Math And Physics Club - In This Together (2016)

Longtime fans know that Math and Physics Club have never been ones to stash away their lesser material on EPs and b-sides. Some would argue that many of their best songs over the past decade have appeared on exclusive EPs and vinyl-only singles, which is why this collection of non-album tracks plays like one of the band’s finest full length albums, and works equally well for completists and as a starting point for new fans.

The songs here are carefully presented in reverse chronological order, starting with the stunning new track “Coastal California, 1985” that finds the band still in fine form with its chiming guitars and swelling harmonies. Side one continues without missing a beat, winding through several unreleased and hard-to-find tracks from recent years, including a soft and sweet acoustic arrangement of “Do You Keep a Diary” that turns the tables on the electropop version that appeared on their 2007 EP.

Side two features their beloved and previously out-of-print first two EPs, with the classic jangle of “Movie Ending Romance” kicking off a relentlessly cracking set of pop that, when presented together this way, serves to highlight the band’s remarkable first year.

Math and Physics Club currently hails from Seattle and Olympia and other parts of the Pacific Northwest. They appeared to burst onto the scene in 2005 with their debut EP Weekends Away that garnered international attention, but in reality the band had been taking shape in the hearts and basements of childhood friends Charles Bert (vocals) and James Werle (guitar) since the mid-1990s. Never in a hurry, it took nearly a decade before they found Ethan Jones (bass), Kevin Emerson (drums), and Saundrah Humphrey (violin) to complete the lineup, but it was worth the wait.

In This Together marks the first vinyl release for most of these songs. Pressed on white vinyl in a handsome gatefold sleeve featuring photos from the band’s 10 year history and liner notes by Sean Tollefson from Tullycraft.