LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts/ Help Records) - ACUTE will release their first full-length album ARMS AROUND A STRANGER May 1 on indie Help Records.
The acclaimed Los Angeles band-vocalist/guitarist ISAAC LEKACH (formerly of Poulain) and drummer PATRICK EDWARDS (ex-Ozma)-build on their relationship with producer Dave Trumfio (Wilco, My Morning Jacket) who worked with them on 2006's Selections EP, which "maintains an impressive flair for songcraft" (Washington Post, 12/1/06) and featured "...a jittery, energetic pop sound, casually sophisticated and catchy" (Patriot Ledger, 11/30/06).
Look for ACUTE to head to Austin to perform during the SXSW festival for Paste magazine's annual party on Friday, March 16 at the Belmont Restaurant & Lounge (305 W 6th St., set time 2:00 PM) alongside Lovedrug, Denison Witmer and Chase Pagan.
ARMS AROUND A STRANGER expands on the group's EP by utilizing pedal steel guitars, piano, strings and a horn section to fashion their finely etched landscapes of sound.
"I think it's kind of boring when bands write the same song over and over again," vocalist/guitarist ISAAC LEKACH explains when asked about the sonic diversity of ACUTE-and it shows.
Album opener "You Want It? Take It! It's Yours!" features soaring falsetto vocals and tasteful horn flourishes; "The City" is a driving power-pop number with distortion-laden guitars and a Ric Ocasek sensibility, while "Take A Step Back" contains angular indie-rock instrumentation and painfully honest lyrics like, "I can't love you if you're never coming back."
Recorded over a three-month period in 2006, ARMS AROUND A STRANGER was a collaborative effort with Trumfio that helped ACUTE fully- realize their potential.
"He understood what we were going for with all of our songs because he's a really good pop songwriter," ISAAC explains. Trumfio also enlisted Jason Borger aka "The Professor" who contributed string arrangements for the likes of American Music Club, Earlimart and Portastatic. Borger, who has since become a touring keyboardist for the band, wrote all of the album's horn and string arrangements that give standout tracks "Rush To It" and "When We're Alone" an orchestral push.
After forming less than three years ago, ACUTE is already making a name for themselves on the concert trail, touring with like-minded artists such as Copeland, The Appleseed Cast and Owen on last Fall's Death & Taxes tour. The group will soon announce a U.S. tour.
