Tuesday, November 10, 2009

INTERVIEW ON MESS AND NOISE

With Hugh and Scott B...

Summer Cats: ‘We Never Have Been Twee’

The Summer Cats’ new LP 'Songs For Tuesdays' is proof positive that you shouldn’t just a book by its decidedly twee cover. DOUG WALLEN talks to bassist Hugh Owens and guitarist Scott Brewer about fighting stereotypes and carving a niche following overseas.

Kicking around for a few years now, Melbourne’s Summer Cats are cut from the cloth of an international indie-pop scene that values niche global appeal over local success. Inspired by bands such as The Pastels and Television Personalities and labels like Sarah and Wurlitzer Jukebox, the six-piece pen brief, rollicking tunes occupied entirely by matters of the heart.
But despite the huggable band name and singer Scott Stephens’ high, ringing vocals, Summer Cats’ debut album Songs For Tuesdays has a lot more to it than preciousness. There are four distinct vocalists featured, and one can hear decade-jumping glints of ’60s garage, ’70s power-pop, ’80s jangle and ’90s indie rock. Opener ‘Let’s Go’ motors with distortion, while ‘Fulton Gurls’ namechecks Big Star’s Sister Lovers and their signature track ‘September Gurls’.

Songs For Tuesday was first released last July in the US on the resurrected cult label Slumberland, now home to Crystal Stilts and the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. It was followed by a run of shows across the US west coast and will be launched in Melbourne this Friday (November 13), with more Australian dates planned for next year. The band – lead singer Scott Stephens (formerly of The Earthmen), guitarist/bassist Scott Brewer, bassist/guitarist Hugh Owens, keyboardist Irene Drossinos and drummer Julia Nesbit – recently added guitarist Jeremy Cole from the Zebras to their ranks. Brewer and Owens sat down in a park recently to chat about flying under the radar and the pains of being pigeonholed.

Summer Cats have had releases on a handful of different labels, but the album is out on Slumberland in the States and High Spot in Australia. Is it nice to be settled after so much moonlighting?

Scott Brewer: We’re not really all that settled. We’ve got another 7” coming out on another label in a couple months. The 7”s and EPs were all on small startup labels. And that’s great because you get the name out, but to have the album on an established label and have the support those labels offer is really great.

Musically, the band really captures the spirit of late ’90s indie pop, which also had this tradition of releases on tiny labels all over the world. Brewer: A lot of that is probably because I love doing that so much. When I was really into all those bands, like 10 years ago, you’d spend your day tracking down fanzines or writing to labels on the other side of the world to get all the releases. You’d get a 7” by someone and inside would be the discography of that band, and you’d have to write to all these other new labels. They’d do splits with bands you’d never heard of before.
Slumberland was a huge label for a very small number of people at that time, and is now back after a long hibernation. Are you somewhat floored to be on the roster?Brewer: Hell yes.
Hugh Owens: I’d say the two Scotts [are especially], because the other Scott [Stephens] was actually signed to Slumberland with The Earthmen.

Brewer: Well, they did a 10”.

Owens: So he’s got the connection there. I guess I’ve since discovered more Slumberland stuff.

Brewer: Ten years ago, when I was living in Vancouver and I used to go down to San Francisco all the time, I saw Aislers Set play five or 10 times. I loved that whole scene so much. So to actually be on the label and have the guy who runs the label actually love your music is a real honour for me.

How exactly did Summer Cats come together?

Brewer: (Laughs) Well, you know Collectors Corner, the record store in the city? A friend of mine was working there, and Scott the singer came in to trade in records. My friend called me up and said, “This guy just traded in a bunch of records, and you’re gonna want every single one.” So he put them aside for me and I bought the entire collection. He said, “You have to meet this guy. He used to play in a band and he’s looking to start a new band.” So we got together at a bar, and for about two years, we’d get together and trade mix CDs and write the occasional song.
Was it always informed by that international indie pop scene?B

rewer: When we first started, we had a clear ambition. We’re both too old to be in serious bands and chase the dream of major-label signing. We just wanted to put out great singles on international labels that have that following.

Had you been in many bands before?

Brewer: I’d been in a few, but none of them were really indie pop. I played in this noise band called Sunglass. And I played in a couple of bands back in Vancouver.

How did the Summer Cats lineup gel from there?Owens: Back when everyone was using MySpace, Scott had the album cover of Television Personalities’ And Don’t The Kids Just Love It? as his picture.

Brewer: Still do, I think.

Owens: He was friends with someone I knew and I just saw he was in Melbourne. I sent him a message, so that’s how we got in contact. He asked if I played any instruments and I said I kind of played bass and played guitar badly.

Brewer: He turned up to first rehearsal with a five-string guitar. [Laughs]

Owens: I was well prepared. And then I drafted the girls. I went to high school and uni with Julia and uni with Irene.

Brewer: And Irene and Scott knew each other previously.

Do the two Scotts split the songwriting duties?Brewer: Pretty much. And then the songs that other people sing have been written by those people. Live we mostly stick to Scott singing because otherwise he’s got nothing to do. [Laughs]

Owens: I sing ‘Fulton Girls’ and ‘Maybe Pile’ and kind of co-wrote ‘In June’. Irene sings ‘Christopher Wren’ and Scott [Brewer] sings ‘St. Tropez’. Most of the time, Scott will bring a riff into rehearsal and the other Scott will come up with lyrics.

Brewer: A riff [laughs]. We’re such a riff band.

Owens: Or whatever. That’s the general rule. Then there’s other things that need worked on, and we usually nut out things a bit more as a full band.

Brewer: There’s generally a conscious effort not to finish anything until the band plays it. Then it becomes a finished product.

Was there ever any thought about having Scott play something in addition to singing?Brewer: Scott can’t play anything. [Laughs]

Owens: He recorded a Bobby McFerrin-esque album of just vocals, but that’s never seen the light of day. And he plays tambourine.

