I Love This Band ! : Pete and The Pirates

Next in my "I Love This Band !" series is the Brit quintet, Pete and The Pirates. I first heard of them 3-4 years ago . My "band crush" started just over 2 years ago when I heard their debut album, Little Death. Since then, many of my other records have been neglected because of all the repeated listenings of Little Death (and their 2 prior EPs which I later purchased). I was able to see several PATP performances during SXSW 2009. They played a bunch of new tunes at that time which were being considered for the next album. Their sophomore album, One Thousand Pictures, is set to be released in May 2011 on the Stolen Recordings label. Since I have yet to see a full track listing, I don't know if any of those tunes survived the band's quality process. Whether or not that is the case, this band definitely knows how to write a cracking pop tune. The best description of their sound comes from their drummer, Jonny Sanders (in an interview with the One For The People blog) : "Pete & The Pirates are pop bliss mixed with rock & roll with a little beauty thrown in." The band already has videos for 2 songs that will be on the next album. "Come To The Bar" is full of bubbling vintage synths, enough groove to get you moving, and a soaring, singalong chorus. Win, win, win is all I can say :). It will be the 1st single from the album and it'll be released on March 14th. "Winter 1" was made available as a free download in late December. It's still available on their Bandcamp page. It features an irresistible, bouncing bassline, some vintage organ sounds, and handclaps you can't help joining in on at home. I've also posted the wintery themed video below. And for my SXSW 2011 bound friends, Pete and The Pirates will be returning to Austin next month. During SXSW 2009, I think that they played 10-11 shows. Maybe they'll break that performing record this year. Who knows ? One of the tightest and most incredibly fun bands I've ever had the pleasure to experience.