Sweeping Promises Come Out Swinging on “Shooting Shadows”

Sweeping Promises made their third album in a tour house in Kansas, sandwiched between hosting other bands, planning shows, and recording dozens of albums for other artists. Guitarist Caufield Schnug and bassist/vocalist Lira Mondal worked for 18 months on demos, carved out an idiosyncratic chamber-recording method built around an intentional wall-of-sound, then brought in touring drummer Spenser Gralla to play the songs the way they would on stage. The result is You Say I Romanticize, out August 14 on Sub Pop, and it sounds like a band with something to prove.

“Shooting Shadows” is the album opener and lead single, and Mondal is off-leash from the first second. Where previous Sweeping Promises records hinted at a growl here and there, this one finds her shouting, roaring, hitting tricky notes, and generally shredding her throat all over the place. It’s the kind of performance that makes you want to see it live immediately. The album follows 2023’s acclaimed Good Living Is Coming for You, which Rolling Stone called “relentlessly catchy, gloriously lo-fi punk.”

The album is available to pre-order on CD, LP, and all streaming platforms. North American vinyl pre-orders from Sub Pop Mega Mart get the Loser Edition on Black and Yellow Confetti vinyl; UK and EU orders get Magenta vinyl through Mega Mart Europe. A massive North American headline tour runs September through November — dates below. Pre-order the album while you’re at it.

Pre-order You Say I Romanticize ↗

1“Shooting Shadows”

2“My Friend’s an Entomologist”

3“Last Man”

4“Rapture, Or…”

5“Abduction on Camera”

6“My Anchoress”

7“Cocoon”

8“Accent”

9“Does He Want to Be the Weatherman?”

10“Write Lightly”