Bummer Summer

Flashlights are a rather spectacular band from the decidedly unspectacular Brevard County, Florida. What began as a solo acoustic project for 24-year-old singer/guitarist Terry Caudill in 2007 has added Will Powell on bass and Melissa Hopkins on drums. They made a pretty good record in 2011 called I'm Not Alone and now the new one is called Bummer Summer and it's even better. Produced by Scott Hutchison and Andy Monaghan of Frightened Rabbit, it's full of songs about dead end jobs and lousy living conditions, heartbreaks and hangovers. And, of course, there are also songs about cats. Creaky and hissy, you would be forgiven for confusing it with early Archers of Loaf, Superchunk or Built to Spill. Bummer Summer lives up to its name but it also manages to find hilarity in humility and beauty in the bleak. NOTE: This album will be released on June 24th.