Brewer: It’s pretty rare these days to just have a singer.

Is it because different people sing on some songs that there are so many on the album? There are 14 tracks on the local edition and 13 on the American one.

Brewer: Yeah, just because so many people write songs, we have a lot.

They’re also quite short.

Brewer: Yeah. So they’ve got to come out on something. [Laughs] I don’t think we’ve really doubled up on our releases. On the album there’s only about four songs that have been released previously.

Owens: At the same time, they’re re-recorded.
“I don’t think we’re as twee as people think we are. Especially from the artwork and the name of the band, people assume that we are. If anything, I think we’ve tried to fight against [that].”
What all had the band released before this? I know you did the Scratching Post EP on Popboomerang, and a split single with Eux Autres.Brewer: That was on my label, Knock Yr Socks Off. And we did a split 7” with Pains Of Being Pure At Heart on Slumberland and a 7” and a 3” CD-R on Cloudberry Records [in the States]. And another 3” CD-R on WeePOP!, a London label. And we’re doing a [four-way] 7” with the Cannanes and Cheap Red and Soft Paws, probably in January.

The Cannanes were one of the earlier Aussie indie pop bands. Have you looked to bands like them and the Lucksmiths as examples?

Brewer: I guess. I’ve known the Cannanes for 10 or 12 years. They took me along on tour with them in the States, just through me writing to them when I was 17 or 18. I probably sent them my solo cassette or something. They’ve always been one of my favourite bands. Seeing them sell out shows in the States and then play the Public Bar [in Melbourne] to only like 40, it was such a shame. But [it proved] it could be done. You don’t have to worry so much that people in your hometown might not get it. There’s a fan base out there. Bart [Cummings] from the Cat’s Miaow has agreed to play the launch with us, and that’s his first show in eight years. I’m talking to all these people in Melbourne, and they’re like, “Who’s the Cat’s Miaow?”

Owens: American indie-pop fans will know who Even As We Speak are and write about them, but no one here know who they are. A lot of the bands that I really like are often these bands that have more of an international appeal. Locally people have no idea what it is.

Do you feel like you have more kindred spirits these days?

Brewer: There’s a lot of bands that we play most of our shows with. And there were always kindred spirits with the Cannanes and the Lucksmiths. Like, all the Toytown cassettes and Cat’s Miaow were always there. I think it’s the same now. There were the Zebras up in Brisbane, who are based in Melbourne now. And Jeremy [Cole] is playing [second guitar] with us now. A lot of the bands who are on Lost & Lonesome fit that scene. And the Motifs, who I also play with.
Summer Cats write these very poppy songs, but the album is a bit grittier, whether from keyboards or feedback or distorted vocals.

Owens: I think it goes between being a very noisy record and being a very clean record. That’s what I like about it. At the same time, no matter how much we make a racket, Scott’s got these melodic vocals sitting on top of it all. Which I think is what draws a lot of people to the sound but also puts off a lot of people. Their idea of indie is someone mumbling through every song, or something very twee. And I don’t think we’re as twee as people think we are. Especially from the artwork and the name of the band, people assume that we are. If anything, I think we’ve tried to fight against the twee [tag].

Brewer: Well, we never have been twee.

Yeah, but you guys know all about twee. For people who don’t really understand what it is, you’re incredibly twee.Brewer: Yeah, it was funny reading the reviews [in the States]. People would say it’s too twee or it’s too polite. And we’re not at all. There’s feedback on half the tracks, and the guitars are all distorted.

Owens: The funniest responses we’ve had have often been the most misguided, regarding what they think we’re trying to be. One said ‘Wild Rice’ sounded Sonic Youth-influenced. You could say that about the songs that have feedback, but ‘Wild Rice’ is like one of the ballads of the album.

Brewer: My favourite is where they say the songs all sound the same. It’s like, Jesus, there’s four different singers and how many different styles of song on there. Getting described as Pains Of Being Pure At Heart Jr. was pretty funny.

Yeah, they’ve become such a breakout band that some people think they’re the first band doing this kind of thing.Brewer: It’s pretty funny. We’ve been about six months behind them with [both bands’ releases] on Cloudberry and Slumberland.

Do you ever regret picking this cute band name?

Brewer: My original band name was vetoed by everyone else: Supercomputer.

Owens: Summer Cats was the only thing we could half agree on. That’s how the album title came about, and that’s how a lot of our decisions are made. Everyone’s half in agreement.

Brewer: Like Songs For Tuesdays. No one loved it but no one hated it, so it stuck.

Owens: Although unbeknown to us at the time, there is a darker side to [the name]. In Sweden, when people go on holidays, they adopt a cat and then at the end of the summer, they leave the cat and it goes wild. So there are all these feral cats running around these holiday places. And they’re called summer cats. Sometimes I say that’s why we’re named Summer Cats, to give it that dark edge.
That’s funny, because a lot of indie pop bands have this dark side that most people don’t think about.

Brewer: Like the fact that all Beat Happening songs are about sex?
It’s almost like the more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the front is, the darker things are behind the scenes.Brewer: [Laughs] Yeah, I can see that.
+
SUMMER CATS LAUNCH ‘SONGS FOR TUESDAYS’
Friday, November 13The Order Of Melbourne, Melbourne, VICw/The Motifs, The Zebras + Bart Cummings

All the way from Sunny Brisbane...

RAVE MAGAZINE REVIEW...


SUMMER CATS – Songs For Tuesdays
(High Spot/Fuse)


Huh?: Good old-fashioned sub-three minute indie pop tunes from Melbourne five-piece featuring the Earthmen’s Scott Stevens.

What’s It Like?: Jangly guitars, crackly fuzz, grinding organs and boy-girl vocal harmonies – yep, it’s a distillation of all the best sonic elements of Scots-UK-Kiwi indie pop with an added dash of Aussie songwriting nous. Proudly derivative, but in the most enjoyable way possible.

