Fire Track: The Telephone Numbers: “Be Right Down”

The Telephone Numbers Return with New Album Scarecrow II, Drop Glowing Single “Be Right Down”

San Francisco jangle-pop lifers The Telephone Numbers are back after four years with Scarecrow II, out October 10 on Slumberland Records. If you fell in love with the shimmering hooks on The Ballad of Doug, get ready for a deeper, dreamier ride.

The band—featuring members of The Umbrellas, The Reds, Pinks & Purples, and Neutrals—lean even harder into golden-era college rock this time around, but with richer textures and more heart. Think slide guitar, trumpet flourishes, and harmonies that land somewhere between Dear 23 and Liberty Belle. First single “Be Right Down” captures that balance perfectly, all chiming guitars and soft ache, with Morgan Stanley’s vocals floating in like a passing cloud.

Recorded by Alicia Vanden Heuvel (The Aislers Set) at Speakeasy Studios and mixed by Chris Cohen, Scarecrow II doesn’t waste a second. “Battle of Blythe Road” takes a strange historical footnote (Yeats vs. Crowley!) and spins it into a slow-burning, literary swirl. “Ebb Tide” pairs dusky slide guitar and vintage organ with a chorus that wouldn’t be out of place on a Gin Blossoms mixtape. And “Pulling Punchlines” brings the whole SF crew together—Tony Molina, Anna Hillburg, Andy Pastalaniec, and more—for a breezy banger with horns, harmonies, and a twinge of melancholy.

It’s the kind of record that feels like finding a lost tape in the glovebox of your first car—sun-warped, well-loved, and still hitting just right. Scarecrow II isn’t trying to keep up with the algorithm. It’s walking at its own pace, arms wide open.

Check out the track “Be Right Down” and pre-order the album now via Slumberland: HERE

No tour dates yet, but don’t be surprised if this one ends up soundtracking your fall.