Districts, The

Districts, The

You Know I'm Not Going Anywhere

Fat Possum

***A deeply personal album for bandleader ROB GROTE— all of the songs were written in his bedroom as a means of coping with struggles he was facing at the time with no intention of them putting them on a record. He wound up with 32 songs during that writing session, of which he and the band chose the 11 featured on the new record. The new album was produced by the band and frequent collaborator KEITH ABRAMS and mixed by DAVE FRIDMANN (The Flaming Lips, Spoon, MGMT, Tame Impala). Pressed on bubblegum colored vinyl.

Districts, The

EP

Fat Possum

***REISSUED ON LIMITED EDITION ORANGE VINYL!!! Lancaster County, PA foursome THE DISTRICTS 2014 debut available again. Originally released when the band was fresh out of high school, they first came to nationwide attention when a one-take performance of their track “Funeral Beds” was filmed at a local Philadelphia studio and skyrocketed to the front page of Reddit, with WNYC noting that the song “showcased an impressive knack (for) memorable vocals and for songcraft that starts as introspective indie rock and builds to a climatic wall of noise.” WXPN’s John Vettesse caught their live set, saying “a thundering swell cuts, leaving a clean guitar arpeggio floating in space as ROB GROTE catches his breath; the verses build in waves, with the heaviness sometimes derived just from BRADEN LAWRENCE’s drums. Grote is an intense, emphatic, occasionally bewildering stage presence—he kicks, stomps and snarls, both at the mic and far away—but guitarist MARK LARSON and bassist CONNOR JACOBUS hold their own, shuffling and bobbing and giving the overall band a dynamic stage presence.” Live, The Districts are a force.

Districts, The

Popular Manipulations

Fat Possum

***It’s not uncommon for musicians to grow and evolve between releases—but even by those standards, THE DISTRICTS’ Popular Manipulations is stunning. The Pennsylvania-borne band’s third full-length represents an exponential leap in sound and cohesion, an impressive and impassioned burn with a wide scope that threatens to swallow everything else surrounding it. Perhaps it’s a cliché to say so, but while listening, you might find yourself wondering why people don’t make indie rock like this anymore. The distinctly intense sound of Popular Manipulations—charging guitars, thunderous drumming, and ROB GROTE's searing vocals—was brought on by a few cited influences, from shoegaze’s aggressive swirl to the Velvet Underground’s impeccable drone-rock sound. But don’t mistake easy comparisons for a lack of originality: on Popular Manipulations, the District are in a lane entirely their own, exploring lyrical themes of isolation and abandonment in a way that ups the music’s already highly charged emotional quotient.

Districts, The

A Flourish and a Spoil

Fat Possum

***THE DISTRICTS deliver raw, rollicking power on A Flourish And A Spoil. JOHN CONGLETON (St. Vincent, Angel Olsen, Swans) produced/engineered/mixed the album at Seedy Underbelly Studio (formerly Pachyderm Studio) in Cannon Falls, MN. The resulting 10 tracks capture the boisterous live performances from the quartet, who are all between 19 and 20 years old. The Guardian UK says, “The Districts will be your new favourite band.” The four-piece band formed in 2009 while the members were still in high school in Lancaster County, PA. A Flourish And A Spoil features singer/guitarist ROB GROTE’s vocals front and center, combining equal parts ferocity and yearning as when he reflects on leaving behind suburban childhood on “Suburban Smell.” The Districts have toured with bands including Deer Tick, White Denim, Dr. Dog and Temples and won over fans on both sides of the pond with 2014 sets at Lollapalooza, ACL and Reading Festival, among others.