Highlights: Christopher Wren’s wriggly keyboard hook is enticing, and the quirky sad sack lyrics of Maybe Pile contrast cutely with the joyful tunesmithery. The triple whammy of Waking Up, St. Tropez and Paperweight are equal to Screamfeeder’s finest fuzz pop moments (if we needed any further reminders that the ‘90s would have been awesome for Summer Cats).

Tastes Great With: Stereloab / The Pastels / Songs

***½

Rave Magazine

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

OUR FIRST AUS REVIEW!! yay yay.

Our first review for our Australian release album has shown up on The Dwarf.

Beer + fringes + cheese = a kick-arse indie pop explosion. Melbourne’s own Summer Cats are on the prowl with their debut long player Songs For Tuesdays. The new record from Summer Cats is a shiny, happy affair that will leave you breathless and smiley as you bop around to the fuzz-pop madness like a kitten hopped up on catnip.

Okay, so all lame kitty puns aside, Songs For Tuesdays is a fast-paced, hook-laden frenzy, drenched in summer loving and sweet pop/rock melodies. Summer Cats sound like Stereolab versus The Go-Betweens in an alley-way knife fight death match. This is a record that was made to be blasted loudly on repeat as you prepare to rock and roll your way through the summertime. Sporting fourteen tracks in just under thirty-five minutes, it’s a manic trip that is over all to quickly.

Summer Cats are fond of their distorted keyboards and feedback guitars. They switch it up between a male and female lead vocalist and while the songs tend to bleed into one another, there is much joy to be had with this album. From the killer opening song Let’s Go!, right through to bonus track Mystified they will dazzle you with their infectious sounds and boundless energy. This is a band that know their indie history and have melded garage rock and new-wave pop with a touch of early 90’s nostalgia.

Stand-out tracks are Hey You, Christopher Wren, Camel Cords and St Tropez. Hey You is a super cool Pixies-inspired number, perfect for working all of your teenage angst out in the mosh pit. Christopher Wren is a cutesy pop moment with acoustic guitars and massive keyboards with plenty of room for hand claps and sweet sing along vocals courtesy of Irene.

There’s a blistering drum line in Camel Cords and obscenely beguiling keyboards that are sure to make your heart beat faster. St Tropez wanders off into Eddy Current Suppression Ring territory with Scott’s vocals that are more spoken word than actual singing.

Summer Cats' debut is the perfect soundtrack for the incoming sunny weather and beer induced madness. Check out their live show at the Songs For Tuesdays album launch at The Order of Melbourne on November 13th.

by Kathryn Mahina Wednesday, November 4

Saturday, October 31, 2009

ALBUM LAUNCH Friday the 13th!


Is coming up on Friday 13th November... be there or be square!

We're Almost for sale in our own Country!

First sign of sale in our own country, woowee!!..


JB Review attached reads:

The band are a 5-piece headed by the songwriting capabilities of Scott Stevens (ex- Earthmen) and Scott Brewer. With a swag of EPs and 7"s already under their name on labels such as Popboomerang, Slumberland, Wee Pop, Cloudberry and Eux Autres, Songs For Tuesdays sees them breaking out with an album full of rockin' pop magic, on a par with their acknowledged influences: The Clean, Go-Betweens, The Pastels, Cub and Stereolab. It's 13 tracks of tight, punchy indie rock 'n' roll fuelled by excellent vocal harmonies, driving keyboards and fuzzed-out guitars, like a melting pot of the best bands from the Flying Nun, Creation and Too Pure stables all rolled into one. However, the Summer Cats are no mere tribute act: the quality of songwriting clearly holds its own. This High Spot edition features an Australian only Bonus Track 'Mystified'.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Last week's Gig with the Brunettes

We played a gig with the Brunettes (NZ) & Wifey (syd) at the Birmingham last Sunday night.. here's some pics from the night...





Crazy crowd..
Wifey...

The Brunettes in blur vision...

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Indiefy.co.uk

Summer Cats – Songs For Tuesdays (2009)


Following on from the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart Post here is another great album released on Slumberland from earlier this year. This time it’s by Australian indiepoppers Summer Cats whose music hits the cuter end of the indie pop scale. I first heard this lot courtesy of a release on the excellent Cloudberry records label and a self released EP. I haven’t stopped loving them since.

http://indiefy.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/summer-cats-songs-for-tuesdays-2009/

Monday, October 5, 2009

IRISH TIMES

Need to get back on the blog .. and what a better way to do so, how's this article from the IRISH TIMES !!!!




NEW MUSIC: The Aussies are coming. Those staffing the new-music radars may be about to see a massive increase in traffic from the land down under. The Temper Trap were just the first wave, and bands such as Little Red, The Vasco Era, Summer Cats, The Panics and Oh Mercy will be coming your way in the next year.

We’re also tipping Eddy Current Suppression Ring. The band came into being at the Melbourne record-pressing plant where they worked. After a boozy Christmas party, they started goofing around in the factory’s studio and recorded what they produced.

While the name might suggest they’re fans of French physicist Leon Foucault, it was really something they overheard from a fellow plant worker. After all, they thought, no point in having a proper name because this band isn’t going to last very long.

That was 2003 and they’re still pumping out snarly, gnarly, punky-as-hell garage rock today. The more people heard The Ring, the more they liked them and the more they told friends to check them out.

ECSR recorded their first riff-heavy album in a couple of hours, but took a whole day to record current album Primary Colours . Since its release in Oz last year, people have been going nuts about it (the album won the Australian Music Prize). Now, it’s time for folks elsewhere to get the Ring into their lives.

