LA pop minimalists Princeton hit the scene in 2009 with their debut album, Cocoon of Love, a shiny gem of pop with a distinctly international aesthetic. Now, some two and a half years later, the group will drop their sophomore album, Remembrance of Things to Come, on February 2nd via Hit City USA and Easter Everywhere.
With all that time between releases, the band’s creative heads, Matt and Jesse Kivel, have matured as musicians and songwriters. According to press for the 10-track record, the identical twins have taken on more of an avant-garde style of musicianship, moving away from the “traditional rock-writing tropes, multiple chord changes, verse/chorus key shifts, and electric guitar that guided Cocoon of Love.” Enlisting the seven-piece Los Angeles New Music Ensemble for recording, the brothers instead focused on “compositional patterns, dynamic rhythms, and dense percussion orchestrations.”
For a signpost as to where the pair are in their musical journey, turn no further than the album’s title track and first single. The orchestral influence is undeniable, the track swelling with complicated layers of shimmery string work, a pounding, tribal drum part, and falsetto vocals that walk the line between dance-rock and operatic. Though the track is decidedly intricate, at its very core it’s simply a pop song that’s been turned up to its most theatrical of levels. Check it out below, followed by the album tracklist.
Princeton – “Remembrance of Things to Come”
Remembrance of Things to Come Tracklist:
01. Remembrance of Things to Come
02. Florida
03. Grand Rapids
04. Holding Teeth
05. Phase
06. To the Alps
07. Oklahoma
08. Andre
09. Riches
10. Louise
