CD of The Week

The Districts do it again with the release of their debut for Fat Possum Records, A Flourish and a Spoil. The quartet, though only in their early 20’s, sound like they have been playing together forever. They've come a long way from a high school band in a small town to the release of this album, produced by Jon Congleton (whose recent work includes albums from St. Vincent and Angel Olsen, as well as fellow Philly artist Strand of Oaks).

Wholly, A Flourish and a Spoil is about life, loss, and transition and they sound wise beyond their years. The guys sing about their hometown of Lititz, PA; life in a larger city (Philadelphia); and the ups and downs of being an independent, touring band, creating a raw and heartfelt record. While some of their earlier, self-released output veered towards the folksy, the band has really beefed up their sound here and are sounding more akin to Philly's elder-statesmen Dr. Dog, with whom The Districts toured last year.

The record opens with the stellar track, "4th and Roebling," a super catchy song about two people living together, but separate lives and all the various changes they have had to deal with. The subject matter is something that any listener can relate to: very real and raw, about heartfelt emotions and life situations. "Peaches" is another standout track, almost reminiscent of a more garage rock-tinged Dawes; while the soft, acoustic ambiance of "Suburban Smell" brings upon the early coffeehouse beginnings of the band and the desire to just wanting to break out of a small town scene into a larger audience.

If you look at the band as a whole, with this record being only their second full length, and first on a major indie record label, The Districts appear to have a bright future ahead of them in the indie rock world. A Flourish and a Spoil is solid, catchy indie rock with a folk edge to it. The band doesn’t try to be anything that they’re not and the record speaks for itself.

Hear The Districts take over Y-Not Radio this Friday at 1pm or 10pm, before they play a sold out show at Union Transfer on Saturday night!