CD: 2-124860
RELEASED: 2007
LABEL: Great Society

01. Waiting On The Stairs
02. Lost To The Lonesome
03. Drop Me Off
04. Trouble With River Cities, The
05. Cavalry
06. Song Writes Itself
07. Your Desert's Not A Desert At All
08. Tenement Teeth
09. Rooftops - (Moth Song Outro)
10. Anytown Graffiti
11. 7th And 17th

Limited Edition digipack.

Pela has been making a name for themselves over the last couple of years and have just completed their first full length, Anytown Graffiti. The album commences with 'Waiting On The Stairs', a tune full of blaring guitar riffs, and a Walkmen-esque bassline alongside howls of 'I've become your enemy' a la The Constantines. Vocally, lead singer Bill McCarthy's voice is most reminiscent of a cross between Stellastarr*'s Shawn Christensen, Interpol's Paul Banks and Razmig Tekeyan of The Search. Yet the ambition in those comparisons is more than met by the music, which is charming, humble, passionate, and achingly sad all at once. Every song captures a little slice of American life, from the dullness of the small city to the lofty vision of war to the big dreams of those stuck in limbo. Every song has an elegiac, wistful feel. It always perfectly complements the music, whose melodies propel forward with heavy bass lines and powerful drumming. Whereas their previous EPs/demos hinted at greatness, this album surely delivers it. It's clear that Pela are a force to be reckoned with.

Influences / Similar Artists:
The Search, Stellastarr, Interpol, Elefant, The Stills, The Arcade Fire