French Kicks kick again

"On this record, we hoped to capture the joy of friends playing together in a relaxed way. We used a lot of first and second takes and tried to preserve a sense of immediacy and discovery that comes from putting things down before you really have a chance to think too hard. It's bolder, and at the same time more intimate, than anything we've done."

-Josh Wise, French Kicks' guitarist/vocalist

The French Kicks are not new to the scene, but with the release of Swimming, they've created perhaps their best album yet. I know that's a pretty heavy boast, and not one that I make lightly, but ever since I first spun the album, it's hooked me. As with their previous work, the album is very strongly percussively driven. The beat is strong and central to driving most of the tracks on the album. Not only is that beat ever present, but the album as a whole sounds, and feels, fuller, more complex, more complete. I enjoyed Two Thousand, but I'm LOVING Swimming. There's a lot of really catchy material here - and I don't mean in a Macarena kind of way.

It's already out digitally, but you'll have to wait until May 20th to pick up a physical version.



French Kicks - Abandon : Swimming

French Kicks - Carried Away : Swimming

and a few older ones:

French Kicks - A Delicate Hang : Roller EP

French Kicks - Knee High : Daytrotter Session

Visit their website, their label Vagrant Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Upcoming Tour Dates

4/15 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
4/24 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
4/25 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
4/26 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
4/27 Asheville, NC @ Bald Eagle
5/15 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
5/16 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
5/18 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
5/19 Sacramento, CA @ Blue Lamp
5/22 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
5/23 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah