After a pair of solid EPs, Baltimore’s Secret Mountains are set to share their first full length record with the world.
Whether you’ve noticed it or not, the music scene in Baltimore has grown to be one of the strongest on the East Coast. With acts like Animal Collective, Beach House, and Dan Deacon blazing a trail, a number of young and extremely talented bands look to follow in their footsteps. One of those bands who is right on the cusp of breaking out onto the national spotlight is Secret Mountains.
Mixing hauntingly beautiful psych with sprawling dreampop, the six piece have been crafting their unique sound for the past several years. After releasing “Kaddish” and “Rejoice,” a pair of EPs released in 2009 and 2010 respectively, the group began work on their first LP. The result of their months of hard work is Rainer. Out on Baltimore label Friends Records on February 26th, the release will include a limited pressing of 500 copies on all black vinyl—and can be pre ordered here.
Following a trend with many smaller bands, Secret Mountains took to Kickstarter last summer with the hope of raising money to assist with the costs of recording the album. While many acts find it hard to fully reach their funding goals, Secret Mountains were fortunate enough to not only meet them, but surpass them.
With the announcement of their debut album in the fall of last year, Secret Mountains also shared their Shaking Through session and the song that resulted from it. The Shaking Through sessions is a special series hosted by Philadelphia’s Weathervane Music with one simple challenge—to write, record, and finish one entire song in just two days.
Each year they give a hand-selected group of 10 rising bands the opportunity to participate. The entire process is documented and released in monthly installments. For Secret Mountains, their finished product was “High Horse,” a song that married the band’s signature sound with a new, polished and mature tone.
Recorded and produced by Chris and Mickey Freeland at Beat Babies Studio in their hometown of Baltimore, Rainer is the result of two years of writing and crafting. It’s been long-awaited around Charm City and it’s only fitting that as the release date inches closer and closer, the band is getting the national attention it deserves.
