Widowspeak

Brooklyn via Tacoma, Washington trio Widowspeak play dark, hazy music equally indebted to Mazzy Star's narcotic allure and the jangle of Sarah Records-style indie pop. The roots of the band go back to singer/songwriter Molly Hamilton and drummer Michael Stasiak's time in the Tacoma music scene, where they contributed songs to a compilation label before heading to New York. In the summer of 2010, the pair began working on new music together and brought guitarist Robert Earl Thomas into the fold. Using a laptop microphone and GarageBand, the trio crafted a six-song cassette that autumn dubbed The October Tape. The eclectic indie label Captured Tracks signed Widowspeak and issued the band’s debut single, Harsh Realm, in March 2011; the Gun Shy single — which featured a cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" — followed in June. Meanwhile, Widowspeak recorded with Woods' Jarvis Taveniere, and released their self-titled debut in August 2011. For their second album, 2013's Almanac, Hamilton and Thomas worked with Kevin McMahon to highlight the folky and Fleetwood Mac-like elements of their sound. Late that year, the band released the Swamps EP, which they described as a bridge between their previous work and their upcoming material.