Summer Hours
New York City, New York, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
[Summer Hours] are two boys and a one girl from Brooklyn who are making slowcore…the easy guitar driven music that is a bit typical American in where unexpected guitar riffs meet sleazy pop. Because of the vocals you will refer it a bit to Blonde Redhead. There is a sort of Sonic Youth pattern in it—think of Arab Strap with Kim Gordon as their singer. [Summer Hours] is an underground band doing their own thing, and that's praised by zines and underground movements. Noisecore for the softhearted!!!
- Dreams Never End
With its carefully layered melodies and confessional lyrics it demands your full attention. Commands, rather, because more than anything, “Summer” compares to an intimate chat between friends. It's soothing and comfortable, requires careful listening, and inspires deep interest.
- Splendid
Smart, warm, and achingly beautiful, Brooklyn trio [Summer Hours] shows how craftsmanship and collaboration in songwriting and recording are supposed to work. There is refreshing innocence and honesty in the boy/girl vocal interplay that rings pitch perfect in its sweet simplicity. There is a little piece of heaven in each of these five songs, with melodies and dreamy imagery as easy to slip into as your coziest cashmere sweater…I will be listening to this EP for months.
- The Deli magazine
[Summer Hours] touches your indie pop heart with simple but smart songs... Its heartfelt, harmonic, and guitar bright, but still in tune with the dark. Bring on an LP!
- The Big Takeover
"Summer is aptly named. The album-opener "Surround" leaves valuable room in the mix for the ever intensifying simplicity of Mike's guitars to work some wonderfully restrained magic. Rachel and Eric's vocals here come off more like intense poetry reading than actual singing, which adds to the subtle urgency that "Surround" carries as a whole. This track manages to float away way too soon with every listen. Songs like "Sound Machine" fall somewhere between Television and Low on the 'sounds like' scale. "Paperwhites" closes Summer, led by more of Rachel's stark vocals and some really nice lead-ish guitar parts. Recommended for fans of lazy pop sound." - Delusions of Adequacy
"Absolutely charming. An exercise in restraint: indie pop that is highlighted by vocal harmones, subtle songwriting, and smart guitar playing. You'll listen to the album and want to have the band over for dinner." - Suite 101
Discography
Summer - LP - Contraphonic Records
Inside Out - EP - Technical Echo Records
Alone Together - LP - Technical Echo Records
coming soon:
re-mastered versions of the above to be released on
Deep Elm Records
Photos
Bio
Summer Hours (formerly known as La Pieta) was formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, NY. Rachel and Mike, friends since college, were looking for a way to combine his punk background and her classical piano training. What they came up with sounds like neither one. "Fractured pop" is the one term that's been used that seems to fit the best. Working their way through the New York City music scene (Knitting Factory, Mercury Lounge, Northsix, etc.) helped them solidify a sound that combined her deceptively simple vocal melodies with his unconventional approach to the guitar. Following the release of their record "Summer" and their EP "Inside Out" Griffin joined on drums, bringing a new perspective to this indie-pop power trio. Since officially adopting the name "Summer Hours" (a long story which actually involves a collective of Canadian female violinists, whose numbers were far too vast to be reckoned with) Chris has been added on organ and guitar. The now 4-piece band has continued to follow its own path; mixing quiet, intelligent ballads with upbeat songs reminiscent of the early 90's "college rock" scene.
Summer Hours is:
Rachel Dannefer on vocals and bass
Mike Bliss on guitar
Griffin Richardson on drums
Chris Gullian on organ and guitar
Links
