Since their debut EP, 2008’s Recordings of The Middle East, the Australian band The Middle East has generated giant buzz through international touring and high profile gigs at festivals like Bonnaroo, Coachella, Glastonbury, and Sasquatch. Now the band is out with their lush, lovely new full-length I Want That You are Always Happy, and it is already garnering praise. The seven piece collective’s sound, which is a spare type of orchestral indie pop with traces of rock and folk, is often compared to a cross between Sigur Rós and the Fleet Foxes. While their single “Blood” from the EP is bringing the band great publicity with its prominent placement in this summer rom-com hit Crazy Stupid Love, I Want That You Are Always Happy is a gorgeous album in its own right that will win listeners over. If you haven’t heard them yet, make a point of checking them out – you will wish you had done it sooner. – Written by SMarx
SIMILAR | The Antlers, Bon Iver, Boy & Bear, Grouplove, James Vincent McMorrow