been charting a unique path through the Bay Area’s storied garage/pop scene since 2007. The early shows were loose & loud Velvets/Nuggets-bashing, always with weirdly catchy songs & oddball chord changes. Their first singles saw them honing their sound, building towards their excellent 2009 self-titled debut album (on Siltbreeze) and follow-up EP on Mexican Summer. Loosely aligning with artists like White Fence and Ty Segall, The Mantles thoroughly modernize and personalize the folk-rock tradition.
Now on Long Enough To Leave, The Mantles still color outside the lines but dial a cleaner, more infectious sound. SF’s Kelley Stoltz (Sub Pop) recorded the new album with enough savvy to make it pop while keeping the performances idiosyncratic & affecting. Sharp ears may spot bits of early Love, New Zealand’s Flying Nun label and LA’s Paisley Underground, but The Mantles are very far from revivalists and have more song-writing and arranging skill at their disposal than many bands could hope to have.
You can pre-order a copy at Slumberland Records HERE. The album is out June 18.
A lifelong fan of new music—spent the '90s working in a record store and producing alternative video shows. In the 2000s, that passion shifted online with blogging, diving headfirst into the indie scene and always on the lookout for the next great release. Still here, still listening, and still sharing the best of what’s new.
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