What you’ll get are a bunch of ragged, rowdy, feckless songs packed to the brim with nervy, edgy energy and tension. As furious guitars and pelting drums go about their business, frontman Brendan Huntley, who dons black gloves for the live shows to help him overcome stage fright, is at the heart of the action. Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride.
www.ecsr.com.au

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times
JIM CARROLL
Friday, October 2, 2009

Friday, September 4, 2009

Electric Soul Radio 4/9


Jangly, distorted guitars seem to always win me over. But, toss in a range of tightly coordinated, glowing male/female harmonies and you’ve got yourself a playful indie rock experience. Songs for Tuesdays, the debut from Melbourne, Australia’s answer to Pure of the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, is beautiful in its simplicity and poetic wit.

Let’s face it; you’ve heard the music on this album before, especially with the resurgence of 80’s jangle-pop, but Songs for Tuesdays is still an overwhelming adventure of youthful melody & harmony interplay. Enough so to make your head swim and your feet tingle.

DateFriday, September 4, 2009 at 9:01AM

on Electric Soul Radio

Crayon Fields Gig


Another Summer Cat please edit this post w/ some details :) This is a great gig poster for a gig with the Crayon Fields last week.

Sound Sxp Review 17/8

Summer Cats- Songs for Tuesdays

There are many species of cat but these Melbourne felines are less felis catus, the fluffy and loveable domestic moggie, and more felis silvestris, the spiky wildcat. Summer Cats clearly feel their nine lives are running out as they dash off 13 tunes in 32 minutes, only one of them breaking 3 minutes. It’s a torrent of smart and sassy indiepop, albeit pop lined with sharp teeth, starting and finishing in grunge style with a squall of guitars in overdrive and flourish of relentlessly pumped keyboards.

They’ve got Apples in Stereo’s sense of melody and the metronymic rhythms of Stereolab (especially the riotous ‘Lonely Planet’), not to mention outrageous humour and escapist fantasy in ‘San Tropez’ (“I could be punching Bobby Dylan circa 1963” and “hanging out with Rico/ making out with Nico”). The underlying tone, though, is of summer-fresh pop music: ‘Wild Rice’ (a slower version than previously available) is winsomely joyful with swooping melodies, ‘Let’s Go!’ challenges you to a race to the sweetshop, while the jangly chimes and “do-do-do” choruses of ‘Maybe Pile’ are a bittersweet plea from a hopeful suitor. There’s more energy here than a school playground before the Ritalin prescriptions are handed out; why it bears the title of “Songs for Tuesday” I don’t know, because the pop swagger of this album should make this a daily pleasure.

Article written by Ged M
Aug 17, 2009.
Sound Sxp - Alternative Music Blog

The Yellow Stereo 25/8

Summer Cats :: ‘Songs For Tuesdays’

Been a while since I’ve posted on any kind of new music, huh? As I’m sitting here right now figuring out what to to write about, it almost feels completely foreign to me. That is, until I remembered something I meant to mention here a few months ago; An album that has been my go-to record of choice this summer: Summer Cats’ Songs For Tuesdays.

Released in early July on the mighty Slumberland Records — who have been releasing some great albums this year — this debut record contains 13 of the finest pop songs you’ll hear this year. This Melbourne-based band have released a number of singles from smaller, but familiar labels you may have heard mentioned on here a few times like Cloudberry and WeePOP! so it’s great to finally hear this proper full-length.

It’s difficult to pinpoint a favorite, as you’ve got a number of fantastic songs to choose from, whether it be the newly recorded versions of past singles like “Wild Rice” and “Lonely Planet” to new faves like “Maybe Pile” and “In June”. All of which showcase the many different vocalists that join frontman Scott Stevens, who is easily one of the best vocalists in indiepop right now.

Some people I know seem to cower in fear when presented with a proper pop song, but I think it’s time to clear away any kind of apprehension or animosity and just embrace it! Turn up the volume and hit the dancefloor! Okay, maybe not on the dancefloor thing. Just give this one a listen, as I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Posted by: PJ in Reviews, The Yellow Stereo

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Odd Box Review 10/8


We're a bit behind with being up to date and so I really need to catch up on reviews and other news.... First up it was lovely to see this unseen review about the LP on OddBox upon doing a google just now..

My vinyl copy of ‘Songs For Tuesdays’ arrived today. And the first thing I have to say is that Slumberland Records have excelled themselves with this release. On looks alone it’s a contender for LP of the year – the sleeve is gorgeous and when you crack it open you are presented with a work of art – a beautiful slab of multi coloured vinyl (see above). Wow. There really are no more words to describe it. Just wow. Then you pop the record on the deck and you’re confronted with a record that makes your heart sing. This is indiepop that makes you feel alive. The band seem to have an underlying garage sound which is a perfect foil to their summer pop songs that make up ‘Songs For Tuesday’.

I’d made the mistake of downloading this LP on E-music before hearing it on vinyl. Mistake I say? I don’t usually buy the it sounds better on vinyl maxim when it comes to albums. But boy, if there ever was a case to convert me to this view point it would be this record. With the LP booming out of my speakers I have taken notice of a record that I had thought was merely ‘alright’ on MP3. This record is so far past alright it’s kinda criminal to think I ever felt anything less than enthusiastic for it. Songs like ‘Fulton Girls’ come alive and the punchy guitar/organ combo is a delight and this organ meets guitar sound permeates the whole record. Elsewhere highlights are plentyful – be that the pure pop of ‘Christopher Wren’ or the dizzying garage stomp of ‘Lonely Planet’. I think it’s gonna be tough to find a better release this year. A bold claim, but one that might just hold water come the end of year polls.

August 10th, 2009

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

A Fog of Ideas Review

What a lovely review to read first thing thing in the morning...

Afogofideas Blogspot
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Summer Cats 'Songs For Tuesdays'
Previous singles on Cloudberry and WeePOP! made it damn clear that this Melbourne 5 piece (2g's/3b's) possess a seemingly effortless ability to craft irresistible fizzing sparking all action 3 minute pop songs... 'Songs For Tuesdays' (Slumberland) shows the band flexing more muscle, sounding altogether beefier and brawnier, more dynamic...

