Kevin Bronson on May 14th, 2014

0

Wartime Recitals call themselves an indie-pop band, and it’s true if you abide the olden definition of that classification. Loose, heartfelt and exuberant, the L.A. sextet’s music is more Los Campesinos! than any of the synth-drenched, vocoded indie-pop of today. Their new single “Bad Dances,” with its call-and-response vocals and surging chorus, is a day-brightener that reminds you that over-slick production is overrated. The band, which initially came together three years ago, comprises singer-guitarist Jonathan Krueger, keyboardist Hugo Gomez, bassist Michael Giardina, guitarist Joe Cooper, drummer Thomas Bram and Morgan Paros, who sings and plays violin and glockenspiel. Their work at L.A.’s Kingsize Sound Labs (whose Dave Trumfio does the mix on the new songs) and Vermilion Audio Studios is aided by a rotating chamber orchestra of friends, contributing horns, strings and vocals. Like it says here, “We can’t control the bloodflow …”

||| Download: “Bad Dances”

||| Live: Wartime Recitals perform May 30 at El Cid.

||| Also: Check out two songs from 2013 after the jump:

||| Stream: “Hold Your Velocity” and “Lark” (free download here)