CD of The Week

The Districts - You Know I'm Not Going Anywhere (Fat Possum)

Hailing from the small Lancaster County town of Lititz, PA, The Districts formed in high school and shot to viral fame via the Reddit-powered video of their song "Funeral Beds" back in 2012. Rather than burn out and fade away, as many viral of-the-moment bands do, The Districts stayed the course through three excellent indie-rock albums. Now on their fourth LP, You Know I'm Not Going Anywhere, they've reinvented themselves without abandoning their signature sound; adding layers of synths and atmospheric production with the help of studio wiz Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, OK Go, Spoon).

Lead singer Rob Grote, as well as the rest of the band, was dealing with emotional fatigue after touring endlessly in support of their last album. Struggling with the notion that he might be finished with music, he found the courage to write and record numerous demos on his own. The band was completely on board with this new direction. Lyrically, the themes echo what is happening with many artists and musicians lately, struggling with how to navigate the uncertainty of our modern world. "Things are changing here / A little at a time / I turn my back / Another knot comes untied," Grote croons on the phenomenal "Hey Jo." "Cheap Regrets" is reminiscent of The Decembrists' recent foray into new wave and focuses on self-reflection: "I saw the smut and the fury and the dregs of the earth / But let me show you what a mirror does."

As The Districts grow as musicians and as humans, we can expect that they've only just tapped into their potential. This album is compellingly rich and emotionally charged. Any questions Grote may have had about his future with music are hopefully answered in the title of the record.

Check out audio and video of The Districts' recent Y-Not Session HERE.
Review by Dave Lindquist