Streets Of Laredo - Volume I & II

Brooklyn-based, New Zealanders Streets Of Laredo have announced their first full-length album, 'Volume I & II' via Dine Alone Records. Destined to be a soundtrack for spring, this album is a sing-a-long collision of jangling harmonies, stomping percussion, horns and guitars.

Founded by close-knit family members Daniel, Dave and Sarahjane Gibson and inspired by the fervour and madness of the 70's folk-rock circuit, Streets Of Laredo was born out of trying to escape the mundane everyday working life. Quickly adding fellow countryman Thom Darlow and local Brooklynites Sean McMahon and Andrew McGovern to the mix, this now rambling, multi-instrumental, seven-piece started to craft a dance-inducing mix of vocal hooks, beats and wild sounds that saw the New York music scene embrace them as their own, building a firm reputation in the music halls of Brooklyn and the Lower East Side for playing danceable, crazy songs that kept fans coming back for more - not to mention seeing the band feted as a must-see act at both CMJ and SXSW. A quick trip back to New Zealand saw the band record the bones of 'Volume I & II' - ten songs inspired by their old life in NZ and their new life in NYC - in an old converted Auckland theatre where, courtesy of friendships and favors, they locked down that distinctive Streets Of Laredo sound.

However you describe it, the resulting songs and sound of 'Volume I & II' have had an instant effect on fans and critics alike, with widely hailed comparisons to Arcade Fire, Edward Sharpe and even 'The Lumineers on Acid' being mentioned. Add to that sound a mesmerizing stage show featuring multiple stand-up drummers, horn players, guitars in every corner of the stage, weird home-made instruments and five-part harmonies, and it's easy to see why Streets Of Laredo won the AAA category of the world-wide Unsigned Artists competition and were feted as a must-see band at 2013's CMJ Music Marathon in NYC.

Like Bob Dylan running late to a Ramones concert or Paul Simon getting blind drunk with Grizzly Bear, however you describe them the resulting songs and sound have had an instant effect on fans and critics alike.