Damn this album has pep

On this LP Summer Cats sound like... hmm... an early super poppy Stereolab crossed with Besties/Bunnygrunt laced with the crunching, clattering 'contents of a cutlery drawer tossed down a speeding escalator' guitars of Perth's possibly forgotten (by the many but not the eager few) This Poison!

It's just a freaking great POP record... all killer no filler... it swaggers, shimmies and it moves your hips and makes your heart soar and sometimes sore and I want to be surrounded by people who dig it too and we can all dance to it and whoop and holler; because it's a party record... because this is a POP band and they write tunes they clearly want to play and enjoy and enjoy playing to people and presumably they'll get off on that... the fun and the happiness they bring.

And isn't that enough?

I haven't got the luxury to sit about and get all academic and fwa-fwa-fwa about music... the music I crave has an immediacy

And I don't know what the purpose of blogs is/are beyond people just spouting on and on (sometimes winningly, sometimes not) but this LP's made me skip to the laptop (not literally) and post and I won't be the only one that does that... and I don't care what the critics say, whether they like this or not because I know... I know this is a great fucking record.

I don't really know what else to tell you... I doubt anyone's reading this anyway... so I'm posting this for myself... yeh... and what I'm telling myself is 'thank flip for this record' because it's serving it's purpose and making me feel carried away

I should've written a review of the Indietracks festival which happened a fortnight ago but I never...This seems more NOW and Indietracks is another 12 months away anyway (mind you this years was fucking amazing, so maybe I will write about it soon...)'Songs For Tuesdays' is just a fucking great record, if you think you might like it go and buy it, if you don't, I'm not bothered, I like it, I think I might fall in love with it over the next weekI think I might be already in love with it... you know what loves like, I hope, that sudden rush

Summer Cats have that all over it.
x

Posted by a fog of ideas in the UK. Read the Blog here
Labels: ,

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Fickin' Spit Review

Playing off their highly successful signing of The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Slumberland Records followed themselves up with an addition of another sparky upstart group Summer Cats. The groups debut, Songs For Tuesdays displays their earnest ambition with a constant array of guitar heavy twee pop that pays tribute to 90's heyday indie pop originators. Remind you of anybody yet, hint: I've already mentioned them in this revue. After a few seconds of the record, it's quite clear that these guys are essentially The Pains of Being Pure At Heart junior and for what that's worth, Slumberland sure has a type. What distincts them from the latter is that Summer Cats focus more on rough guitar feedback (take this lightly, they're no Sonic Youth) rather than the harmonically complementary scuzz of TPOBPAH. If anything, Summer Cats make you appreciate them more so. Still, Songs For Tuesday while it gets better with each listen is ultimately a roller coaster of highs and lows as it reaches for the skies while still looking for cheap ways out leaving everyone with a nostalgia that no one has, but should.

Review here

Listen, Dammit!

Australia’s Summer Cats full of winsome, peppy songs on ‘Songs for Tuesdays’
July 16th, 2009.

Leadoff tracks are like first dates — chances for artists to gussy themselves up and win us over with the best parts of their personalities. Summer Cats arrive at the front door ruffled yet lovable, clutching droopy bouquets and wailing away on fuzzy guitars and a vintage organ on “Let’s Go!” the first tune from “Songs for Tuesdays” (Slumberland), the Australian band’s debut. The sound is pure pop, even with its scruffy bursts of distortion.

Having made an excellent first impression, the Cats use the next 12 songs to seal the deal, offering up plenty of Beach Boys harmonies, girl-group melodies, and mangy guitar jangle, all Slumberland hallmarks. The tunes are relentlessly peppy, and even when the band members suffer heartbreak, as on “Maybe Pile,” they refuse to rule out the possibility a happy ending. “If I’m not worth your while,” bassist Hugh Owen sings, “tuck me on the maybe pile.”

“In June,” which stretches the heart-tugging bridge from the Go-Go’s’ “Our Lips are Sealed” into an entire song, is perhaps this summer’s most perfect pop nugget. Then, a strong case might also be made for “Wild Rice,” or “Fulton Girls” or even “St. Tropez,” which finds the Cats wishing they were at the beach, enjoying some fun in the sun.

For a comparable experience, they might try blasting their own record.

— Kenneth Partridge from Listen dammit


And here we go with a less exciting review..

Oh well.. they didn't like it, Can't please everyone!
http://strangeglue.com/reviews/summer-cats-songs-for-tuesdays

CMJ Charts



We are currently #50 on the CMJ Charts- woowoo! :)

Linout - Sacaramento Gig!

Gig in Sacaramento in their online paper... sorry about this jumping around with the timeline! ..

Indie Today - "Bands that will be famous tomorrow"


by Doug, June 19 2009
Indie Today

Chewing Gum for the Ears



Thursday, July 16, 2009
From Australia with love: Summer Cats

Australia's Summer Cats may currently be weathering whatever sort of winter they have Down Under, but their sunny full-length debut, Songs for Tuesdays, has arrived with perfect timing here in the States. The band's name is appropriate for their upbeat style, fitting somewhere between the spastic pop attitude of Los Campesinos and the noisy rock of bands like label mates Pains of Being Pure at Heart. The group's boy/girl harmonies and love of melodic hooks makes the 32 minutes of their debut a simple, direct, and - best of all - fun pop record as effortlessly entertaining as anything you're likely to hear this summer.

