Who? Yorkshire, England’s Little Man Tate — Jon Windle (vocals/guitar), Maz (guitar), Ben Surtees (bass), and Dan Fields (drums) — release their debut album, About What You Know, Jan. 22 via Yellow Van/V2.
What’s the Deal? Unlike seemingly every other new band in the U.K. these days, Little Man Tate don’t sound like Arctic Monkeys — they sound more like Arctic Monkeys’ geeky younger brothers. Frontman Jon Windle’s lyrics, like Alex Turner’s, are built mostly around wry observations of English nightlife, but instead of the sardonic fly on the wall, Windle casts himself as the lovable loser who can’t catch a break: “You said I was too fat, I said that you were too thin / You kissed me right on the lips, then kicked me right in the shin,” he sings on “This Must Be Love.” Luckily his songs are winning; About is crammed with nimble melodies, sing-along choruses, and hooks meaty enough to allow lines like “You were the best / You let me touch your chest.” What woman could possibly resist?
Fun Fact: “Ben [the bassist] is so scared of flying that when we recently got on the plane to America, we got him drunk and said we were flying to France,” Weedle told SPIN.com. “He wasn’t happy when he woke up three hours into a seven hour flight!” LANE BROWN
Now Hear This:
Little Man Tate – “What You Got” DOWNLOAD MP3
Talk: Do you know what these guys are about? COMMENT
On the Web:
littlemantate.co.uk
