Song of the Day: Eagulls - Skipping

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is "Skipping" by Eagulls from their forthcoming album, Ullages, due May 13 on Partisan Records.

Eagulls - Skipping (MP3)

We love the fucking Eagulls! You'll never want to change the channel when KEXP is playing Eagulls. Of course, we're talking "gull" Eagulls, as in the British band. On the release of their self-titled debut, just over two years ago, Eagulls landed in KEXP's heavy rotation, thrilling us with their darkly aggressive post-punk sound. Songs like "Tough Luck", "Possessed" and "Nerve Endings" buzzed and sawed ferociously while somehow still maintaining their buoyant pop hooks. While those songs referred rather directly to predecessors like Echo & The Bunnymen, My Bloody Valentine and Bauhaus (respectively), an edgy punk paranoia pervaded them all. But from the two new songs we've heard so far - "Lemontrees" and "My Life in Rewind" - their soon to be released sophomore LP, Ullages, looks to find Eagulls diving further into the glimmering depths of early new wave, with classic 4AD bands and The Cure, circa Pornography and The Top, making easy reference points.

Today's featured song, "Skipping", further defines Ullages' more melodic intent, though it's no less potent than any song they've written so far. As on all these songs so far, bassist Tom Kelly immediately propels the song forward, fueled further by drummer Henry Ruddell's driving beats. Guitarists Mark Goldsworthy and Liam Matthews chime as much as buzz their way through the melodies, forming a gauzy haze rather than a barbed one (though I'd still watch my fingers here!). And vocalist George Mitchell no longer strangles his words but loudly, and lyrically, laments like a young Robert Smith. If the primary fear conveyed in "Skipping" is not sounding like a broken record, then Eagulls certainly have avoided that with their forthcoming LP. Though Ullages may be named for a term that refers to an item's contents that are missing, the album is clearly brimming with a reinvigorated sound.

This Spring, Eagulls are performing mostly around the U.K., with one appearance in Brooklyn at the Rough Trade shop on May 9th, just before the album is released on May 13. The band will likely tour the U.S. some time after that, so keep an eye on their website and Facebook page for updates. For now, here's the single they released last month from Ullages: