(Originally posted on December 20, 2011 on Tympanogram.com)
One of the tracks that I kept coming back to this year was “Big Broom” by RACES. At the time when I first came upon it there were only, from as far as I could tell, two tracks by the band available. That one track though, and the B-side, were enough to keep me wanting more. Last month they did release an EP on Frenchkiss records that featured “Big Broom” as well as 2 additional songs that showcased their sound which is huge, powerful and up-front. That EP, released through Frenchkiss, can be found on their bandcamp page as well as on iTunes.

Since I’ve pretty much given up all hope for 2011, cranked out a “best-of” list and am now spending my days trying to forget it all in order to make room for new music, I’m glad that RACES has sent word that their full-length will be forthcoming in March of 2012. The title of the album is The Year of the Witch, and from the sounds of this video I’m going to need to get my hands on a copy of it as soon as I can, and I’m suggesting you do the same. The new songs are full of energy and show a penchant for utilizing every aspect of their six piece ensemble in each tightly knit tune. Of course, check out the video of a recent performance they did previewing several tracks from The Year of the Witch that starts with “Big Broom” and continues through the new material broken up by brief interviews where the band discusses the new songs and coming together as a band.

Watch the full video at Baeblemusic.com