Fearless leader of Atlanta’s Britpop/surf-rock contingent for almost two decades, Gringo Star is set to release its eighth album, Sweethearts, May 2 via the Michigan-based Dizzybird label. The LP’s second single, “I Sleep To Dream,” finds the band rubbing elbows with the Kinks circa Face To Face.
“It’s a cautionary tale about the benefits of no expectations,” says Gringo Star’s Nick Furgiuele.
Initial expectations were high for Gringo Star. Furgiuele cofounded the group with his brother, Pete, in 2007, after a marginally successful stint with alt-rockers A Fir-Ju Well. They quickly earned a reputation for an uncompromising approach to live performance that continues to this day. Produced by Grammy winner Ben H. Allen III (Animal Collective, Kaiser Chiefs), their debut LP, All Y’all, was a favorite of critics in 2008. The group has forged ahead on its own terms ever since, touring the U.S. and Europe and sharing the stage with everyone from Cat Power and Best Coast to the Killers and the Zombies.
We’re proud to premiere Gringo Star’s “I Sleep To Dream,” a song that could easily serve as an outline for the band’s “come what may” philosophy over the years.
“It’s a reminder that you can always care less in order to be happily surprised by nearly anything,” says Furgiuele.
—Hobart Rowland
See Gringo Star live.
