[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e’re not exactly sure if Providence rock band NORTHERN LANDS are Boston Bruins fans, but it is rather suspicious that they released new record He Took A Dive right in the middle of our city’s NHL playoff match-up against Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
Brilliantly-timed critique of hockey’s golden child whiner or not (spoiler alert, it’s really about the dive bars in PVD), the new LP is out today on iTunes and Spotify, and to celebrate, Vanyaland is offering up standout single “Burnside” (definitely not about hack hockey writer Scott) for free download.
The track sails along with a jangle-pop ease until vocalist Joshua Cournoyer’s gruff vocals tear through the speakers with an impassioned howl about apparitions and abandoned mansions. “Burnside” explodes when Cournoyer gets going, and the band’s musical template of gritty blues and alternative-rock suits the vocalist’s ravaging approach.
DOWNLOAD: Northern Lands “Burnside” [mp3]
If the band’s music elicits the sound of empty beer bottles and boozy late nights around seaside towns, that’s by design. Northern Lands also just launched a craft lager in their name with Providence’s Revival Brewing Co. Naturally, growlers are on the way.
But now with their record release party in the rear-view (it went down this past weekend at the Met in Providence, which was also filmed for a PBS special Meet Met At The Met airing this fall including Brown Bird and Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons), Northern Lands look forward to a string of live dates around New England this summer. We’ll post a Boston date as soon as its announced…
June 9: Old Port Fest, Portland, ME Dispatch Magazine Stage
June 29: Pints For Paws, Nick-A-Nees, Providence, RI with The Rice Cakes
July 5: Ocean Mist, Matunuck, RI with Rustic Overtones