Although we were bummed to hear the news that West Palm Beach shimmering indie pop troupe the Clementines called it quits back in February, the group's talented frontman Andrew Marr assured us that he would be putting together a new outfit called Ski Lodge with a similar post-punk leaning frame of mind. He joined forces with a few friends from New York City and swiftly put out a few tracks--one "A Game," which we reviewed back in March -- that whet our whistle for quirky buoyant indie pop.
Now it seems that Marr has made the Big Apple his permanent home and that move has done him some good. Ski Lodge has just inked a record deal with Dovecote Records, an indie New York-based label which has released records by such notables as the Futureheads, Hooray For Earth and Ed Harcourt.
Marr tells us his has solidified his lineup and they have secured a 3-week residency at Lower East Side's café-cum-live-music- spot Cake Shop starting on September 9. Additionally the band is putting the finishing touches on a yet-to-be- titled four-song debut EP -- due out in September.
"I Would Die to Be," is our first preview of said EP. Following right behind Two Door Cinema Club's nimble guitar work and the Shins' bittersweet melodies, Marr delivers the song crafting goods here. Wearing his penchant for Brit-pop harmony on his sleeve, Marr's voice is pristine as a fresh blanket of snowflakes on a Rocky Mountain top. His lovelorn lyricism -- "I would die to be just someone that you love" - tears a page right from Morrissey's diary.
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