ARMY OF SUMMER, THE - S/T (12" EP Lathe Cut)

ARMY OF SUMMER, THE - S/T (12" EP Lathe Cut)

Snappy Little Numbers

  • $19.00


Back in 2008, Tommy Ventura had a plan. Ever since the late 90’s, he had been wood-shedding several song ideas. When the tunes started taking shape, he was living in Urbana, IL and playing in a band called Jagtown with Mikey Ricketts of Planes Mistaken for Stars. That outfit wasn’t the right home for the songs and life continued. Skipping ahead a few years to 2004, Tommy had relocated to Denver, CO and was playing in a band called Ghost Buffalo. Planes Mistaken For Stars had moved to Denver a few years prior and Mikey Ricketts was drumming in Ghost Buffalo while his Planes bandmate Matt Bellinger played guitar and lead the group the few months out of the year Planes wasn’t burning up the highway. Tommy played bass and fit in perfectly at the time. After a demo and a debut album, Tommy was feeling the pull of working on his own material. The song ideas he had been sitting on had additional company, so it was time to figure out exactly what he wanted to do with them. He had decided he was staying in Denver and had made several excellent friendships that would prove pivotal to this story. Fast forward to 2008 and Tommy had made his plan - Finish arranging the songs with a band he hand-selected, play a few shows and record. Tommy just wanted to do the project for one summer, so he chose a band name that would leave little doubt as to what his intentions were - The Army Of Summer. With his stint in Ghost Buffalo and friendship with Planes, Tommy was rich in talented friends and the lineup came together very quickly. Once in place, the band achieved all of the modest goals that Tommy had laid out and by 2009, The Army Of Summer was no longer active. The recordings made the rounds on burned CD’s between friends and was a very fond memory for those involved as well as the friends that followed the group from inception to retirement. After that, life once again continued. Now it’s 2021. SLN head honcho and one-show fill-in drummer for The Army Of Summer, Chuck Coffey, was chatting with Tommy and asked what ever happened to the original recordings that he himself had on an aforementioned burned CD. The original recording engineer, Trevor McMorris (who played sax in TAOS, are you sensing a theme?) still had the files. Chuck thought the recordings needed a proper release and Tommy agreed. Tommy selected four tracks to get brushed up via light remixing and mastering. The result is a stunning display of pseudo-progressive indie rock that leans heavily on Americana while incorporating the brighter elements of baroque pop. What does all that really mean? It means the music is timeless. With the song germs dating back 22+ years yielding a final product that still sounds as fresh and relevant as it did in 2008, timeless isn’t even remotely hyperbolic. Now any interested party can finally hear the music that was a lifetime in the making. It’s going to sound just as good 22+ years from now as well.

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Tracklist

A
1. Just Like Mercury
2. The Empress
3. Noah Die
4. See Your Face
B
Stamped & Numbered

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Product Highlights

• Clear Vinyl
• Includes Download
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