An indie rock quartet based out of Philadelphia, Flat Mary Road have been sharing their timeless take on college rock for over a decade, releasing four albums, culminating in 2019’s The Score and The Heartbeat. Four years on the band are set to return in September with their latest offering, Little Realities, arriving on Whatever’s Clever, and previewed today with their new single, This Summer, and the accompanying video made by bassist Dan Papa.

As you might have guessed from the title, This Summer is a reflection on that hottest of seasons, whether it’s the nostalgic sun-soaked afternoons or, “the sunburned reality of a world that isn’t and shouldn’t be that carefree”. With a melody, “conceived and refined on countless walks with Pickles The Dog”, vocalist Steve Teare’s lyrics seem to hint at the contradictory nature of nostalgia and reality, “this summer is placed right after last summer in terms of time, from now on, for me this is the structure, everlasting breeze, unreachable grime”. Later on, he seems to realise the futility of repeating past mistakes, “someone’s debt landed on my doorstep, life was circular, always noted and revealed in my notebook, life as seminar”.

Musically, the track seems to gradually slide between styles, the opening riff coming across like the middle ground of The Animals and Fugazi, before it dips its toe briefly into West Coast indie-pop, and then into the darker, gothic tinge tones of the guitar music of the 1980s from REM to The Psychedelic Furs. This is a fabulous step forward for Flat Mary Road, a band stretching their songwriting muscles and making a good case for Little Realities being a record that is well worth getting excited about.

Little Realities is out September 22nd via Whatever’s Clever. For more information on Flat Mary Road visit https://flatmaryroad.bandcamp.com/.