November 7, 2020

New releases: The Toms 1979 Sessions LP + cassettes from The Cowboys and Star Party

The Toms - The 1979 Sessions LP

2020 has been full of curveballs. I suppose that getting to work with a Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer wasn't exactly on my to-do list when the year began... Well, I'm beyond thrilled to announce that Feel It will be issuing The Toms 1979 Sessions as an LP on November 20th! Preorders are live now. Any powerpop aficionados out there will be quick to recognize the name - and really, The Toms belong in the same school as recognized classics like The Nerves and Dwight Twilley. The true story of the The Toms begins one New Jersey weekend in 1979, when a young Tommy Marolda was privy to a weekend of discounted studio time after another group's last-minute cancelation. It seems incredulous - but Tom wrote, arranged, played every instrument, engineered, and produced the session. He chose 12 songs to release as a self-titled LP on his Black Sheep label, which was released later in '79 and is a widely-regarded classic of the genre. Little did anyone know, Tom recorded enough material to fill three full lengths. A few of these extra tracks trickled out over the years, but in 2019 Tom found another reel of material, which yielded 14 completely unheard gems. Aside from a short run CD and digital release, the 1979 Sessions haven't truly had their time to shine - and that's where Feel It has stepped in to issue a proper LP. I feel like Tom embodies the DIY spirit and songwriting/production quality that has become synonymous with this label over the past decade, and I'm not only happy to now call Tom my friend, but to be trusted with issuing this album on vinyl for the first time. Listen on Bandcamp. We've pressed up 200 on limited edition red vinyl, 500 on black, AND Tom has granted us the rights to print the first-ever official Toms t-shirts, using the classic design from the self-titled LP, available in both regular and ringer options.

The Cowboys - Lovers in Marble EP

Hopefully this is the kick you need to start your week - because The Cowboys are back with a new EP! This is their fifth release on Feel It, and honestly might just be my favorite batch of songs they've turned in yet. Lovers in Marble is available to preorder on cassette and enjoy in it's entirety on all digital platforms. We're also happy to be offering an exclusive run of Cowboys t-shirts and a brand new fourth pressing of The Bottom of a Rotten Flower on LP. Here's what I had to say about the new EP: "Continuing on in their ever-prolific and sensational run of releases, The Cowboys are back with five tracks of pure analog gold on "Lovers in Marble". Recorded by the band in Cincinnati and mixed with John Hoffman (Vacation), this EP finds The Cowboys as cool and collected as ever, with Keith Harman's driving piano lines and vocal range atop the mix. It's quite the divine distillation of garage pop melody, (think 'Loaded' era VU, Walker Brothers, or Emitt Rhodes) given a sinister coating of The Kinks and Syd Barrett, curious production flourishes intact. The Cowboys have truly spent their quarantine days well, pairing brilliant pop compositions with some of the best instrumentation and recording quality across their ever-expanding discography. "Lovers in Marble" is a pivotal Cowboys release, perhaps their most accessible, but also most refined piece of work yet. A perfect sonic respite from the long, dark days of 2020."

Star Party - Demo 2020

Welcome aboard Star Party! We're excited to be releasing the demo cassette + digital for this new Washington group featuring some familiar faces in the ranks. Star Party is a new Washington State group formed during the quarantine days of 2020. Carrie Brennan, Ian Corrigan (Gen Pop, Vexx), and Sophie Hendry (Firewalker, Leather Daddy) have joined forces to create something new - a sound they proclaim as "saturated, misty coastal rock". Their four track demo is comprised of two originals and covers of Shop Assistants and Cher (by way of Bob Dylan). It's a sound that draws inspiration from eighties Scottish punk and noisy American dream pop of the nineties, with a dash of Seamus Heaney and Alex Taylor hanging in White Sands, New Mexico for lyrical inspiration. Star Party have turned in a curious and compelling set of pop tunes on this 2020 demo and are already hard at work on new material for the brighter days ahead.