Download: War Tapes “Dreaming Of You”

(from The Continental Divide out now on Sarathan)

Not to be confused with the documentary film of the Iraqi war, War Tapes have fought their own battle through the backwoods of independent music ince 2004. The quartet is formed by Los Angeles natives Neil Popkin (vocals, guitar), Becca Popkin (bass, vocals), William Mohler (drums), and Matt Bennett (guitar). They’ve had their shot at fame when opening for musicians like the Bravery and the Smashing Pumpkins, and they’re now breaking into television placements. “Dreaming of You” is a serenade that could be anachronistically played in that new-wave version of Marie Antoinette. War Tapes tries riffs a la Franz Ferdinand and Moving Units in “The Night Unfolds,” while “She Lied” delivers lyrics surely inspired by heartbreak. “Mind is Ugly“ is like the off-focus, black-and-white music video—drumming and strumming that don’t casually fit anywhere else on the record. Besides their primary post hardcore style, War Tapes pull other influences from other eras—they have the sensibility of the Cure, pipes recalling Ian Curtis, and vibes from Morrissey. Overall, the LP is a goth-pop night crawler.

—Katrina Cayton Guevara