This music is so happy and uplifting I'm Crying.

Crying, photo by Adam Kolodny

Been digging through a couple 2016 releases that trickled in after I finished my list, and stumbled across the new album from Crying, Beyond The Fleeting Gates. I have no idea where it came from—I just scoured my inbox trying to figure out who sent it to me but there is no sign of the original email that accompanied the album—but hey, you can take that as proof that I really do try and listen to just about everything sent my way regardless of who the band knows or uses as a publicist!

So this album I a blast. It is really bouncy power-pop, and while the employ a healthy dose of synths, the guitars are big and monstrous on just about every song. I mean, the whole thing is unexpectedly solid and fun, with sweet vocals that immediately won me over (and had just a touch of that same combo of innocence and experience that Damone channeled a few years ago). At time the tunes are a little over the top, but in all the right ways.

And thank goodness I stumbled across this when I did because as luck would have it the band is actually on tour now (and hits The Metro in Chicago on on March 2)!

Stream the album below, and as usual if you like it as much as I did I think you’ll happily throw the band a few bucks to download it.