Emerging Nashville-based band Leagues' debut full-length album, You Belong Here, is out now on Bufalotone Records. Released to widespread critical acclaim, KCRW named the band an “Artist You Should Know,” heralding, “it took about 45 second for me to fall in love with Leagues’ forthcoming full length debut,” while WXPN World Café featured the band in their “World Café: Next” series, declaring, “the album plays like a collection of singles, each track as catchy as the next.”
The trio, consisting of Tyler Burkum (guitar), Thad Cockrell (vocals) and Jeremy Lutito (drums), recently wrapped highly successful SXSW festival, drawing attention from Time Magazine, Paste Magazine and Forbes. Additionally, fashion designer Billy Reid asserts in Lifestyle Mirror, “Their sound is capable of reaching huge success at the level of U2. The musicianship and vocal quality of Thad Cockrell at the helm is undeniable. They're one of the buzziest SX bands to see.”
Recorded in Nashville, You Belong Here features ten original songs (three of which were featured on the 2011 EP) and was engineered by Vance Powell (Jack White, Raconteurs, The Dead Weather) and co-produced by the band and Grammy-nominated Paul Moak (Mat Kearney, Martha Wainwright, The Weeks). Of the record, the band comments, “The whole spirit of You Belog Here really resonates with us. It’s a phrase that gets tossed around without much thought, but if you take a moment and think about it, it can hold a lot of comfort and depth. Like walking into a party and everyone is genuinely glad you are there. It’s the celebration of togetherness, really.”
You Belong Here is the follow up to the trio’s acclaimed 2011 self-titled EP, which garnered widespread critical notice, including coverage in The Tennessean, the Dallas Observer, Southern Living magazine and Stereo Subversion. Additionally, the Independent Weekly, calls the music, “…indie-imbued pop-rock…coats the handclaps and harmonies of classic power pop with a modern gloss…leveraging the vintage feel of its soaring melody with a snappy rhythm and layers of chiming guitars and rousing horns,” while American Songwriter magazine heralds, “Leagues seem to have struck a nice balance between indie and classic rock.”
