The right way to do Monday
Since MFR has been around for a minute (actually, we're coming up on two years in a week or two), we can look back at some of the older posts, and track where the bands are going as they progress and release new material.
I first posted a track by Pela last May, when they were going to play the Cinco de Mayo party we cosponsored with the super-rad 'Sup Magazine. The song ("Episodes") was from their first release, the All In Time EP, released by our friends at Brassland. The record is really great rock music, full of ringing guitars, a driving rhythm section, and singer Billy McCarthy's amazing vocals that are just big and powerful as he is. The only problem with it is its brevity, at just over a quarter of an hour, every time I listen to it I wish there was more.
Well, that is going to change soon: we can see where Pela are going with their new stuff, of which we're getting just a taste now. Their new record is finally nearing completion, and while they don't have a release-date for it, we have a title, Exit Columbia Street, and we can almost certainly expect it later this year. On their website, you can hear this song, as well as a stream of another solid track, "Tenement Teeth". I think they've managed to refine their sound to a purity that they'd never been able to reach before, and the new tracks sound as close to their "live" sound as I've heard - Pela playing live, which I've seen a handful of times now, is really great - the band is a tightly wound ball of energy that, when paired with their infectious pop joy, is a real pleasure to behold.
So, with that in mind, I'll also tell you they have a month-long residency here in NYC at the Delancey, and they're playing every Monday night around 9pm. Like many of you, I hate Mondays, let me tell you, so I can't think of a better way to start off a week than seeing Pela perform.
See you there.