Headlights - Enemies EP

Thanks to C&T buddy Joe for alerting me to these guys recently! Headlights is a trio from Urbana-Champaign, IL, and includes former members of both Absinthe Blind and Maserati. In what was a major step forward for the band, they signed with Polyvinyl in November 2005. The lineup consists of Erin Fein (keys/vox), Tristan Wraight (guitar/vox), and Brett Sanderson (drums). They have also brought multi-instrumentalist Nick Sandborn (of Decibully) on board for the current tour to play bass and various things that jingle and jangle. Fein and Wraight share the vocal duties. Fein's lovely voice is reminiscent of either Frou Frou or Cat Power, while Wraight's reminds me a bit (though not altogether) of Grandaddy's Jason Lytle. They describe themselves as "indie pop with a shoegazey aftertaste" and that strikes me as a decent characterization of their sound.

In their relatively short time together they have played alongside a variety of distinguished acts including Saturday Looks Good to Me, The Delgados, Magnolia Electric Co., Earlimart, and Mates of State. They cite Grandaddy, Mercury Rev, Bjork, and My Bloody Valentine among their influences. Here's the opening track from their current EP:

Headlights - Tokyo

For more on the band, you can check out an extensive recent interview with Under the Radar or a post last month on Chromewaves. You can also hear two songs from the forthcoming album on MySpace. I highly suggest doing so, as the lone track featured here is only a taste of their material. I actually like some of the songs on their MySpace better, but I'm hesitant to post any more tracks from an EP that includes only four.

You can purchase Headlights' EP, Enemies, from Polyvinyl or Amazon (hint: check the latter for used copies -- I got one for $1.75!). It can also be purchased on vinyl from Mi Amante Records with a bonus track. They also have a 7" due out in April and are currently working on a full-length album for an August 2006 release. Keep an eye out for that one, as I'm sure we'll hear more about it this summer.

The band has an extensive spring tour underway, which unfortunately does not include any dates here in the southeast. Complete tour dates can be found on their MySpace page.

By the way, this is about the fourth or fifth band Joe has suggested that I've really liked. Such suggestions are always welcome from anyone, so feel free to comment or drop me a line if you know something I should check out. For real, yo.

This is probably my only post for Monday, as I have a busy day ahead of me and Man Man at The EARL tonight. I plan to tape the show, so we'lll see how that goes. If Man Man does entirely blow my mind, someone please notify my next of kin.