Brooklyn – For a band that built its brand on evocative and sentimental lyrical narratives, we would expect nothing less than for The Antlers to bowl us over once more. The group has been busily curating their next stack of tracks and, as usual, the first cut takes aim directly at our empathetic axes.
The group’s latest and fourth study album, Familiars, is scheduled for release on June 17th via ANTI-. The forthcoming record will boast nine tracks, and was recorded and produced in the band’s studio in Brooklyn. Chris Coady mixed Familiars, the talented producer whose track record includes collaborations with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio and Future Islands.
“Palace” is our preview of Familiars, and with it comes an exquisite video directed by Bana Tajima. The track and video couple together everything that makes this band engaging. A sauntering tour through a broken old home, the video exposes torn-up wallpaper and broken floorboards that transform gently into churning tides and underwater panoramas. The product is full-bodied and weightless at once. The lyricism and instrumentation is commanding, yet the melodic environment feels like subaquatic suspension. Tonally, this track is a dead ringer for what lurks at the core of some of this group’s best work.
The Antlers’ history matches their tempo, unfolding slowing yet with steady precision. What began as a solo venture by now front man, guitarist and vocalist Peter Silberman, ultimately became The Antlers after an epoch of solitary song writing and recording. The expansive tracks that Silberman wrote in his early days eventually comprised the two initial albums that grace the group’s discography. The first was 2006’s self-released Uprooted, followed by 2007’s In The Attic of the Universe (via Fall Records).
Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci joined Silberman for the making of 2009’s Hospice, which came to us on FrenchKiss Records. Lerner is The Antlers’ percussionist and Cicci contributes a mess of instrumentation that ranges from the keyboard and organ to the trumpet and bowed banjo.
Hospice was undeniably this act’s breakout album and, thematically, it is as dark as they come. The record explored abortion, terminal illness and (ultimately) loss with brutal honesty. Intrinsically, Hospice called forth an emotional stirring as deep as an oceanic coastal shelf. Blue and heavy, the album shined with a refined and real impression of the human condition. Hospice was successful precisely for its insistence that we confront our own humanity. Yet, The Antlers are much larger than the beautifully downcast album that won our affections, and the group deserves much more recognition than a curt filing under “sad bands” would suggest.
Breaking from their self-made mold, 2011’s Burst Apart infused The Antlers’ sonic environment with crucial dynamism. Not that the act deviated too far from their irresistible formula of dark indulgence; tracks like “I Don’t Want Love” showcased a sentimental battlefield about a billion miles wide. Yet, Burst Apart resounded with unprecedented confidence and concretely learned desire.
Time will tell if Familiars can combine the best of The Antler’s past efforts. If these nine tracks can roll together detailed emotional depth and learned-resolve, Familiars could serve as the band’s broadest-reaching record to date. The group just announced tour dates to support the album, and will live the traveling band life from June 25th to the end of July. Catching an Antlers show would be well worth your time. With recorded music this moving, a live encounter promises to be off the charts.
Liz Rowley
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