Like a Drew in Headlights

You want something spunky? Or maybe just something surprising. Headlights is band I've now come full circle on. "Tokyo" was my intro to them (from 2004's The Enemies EP), making me uber-excited for 2006's debut LP Kill Them With Kindness, which passed through my brain with little catching, mostly because nothing was as good as "Tokyo". I chalked them up as another flash in the pan and forgot about them until their 2007 EP of live b-sides, which included a re-release of "Tokyo" and a few other great tracks including "Owl Eyes" and "This One". Now back in my peripheral consciousness, the band's new record drops February 19th, set to finally realize the potential they showed back in 2004.

It's fairly difficult to compare Headlights to anyone without mentioning the fairly obvious Metric/Stars parallel, most evident when the girl/boy vocals are prominent. But this band somehow seems older, a little more resistant to that mold. They've continued to refine and refocus their vision into something that cuts a little deeper. Something more classic. It jangles more. It channels more of a timeless pop sound than contemporary. There's a little bit of '60s Paris hidden away underneath. Some CSN&Y harmonies and acoustic dueling.

Some Racing, Some Stopping is a little two-piece of nostalgic pop, woven with the thread of today's fashion, stone-washed and sun-kissed. Polyvinyl has done it again.

2.17 Nashville, TN The End
2.18 Athens, GA Caledonia Lounge
2.19 Mt. Pleasant, SC Village Tavern
2.20 Norfolk, VA The Boot
2.21 Arlington, VA IOTA

"If home is where the heart is, then home is here."

Listen:
Get Your Head Around It
[from Some Racing, Some Stopping (out 2.19)|buy]
This One (live on WIUX)
[from Friends and Loves|buy]
Tokyo
[from The Enemies EP|buy]