Songs like "Hey You, It's Me (Oh My)" and "Camel Cords" follow a recipe of raw guitars, driving keys, and pounding drums while main man Scott Stevens sings/shouts his way through the tunes with a sort of infectious exuberance that's quite winning. The 'mid-fi' sound walks the line between retro-pop accessibility and recent noise trends well, channeling the energy of classic garage pop and adding the band's own twist in the process. Most of the songs only last about two and a half minutes, with only the breezy "Wild Rice" crossing the three minute threshold, causing the 13 tracks to fly by quickly. The brevity is welcome given the sheer amount of musical sugar packed into each tune, and Songs for Tuesdays is enjoyably frantic without going overboard. Also, the band mixes up the tempo and song structures enough to keep things light and occasionally unexpected.

by Chris Nowling
Provo, Utah, United States
Check out Chris' blog here

ALL MUSIC GUIDE !!!!

AMG REVIEW for Songs for Tuesdays!!!


And a previous AMG review for Scratching Post...


How exciting!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Aquarius Records

SUMMER CATS Songs For Tuesdays (Slumberland Records)

Where were you in '92? If you were anything like some of us you were getting swept off your feet by the amazingly infectious sound of a new breed of indie pop bands who were pumping out catchy gems that were as just as hook laden as they were raw and energetic and feisty.

Summer Cats are a brand new band who just so happen to be channeling that same golden age of indie pop, with some pretty sizzling results! Featuring both female and male vocals, and songs with no wasted space, Songs For Tuesdays is an album that reminds us why we fell in love with bands like Superchunk, Velocity Girl, and Tsunami back in the day. They even manage to capture the full on pop side of The Breeders on some of these songs. Summer Cats are able to tap into that same kind of of wide eyed exuberant songcraft, whipping out the kind of summer (duh!) jams that are meant to be blasted LOUD on neverending summer days. Slumberland continues to be the label to trust when it comes to smart and satisfying pop done so right.

http://www.aquariusrecords.org/

Sugar Sours Blog

Songs for Tuesday on Wednesday
Sugar Sours Blog
Monday July 13th




I'm not sure whether this was a happy coincidence or stroke of release date genius, but Summer Cats' debut full-length Songs For Tuesdays hit shelves yesterday (that's Tuesday)! Clocking in at 33 minutes, the Summer Cats were kind enough to supply the pop-world with 13 songs for every day of summer, including last year's jam "Lonely Planet." Take the fun of their Cloudberry or weePOP! singles and multiply it by thirteen and you should have a good idea of how much distorted guitar/keyboard/catchy bass/amazing vocal dancey-fun you're in for. If you've never heard their singles, think Honeybunch playing garage pop. Sounds nice, eh? You can pick up a copy from Slumberland on CD or pretty color splatter vinyl.

http://sugarsours.blogspot.com/2009/07/songs-for-tuesdays-on-wednesday.html

My work computer has started to go a little on the oingo boingo side, and not really coping with all this saving and uploading of pics right now!

Cloudberry

We love Cloudberry..

Another release you shouldn’t miss at all is the Summer Cats debut album “Songs for Tuesdays”! I still need to get it on vinyl, but I’ve had listened the CD version and it is indeed one of the best this year. Slumberland has done a great job the past months releasing some of the best indiepop bands around like The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Liechtenstein, and now after more than a decade, one Earthmen gets a release again on the bay area label. I really recommend this album, and it includes two Cloudberry favourites: “Lonely Planet” and “Wild Rice”.

Roque - Cloudberry Records
http://cloudberryrecords.com

Under the Radar (Again)

Summer Cats- Songs for Tuesdays
Under the Radar
July 26th 2009
By Kyle Lemmon


If this summer didn't already have a glut of anthems to soundtrack your next sunburn, Slumberland Records have some indie pop heroes to introduce to you. Summer Cats stick their feet in the door before the fall turns on their winsome debut, Songs For Tuesdays. The Melbourne quintet’s aesthetic is a teen angst-addled conflation of Stereolab’s thrust and The Smiths’ melancholia. Throwing in references to several C86 groups helps too. Summer Cats' pop is not as obscured as labelmates The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Liechtenstein though. These 13 tracks often glom time-honored '60s charms and leave the innovation for their gloomier brethren.

The barely 30-minutes album flies by as lead vocalist Scott Stevens clicks off the usual warm-weather signifiers: "burning rubber," taking "cute" girls to the movies, and scoring on the first date all scream past in the rear-view mirror. Summer Cats make ecstatic jangle-pop made for your next trip to the beach. At last, the memories of a summer foolin’ around will ultimately fade and Songs For Tuesdays’ flimsy setup quickly becomes tedious. “In June” and “Wild Rice” string together Summer Cats’ finest series of guitar hooks and boy-girl chants but most of this album is as varied as the sand you’d place your towel on.

http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/songs_for_tuesdays/

Popkids of the World Unite



The Crystal Lake

The bads

ouch... I guess we gotta take the bad with the good! ....

Daily Tar Heel Blog
Summer Cats
Songs for Tuesdays
Rock/Pop
1.5 of 5 stars

Songs for Tuesdays may be the most appropriately titled CD I’ve ever listened to.Taking bits of other people’s pop-rock and reassembling them without much sense of purpose, the second full-length from this Australian sextet isn’t nearly good enough to add to the soundtrack of your next weekend rager. But by the time you polish off your third happy hour pint, you might not care how crappy it is anymore.

Buoyant enough to please in patches, but lacking the melodic control to make good on its bright, well-produced sound, Songs is the kind of record that drills itself into your head even though you don’t want it to.

Every trick here feels stolen. Opener “Let’s Go!” is a disheveled mess of the Raveonettes’ psych-inspired garage rock, and “Maybe Pie” makes a lame Cure impression even lamer by wrapping it around horrible lines like, “Your kiss is definitely at the top of my list.”

But despite all the annoying rehash on this album there are actually two songs worth holding on to.“Wild Rice” is a lovely Sonic Youth-inspired siren song that’s driven home by the striking use of a Bob Dylan Inc. harmonica fill, and closer “Paperweight” is a frothy summer jam with one of the most irresistible keyboard parts you’ll hear all year.

