NYC Record of the Month: The Shacks’ self-titled EP

Feel like sending a chill through your old, mortal soul? Put on the eponymous, debut EP from The Shacks, which is our new, NYC Record of the month. Shannon Wise’s adorable, whispery voice and her simple but memorable melodies certainly charmed us to the core, but it was Max Shrager’s production, which updates the dream-pop genre in welcome ways, that brought the point home. Catch a cover of Ray Davies’ “Strange Effect,” which – slowed and stripped down – is the haunting opener. The more experimental “Orchids” – for which there is a music video, as shown below, follows lullaby "Left it With Moon," and shows off the musical variety and exploration for which The Shacks strive. More traditional dream-folk track “Tidal Waves” evokes dreams of summer, while the reggae-infused “Hands In Your Pockets” – with joyful bursts of slide guitar and innocent-sounding harmonies – bubbles with repressed youthful angst; a beat holding back a torrent of emotion. Least but not last, the collaborative track ‘Strange Boy (with instrumental NYC band El Michels Affair), offers a glimpse into the ways this band’s sound could evolve in the future with a more produced approach.

The Shacks just announced an early 2017 extensive tour in support of Chicano Batman – Will Sisskind