I was recently told that if I hadn’t heard of Family Of The Year (I hadn’t) then I should put them on my radar. Well, consider that done. I just spent a good chunk of my Saturday morning listening to their musical offerings, and am pretty stoked on this band.
Fans of Family Of The Year say their music has a “feel good summer sound,” and it’s hard to deny that their upbeat, pop tunes are anything less than fun. Listen to “Stupidland” and tell me you don’t hear hints of that hand clapping, lyric shouting, folksy goodness you’d find in bands like I’m From Barcelona and Edward Sharpe. Family Of The Year can be diverse though, and the song “Psyche or Like Scope” (bonus track below) from their first EP Where’s the Sun proves that they can throw a synth-y keyboard in the mix without overdoing it.
The Los Angeles-based toured with Edward Sharpe (duh) to promote their November 2009 full-length album Songbook. They’ve been gaining popularity in the UK and Europe, and we all know that musical trends start there, right? Currently, they’re working on their next album, release date TBD. In the meantime, check out this album and their second EP Through The Trees here (it’s only $4. I mean, come on).