Song of the Day: Shout Out Louds – Tonight I Have to Leave It

photo from MySpace

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Morning Show host John Richards, is Tonight I Have To Leave It by Shout Out Louds from the 2007 EP of the same name on Merge.

Shout Out Louds – Tonight I Have to Leave It (MP3)In Europe, you can already find the follow up to Shout Out Loud’s charming debut, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (you may remember the song “Very Loud,” which was a Morning Show staple), but as things go here, we’ll see the domestic release of the sophomore album, Our Ill Wills, not until September. To bide the time, the Stockholm band’s U.S. label, Merge, was kind enough to release this sparkling single, which promises a more polished sound from the band.

There is no escaping a The Cure’s reference here. While the influence was recognizable before, it is pulled to the forefront on this single. It’s happy Cure, though: the song immediately recalls Head on The Door (“In Between Days,” in particular), and maybe a few songs on Wish, but it’s whole values lighter than The Cure’s airiest song. Still, a bittersweet sentiment pervades “Tonight I Have To Leave It,” as you would also expect from Robert Smith and co. On the rest of Our Ill Wills, you’ll find similarly swooning songs, but there is enough stylistic variety throughout to appeal to your ever-changing moods.

Shout Out Louds just finished an abbreviated tour of the U.S. and are now working their way through northern Europe. Hopefully, they’ll return for a more extensive tour later in the year. Check out the band’s website and MySpace page for updates.

Here’s the video for the Song of the Day. There are plenty more great vids by the band to be found on the ‘Tube. The band’s bass player, Ted Malmros, who directed the video, also won a Swedish Grammi for the fantastic Peter Bjorn and John video for “Young Folks.”