FEELIES,THE - In Between (Sealed) (CD)

In the midst of multiple events celebrating their 40th Anniversaryas a band, New Jersey-based avant-pop pioneers the Feelies found time to record In Between their first new studio album in over 6 years. The album was produced by the group’s guitarists, Glenn Mercer and Bill Million with most of the recording done at Glenn’s home studio in Haledon, NJ. and will be released February 24 on the Bar/None label. The twin-guitar attack of songwriters and founders Mercer and Million is still at the core of the group’s infectious sound paired with the driving rhythmic team of drummer Stan Demeski and percussionist Dave Weckerman, with Brenda Sauter’s bass guitar proving a rock solid foundation. In Between finds them bringing fresh sonic manoeuvers into the mix that make it both the quietest and most furious music they’ve created in their long and vaunted career. Glenn Mercer told Impose Magazine: “On the new record we did a lot of it at my house in my home studio with extra equipment, explains Glenn Mercer. “It’s the same room where we rehearsed. We’ve been here since we reformed and a little bit prior to taking the hiatus in the 90’s. So it’s a room we’re really familiar with and feel comfortable in. We also did some recording at an engineer’s studio, so it was all done very low key. We refer to it as “off the clock” when you’re not paying an hourly rate, so in that sense it was a lot more relaxed. I don’t think anyone would notice a drastic change in the sound or the vibe of the record. I think it sounds a lot more relaxed and laid back.” “I think all of our albums reflect a certain degree of reaction to the work that we previously did and In Between is no exception,” continues Bill Million. “We liked the sounds and the feel of the demos for this album and we thought it would be difficult to capture that in a recording studio. So that was our starting point and it evolved in a much more relaxed way that loaned itself to more creative interplay. Time wasn’t a component. If you let it, music can take on a life of its own and we wanted to allow the songs to develop with that idea in mind.”