New Orleans’ Pope are getting ready to release their upcoming full length debut Fiction, on March 10th via Community Records (Caddywhompus, Sun Hotel, All People). The band, comprised of Matthew Seferian (guitar/vocals), Alex Skalany(guitar/vocals), and Atticus Lopez (drums), premiered the album’s first single “Let Down” on Stereogum, who noted:
“Pope have been playing together since high school, and that tight chemistry comes across strongly on their forthcoming debut album, Fiction. Every progression feels effortless, and the three members of the band — Alex Skalany, Donovan Wolfington’s Matthew Seferian, and Atticus Lopez — play off of each other in the near-telepathic way that only good friends can. “Let Down” roars to life with a sarcastic bite, the vocals sounding jaded and as bitter as a lemon. It’s noisy and dense, slathered with layers of distortion and fuzz, yet it also feels oddly welcoming. “
Fiction is the band’s long awaited full length debut, following a trail of EPs and singles and finds the band expanding with a newfound sense of maturity to their songwriting. Fuzzy melodies and hook filled riffs offer a lush sonic landscape for the duel vocals of Skalany and Seferian. The band’s sound swirls between noise-pop and 90’s influenced indie rock in the vein of Superchunk, Guided By Voices, and Pavement, but like those bands and their drive to create timelessly infectious rock, there’s nothing “slacker” about it. Pope’s album is filled with overdriven guitar pop that moves between crushing distortion and introspective lyricism about life’s finer things… making bad decisions, friends and relationships, anxiety, the joys of social interactions, and the inevitable self depreciation, all delivered with an unwavering sense of awareness and biting sarcasm. There’s a radiant energy to Pope’s fuzzy indie noise and it shines throughout the record in massive enveloping guitar tones and warm power pop vocal melodies.
STREAM POPE’S “LET DOWN” VIA STEREOGUM:
http://www.stereogum.com/1730763/pope-let-down-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/