But none of this is enough to save Songs for Tuesdays. Lacking both originality and the craftiness to make other people’s tricks feel fresh, the record has more in common with that copy machine you use at work than the music you use to unwind.

-Jordan Lawrence
Daily Tar Heel

Now personal opinion (Julia, I won't spread bad words on behalf of the rest of the band whilst they're out of the country) but this guy is a douchebag! ... BUT.. it's our first video review!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eM9XZIANdU

Chunnel TV - Super vid clip!

Summer Cats - Super
by diggs, July.16.2009


Australian based Summer Cats recently dropped their debut LP "Songs for Tuesdays" on Slumberland Records. Their infectious brand of lo-fi indie pop can be seen in their new single Super. The video for Super is well done, it's kind of like a tripped out Mod fantasy with some really hot twiggy-esque chicks and Gauloises Blondes cigarettes. Slumberland is also home to Brooklyn legends The Pains of Being Pure At Heart. Nice job guys!
Chunnel TV

The Stranger- Seattle

Underage
Summer Cats' Sunny Indie Pop

by Casey Catherwood
July 14th 2009

As far as independent punk labels go, Slumberland Records can pretty much do no wrong. In its 20-year run of putting out awesome records by bands like the Swirlies, Black Tambourine, and the Aislers Set, the label has acted as a premier outlet for reverb-soaked, lo-fi, alternately sunshiney and saddo bedroom pop. That sound has made a major resurgence in the past year, and, appropriately, the label is back at the forefront of things following a five-year hiatus, resuming a regular release schedule with new records by indie-pop acts such as the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Crystal Stilts, and Cause Co-Motion!

With this week's release of Songs for Tuesdays, the debut LP from Melbourne, Australia's Summer Cats, Slumberland continues its nefarious plan to take over your stereo. It's winter in the band's hometown, but true to their name, Summer Cats sound like they've never been cold in their lives. Songs for Tuesdays is packed full of skuzzy guitars, straightforward drums, and jacked-up keyboards in service of poppy, fun-bent tracks perfect for rocking a basement on a Friday night.

As luck would have it, the band are bringing their shining faces to Seattle's New Crompton this Friday, July 17, and if their live show feels anything like their album sounds, wear your sunblock, 'cause shit's going to be HOT.

The Stranger

Last FM Review

Aw..

Lastfm
Summer Cats are two girls and three boys from Melbourne, Australia. Like most people from Melbourne, they spend their time either: a) enjoying summer or b) waiting for summer to arrive.

They play crash pop in an attempt to make you dance, so if you feel the urge…go right ahead! Musically they are somewhat of a cross between Stereolab and the Go-Betweens…or is that Talulah Gosh and the Left Banke?

After playing only two shows, they managed to get a three and a half star review on Pitchfork for one of their demos. This then led to them thinking they could have a chat with the rest of world, and they have since been busy trying to do just that.

They currently have a split 7” released on Knock Yr Socks Off Records, a 3” three track CDR on Cloudberry records, and released their debut EP, Scratching Post on Popboomerang Records in December 2007 which has lead to a small amount of people saying nice things! They also have a CD out on WeePOP, a split 7” with The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart on Slumberland and a 7” on Cloudberry records. Their debut LP is due out in 2009!

Best played loud in your bedroom when your parents are out or while riding your bicycle around town!

Last FM Summer Cats Review Page

(At the moment we have 24,832 plays (4,063 listeners) and 15 shouts, woowee!)

Short n Sweet from Burlington radio


The radio review can be found here

Berkeley Place Review

14th July 2009
Berkeley Place blog is found here

The Baebel Blog


The Baebel Blog
Friday, July 10, 2009
Here's a record that'll fight the criminally rapid pace of the summer months, courtesy of the appropriately titled band, Summer Cats. The 13 tracks offered on their debut Songs for Tuesdays (Slumberland), along with the undeniably intricate and colorful artwork that accompanies it, has enough force to prevent our hollowed streets from ever feeling the crispy texture of an autumn leaf, or the chilling sensation of a winter snowflake. And so we welcome you Summer Cats, with a fitting ray of joy.

Formed in 2006, the Australian band is compromised of five members; Hugh, Irene, Julia, Scott B. and Scott S. With a kitchy blend of female and male vocals, plus the sounds of tambourines, shakers and handclaps, Summer Cats precisely combine old jingles of the '60s with a catchy, more modern pop feel. Not only that, Songs For Tuesdays offers no hints of insecurity. The Summer Cats know their sound.

First track Let's Go, is an ideal opener (and the title speaks for itself). We suggest playing this one in the mornings, when the alarm clock ticks to that ghastly number that insists the day ensue. Though still groggy from the wee hours, expect the verses to roll of your tongue. Hell, you might even greet the day with a tap of your foot, as the band diffuses the gap between indie rock and pop on songs like "Super" and "Fulton Girls". We normally don't harp over tracks that mimic the typical female, male I'm in love with you duet, but In June would be unbearable to skip over. The song paints a scene where lovers yearn for each other when they are apart. We know...sounds clich.

But In June is without a doubt, the stand-out number from this album. The vocals are so pleasantly soothing, and the track plays like an indie lullaby. Slumberland Records plans to release Songs For Tuesdays on July 14th...though the title might be misleading. These songs can illuminate everyday, not just Tuesdays.

- Lonnie Nemiroff
Baebel

Super debuts on Pitchfork!

