Winterpills - Love Songs (2016)

Dennis Crommett (guitar), Dave Hower (drums), Philip Price (vocals/guitar), and Flora Reed (vocals/keyboards) create the haunting melodies of Winterpills. The Northampton, Massachusetts, quartet initially came together in winter 2003; Crommett and Price, whose résumés include time spent playing with Spanish for Hitchhiking and the Maggies, respectively, were looking to expand their acoustic jam sessions into something bigger, thus bringing on Hower (Spanish for Hitchhiking, Vatican Commandos, the Neilds). Folkie singer/songwriter Reed, who made her solo debut with 2002's Settle Down, joined in early 2004, making Winterpills official. Their self-titled debut for Signature Sounds arrived in 2005, and press outlets such as NPR's Weekend Edition and XM Radio's The Loft championed the Winterpills' dreamy, delicate indie rock stylings. Shows with the likes of Erin McKeown, the Mountain Goats, Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, and Martha Wainwright also rounded out the band's promotion for Winterpills. Often channeling influence Elliott Smith, their second offering for Signature Sounds, The Light Divides, arrived in 2007, and their third full-length, Central Chambers, followed in 2008. In 2010, they released an EP titled Tuxedo of Ashes, and the slightly more muscular, richly arranged All My Lovely Goners appeared in early 2012. The band continued to perform live, accumulating support spots for acts including Cake, Vampire Weekend, St. Vincent, Josh Ritter, and Fountains of Wayne. After adding Max Germer to the lineup on bass, the band's fifth LP, Echolalia, was released in late 2014. An earnest covers album, it featured songs by Nick Drake, Sharon Van Etten, Matthew Sweet, the Beatles, Beck, Buddy Holly, and more. The band then hit the studio with producer/engineer Justin Pizzoferrato (Pixies, Dinosaur Jr.) for their sixth long player, which was expected in 2016. ~ MacKenzie Wilson & Marcy Donelson.