TO ME, DEATH IS NOT A FEARFUL THING. IT'S LIVING THAT'S TREACHEROUS.

THE CULTS.

Like The Record Summer post, here is some more music that caught my ear... And in the same fashion, not generally the typical material we usually share on this blog... But definitely worth the listen for those who like to expand their musical appetites.

There's more information on the wrapper of a candy bar than there is on the Internet about Cults. The band's got an un-Googleable name and no MySpace page in sight. They do, however, have a sparse BandCamp page, where their first 7" is listed for release on December 23, 2012. We have discovered that they are a boy/girl duo, that live in New York, and that they are both film students. And we know that they have a killer song on that 7" called "Go Outside".

The song's opening suggests that Cults have a slightly sinister sense of humor. Where the title suggests fresh air and a proactive trip into the sunshine, we first hear a quote from the ultimate cult leader, Jonestown figurehead Jim Jones: "To me, death is not a fearful thing. It's living that's treacherous." What follows, though, is pure butter: "Go Outside" has the innocent and balmy feel that brings to mind Swedish indie pop, with a tinkling glockenspiel cutting through humidity, an appealingly lazy bass line, and joyous sing-along vocals. But for all its simplicity, there's some deep feeling coarsing through "Go Outside", and Cults transcend the song's Free Design-inspired 1960s pop origins. "You really want to hole up/ You really want to stay inside and sleep the light away," the song chides, surrounding the voices in enveloping reverb, before following with, "I know what's good/ Exactly 'cause I have been there before." And then it takes you there.