Field Mouse new album 'Episodic' due 5 August 2016

Album release: 'Episodic' by Field Mouse
Release date: 5 August 2016
Label: Topshelf Records
More info: Band website

If 2014's 'Hold Still Life' was the fruition of Field Mouse's evolution from a fiery two-piece in to a fully-fledged band, then new album 'Episodic' is the letting go; the abandonment of past persuasions for something altogether more untamed. Where the band's initial work was self-recorded, by founding members Rachel Browne and Andrew Futral, the new record signifies the first time that the quintet has composed an album together from start-to-finish - and the result is a record that feels altogether more defined.

Recorded in Philadelphia with Hop Along's Joe Reinhart, and written through a twelve month period which delivered sudden family illness and a deteriorating relationship, Episodic is fashioned from ten feverish bouts of guitar-pop; led by Browne's fearsome and fearless vocal and informed by an instrumental backing that underpins the entire record with a vibrant concoction of guitar, drums and keys.

Showcasing the band's ability to switch between mood and tone, the record shifts from the spiky immediacy of tracks such as Accessory and A Widow With A Terrible Secret, to the more spacious moments, such as monumental centre-piece Beacon, without ever losing sight of the scuzzy, melodic pop songs that remain Field Mouse's distinct forte.  

Featuring guest turns from Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz), Allison Crutchfield (Swearin'/Waxahatchee) and Joseph D'Agostino (Cymbals Eat Guitars),

'Episodic' is the sound of a fully-realized band truly coming in to their own; honest, direct and immensely powerful.

Field Mouse is Rachel Browne (vocals/guitar), Andrew Futral (guitar), Saysha Heinzman (bass), Tim McCoy (drums), Zoë Browne (synth/rhodes/vocals).

Press reaction to date

"With a vintage sound boasting raw post-punk, finely juxtaposed with Rachel Browne's delicate vocals, Field Mouse manage assured nods at the likes of The Cure and Elastica" - NME

"Field Mouse make a tougher and shoegazier racket than the fey-pop of their similarly-named forebears. They also, on Two Ships, nod to ‘90s indie-dance, which will appeal to those who dream of Sarah Cracknell of St Etienne cooing wistfully with Republic-era New Order." –The Guardian

"[Field Mouse] shimmer like Velocity Girl used to do back in the early ’90s..." - Stereogum