Harmonics ring out to start the beginning of Yet Another Change Of Plans by The Shifts. The melodies are soft but bright, beaming through the sky, bringing an introspective mood to each listener. The EP flows directly into “Bowie,” again sporting the softer, steady sway of the group’s songwriting pulse. Every song is layered with tracks that stick to the eardrum with a certain poise and memorability, even in the stripped down acoustic burner “Friday Nights Are For Families.” Take a listen to the EP below, exclusive streaming via New Noise Magazine. This beautiful swell of a release is out on May 10th via Blue Eggplant Records.
“Do you ever just listen to a project and just sit in awe of what ya just heard? Yet Another Change of Plans is The Shifts’ first release since their self-titled album in 2016, and boy does it deliver. The Shifts offer the listener loud, powerful, driving indie rock in the purest sense of the term—they’ve humorously described themselves as “dad rock for the kids”— yet they’ve raised the bar here as they’ve innovated and elevated their songwriting through raw emotion and sheer fun. This EP succeeds in that it showcases the band’s vast range sonically: from the catchy, driving guitar hooks in the lead single, “America ii” to the anthemic dancy earworm, “Is it Snowing Today?”, it’ll be hard to not wanna listen to this thing twice in a row. “Bowie” and “Friday Nights are for Families” feature the softer ballads of the EP, balancing vocals beautifully—lead vocalist Macks Johanesen is able to provide so much inflection in his voice, whether he’s screaming or singing softly, and is complemented bewitchingly by backing vocalist and guitarist Maci Deblanc. “Cigarettes & Weed” stands out as a feat with the buildup of instrumentation and again, pure emotion via the vocals. Poetic and poignant, Johanesen is at the top of his game lyrically here and throughout, and has provided a fantastic entry with The Shifts.” – Written by Donald Orr, KBVR-FM Station Manager
Pre-Order Yet Another Change Of Plans here: Bandcamp | Blue Eggplant Records
Combining bright guitar lines, bouncing rhythms, sardonic wordplay, and high energy live performances, The Shifts are a Eugene, OR based band formed in 2011 as an indie rock project with frontperson Macks Johanesen. Starting July 2016, the band began performing with the four-piece lineup of Macks on guitar and vocals, Eli Tocchini on drums, Jeff Kretsinger on bass, and Maci DeBlanc on keyboard, guitar, and vocals. In 2014 they released their debut EP, this is fine., proving themselves to be one of the up and coming bands in the region. In 2016, they released their eponymous debut self-titled album. Their third release, Yet Another Change of Plans, is set to be released in May 2018.
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Photo by Lucas Raab Photography
