LVL Up | Photo by Megan Lynch
Stream LVL UP’s Three Songs EP, see them at Union Transfer
Purchase, NY slack rockers LVL UP are releasing a three-track EP fittingly titled Three Songs. It follows last year’s spellbinding full-length, Hoodwink’d. These tracks would feel right at home on that last effort, and their darker, swampier tone could qualify as B-sides.
A solitary acoustic riff opens up the first track, “The Closing Door”, but quickly evaporates into full-on fuzz that’s so thick it could hang in the air like a storm cloud. That’s not at all bad, though – the otherwordly shoegazing quality the song takes on is immaculate.
The next track, “Blur”, has an infectious garage-rock tone to it. Sharp double-lead guitars snake their way in between peppy drum fills. “Proven Water Rites” floats by like a lazy river, with droning vocals layered effectively over chunky guitar.
Three Songs doesn’t diverge from LVL UP’s previous work in the slightest, but that’s perfectly OK, because these well-crafted songs have arrived at just the right time of the summer.
LVL UP’s Three Songs EP will be out 9/11 via Run For Cover and Double Double Whammy. If you preorder now, you’ll get all three tracks. The band will also swing by Philly on August 14, supporting punk heavyweights Basement and Adventures. Tour dates below.
Tour Dates:
07/21 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project*
07/22 Columbus, OH @ Ace Of Cups*
07/23 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Upper Room*
07/24 Chicago, IL @ Sub T Lounge*
07/26 Minneapolis, MN @ The Tripple Rock
07/29 Seattle, WA @ The Black Lodge#
07/30 Portland, OR @ Analog#
08/01 – Berkley, CA @ 924 Gilman St&
08/02 Los Angeles, CA @ Mayan Theater&
08/03 Pomona, CA @ VLHS#
08/04 Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory&
08/05 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom&
08/06 Austin, TX @ Mohawk&
08/07 Dallas, TX @ Trees&
08/08 New Orleans, LA @ HOB – The Parish&
08/09 Atlanta, GA @ The Wrecking Ball
08/10 Orlando, FL @ The Beacham^
08/11 Jacksonville, FL @ 1904 Music Hall^
08/12 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle^
08/13 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club^
08/14 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer^
08/16 Boston, MA @ Royale^
08/17 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza^
* w/ Big Ups
# w/ Upset
& w/ Basement, Whirr, Better Off
^ w/ Basement, Adventures, Palehound