IODA Marketing

Russell's Blog Review


Wednesday 29th July
Hey hey, it’s twee power pop! Which can only be a good thing, seeing how much I love a bit of power pop. OK, Let’s Go might not be knock kneed twee, but it does have its sensitive side. Hey You is where the Pooh Sticks meet The Beach Boys, sun in its heart and a keen way with a melody. Super chirrups by on an organ wave, while In June is a gorgeously strummed indie pop duet, shining brightly. Wild Rice sees them stake a claim to take on The Lucksmiths kings of indie pop mantle, Christopher Wren is another sumptuous jangly popper, but Maybe Pile sees more of the same. The album is becoming a little repetitious, but let’s be honest; the standard is pretty darn good so it doesn’t matter. Maybe Pile is in fact one of the better tracks, with a warm syrupy effect to the singers voice. Lonely Planet channels the spirit of rock n roll through a shaky indie pop tune, rocking from side to side. Camel Cords reminds me of keyboard led sixties garage rock fun, while St Tropez jingles away for a dream of far off places and more fun times. It’s a celebratory penultimate track on a neat album. It would have made a better end than Paperweight, which although decent, is fairly nondescript.
Russell's Blog

RCRD LBL

25th June, 2009
RCRD Label

It's a shame the tour is over..

Going back a couple of weeks...

Agit Reader review

Review is from The Agit Reader website

indie mp-3 Review

Reviews are so exciting! ...
First off, I’d like to do a quick introduction. My name is Doug. I’ll be the new contributor. I’m excited to be here. Like most of you guys, I’ve been following indie-mp3 forever. I’ll try hard to steer you to some great music.

First, let’s start with Summer Cats. This five piece band from Australia is on one of my favorite labels, Slumberland Records. Us bloggers should get together and give Slumberland some sort of award. I don’t think they’ve released a bad record yet this year. So it comes as no surprise to hear me say good things about Summer Cats and their debut album, Songs For Tuesday.
I’ve had the album for a few days now but just now found the time to give it a good listen. The album falls right into place with the sound Slumberland is putting out right now. It’s guitar pop with just a hint of noise pop. The band could never get away with a name like Summer Cats without having summery songs. A lot of their songs have an early 90’s indie sound. You can tell they are influenced by bands like Heavenly. I think one my favorite songs on the album is Wild Rice. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the harmonica. It reminds me of The Housemartins, so that always makes me happy. I think it sounds a little more full than some of the other songs too.

Oh, and go to Slumberland’s website. www.slumberlandrecords.com
They have a picture of the Summer Cat’s vinyl on the main page. I seriously want that thing. It’s awesome looking.

indiemp3

Blurt Online Review

Slumberland Records
www.slumberlandrecords.com
29th July 2009

Had Australia's Summer Cats been around in the early ‘90s ,at the height of the indie pop explosion, they would no doubt have been on one of the trio of Washington, DC area pop labels: Slumberland , Simple Machines or Teen Beat (Simple Machines faded out years ago and Teen Beat, while still active, is much more sporadically releasing records). The Slumberland label, after a move to the west coast in the early ‘90s, is still going strong and this hyperactive pop outfit seems to be a perfect fit on a label that has given us Rocketship, The Ropers, Aislers Set, the early recordings of Velocity Girl and too many others.

From the opening cut of "Let's Go" you know where you're headed, down bumpy road on a sunny day in the old , battered car you love with the windows rolled down and the stereo turned up up up. "Hey You" has this great, jittery, scratchy guitar work while "Super" (and "Christopher Wren") has the same kind of keyboards we fell in love with the first time we heard the Clean's "Tally Ho" and "In June" is a pure janglefest that brings to mind classic early recordings by The Razorcuts and Primal Scream. The sounds here are instantly familiar and while Songs for Tuesdays isn't the most original record you'll hear this year it's a comfortable fit, just like those Bermuda shorts you seem to wear way too often. You know they need a wash every now and again but you don't want to ever take them off.
Standout Tracks: "Maybe Pile", "Super", "In June", "Lonely Planet"

by TIM HINELY

Our Introduction from the Music Slut

18th June 2009
The Music Slut

Some Velvet Blog

Stark Online - Super Vid

Super- Video Clip
13th July 2009

Although we usually like to run these joints on Friday, today seems to be a fairly slow news day and there is a surprising plate of nice videos that have been hitting recently. Even though we really despise the whole cat themed thing (apologies to Karp) we're still making this video from Slumberland artists Summer Cats our lead. Besides their penchant for annoying felines, this band knows how to write a catchy summer pop jam, and in fact wrote a whole album of them. Songs for Tuesdays comes out tomorrow (Tuesday). Hah. Oy.

Our Video is on stark online here

German review!

Beyond Race Magazine


Summer Cats- Songs for Tuesdays
30th July 2009
Sun’s out and surf’s up for Aussie pop quintet Summer Cats’ debut full-length LP, Songs For Tuesdays, which is as cheerful and light hearted as its name suggests. Hailing from Melbourne, Summer Cats have a ’60s beach-pop flavor with hints of shoegaze and rock elements for a more sophisticated, contemporary sound.

Released under Slumberland Records, Songs For Tuesdays seems like the perfect warm weather release even from the initial glance of the tracklist, with song titles such as “In June” and “St. Tropez” (not to mention the band’s name itself). But breezy melodies from “Christopher Wren” and “Wild Rice”—harmonica and all—take the album sailing.

“Lonely Planet,” one of the stronger picks from the album, opens with a rubbery bass that soon gives way to dream-weaving vocals that channel influences like the Beach Boys and contemporary indie rock bands Voxtrot and Phoenix.

Fast paced, mini tracks “Fulton Gurls” and “Super” are each less than two minutes long, but are still full of light summer jamming—something Summer Cats are all about. The nice thing about that is that it makes Songs For Tuesdays an easy, enjoyable listening experience. However, the album lacks depth and growth.

The album’s stunted growth is most clear when you realize the two strongest tracks—“Let’s Go!” and “Hey You”—were both first and second on the album’s set list, respectively. While this gives Songs For Tuesdays a strong start, it also doesn’t provide the rest of the album the opportunity to gain momentum.

The flip side is that for an upbeat party album, Songs For Tuesdays hits all the marks and does everything right. It’s not necessarily a listen for the deep thinker, but there should be at least one song from this band on everyone’s summer play list.

-Matthew Anderson
Beyond Race Magazine