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Must Hear: Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band

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Seattle quintet Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band isn’t your usual indie-rock group — after all, they came to popularity with a series of goofy faux-instructional web videos (watch below), and their drummer, Marshall Verdoes, is only 14 years old. But they do have the tunes to back up their quirks, as they show with their SPIN-approved debut, out March 10 via Dead Oceans.

“Cheer For Fate,” one the album’s best tracks, finds bandleader Benjamin Verdoes — the 27-year-old brother of Marshall, who was adopted — singing about falling in love in the springtime. The song is a melodic tangle of sounds that recall a jangly, lo-fi version of Tokyo Police Club.

Download the track below. Then watch the band’s silly, fake public service announcement warning of the dangers of homeostasis — featuring a computerized hamburger!

Listen: Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, “Cheer For Fate”(DOWNLOAD MP3)

Watch: Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, “Homeostasis”
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZoEXcIgx46o

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band tour dates:
3/6, Seattle, WA (Neumo’s) *
3/10, Iowa City, IA (The Mill)
3/12, Philadelphia, PA (First Unitarian Church) ^
3/13, Washington, DC (Black Cat) ^
3/14, Chapel Hill, NC (Local 506) ^
3/15, Asheville, NC (Rocket Club) ^
3/16, Memphis, TN (Hi-Tone) ^
3/17, Little Rock, AR (Sticky Fingerz) ^
3/18, Dallas, TX (House of Blues Pontiac Garage)
3/19, Austin, TX (SXSW / WOXY In Studio Appearance)
3/19, Austin, TX (SXSW / Mohawk)
3/20, Austin, TX (SXSW/ Urban Outfitters Instore)
3/20, Austin, TX (SXSW / PlanetarySonicbids Day Party)
3/20, Austin, TX (SXSW / Austin Convention Center)
3/21, Austin, TX (SXSW / SXSeattleDay Party)
3/21, Austin, TX (SXSW /Homeslice Pizza)
3/23, Los Angeles, CA (Troubadour) ^
3/24, San Francisco, CA (Rickshaw Stop) ^
3/26, Salt Lake City, UT (Kilby Court) ^
3/27, Provo, UT (Velour) ^
3/28, Denver, CO (Hi-Dive) ^
3/29, Lawrence, KS (Jackpot) ^
3/30, St. Louis, MO (Off Broadway)
3/31, Chicago, IL (Subterrean) ^
4/1, Grantham, PA (Messiah College) ^
4/2, Northampton, MA (Iron Horse) ^
4/3, Boston, MA (Middle East) ^
4/4, Brooklyn, NY (Music Hall of Williamsburg) ^
4/5, New York, NY (Bowery Ballroom) ^
4/7, Pittsburgh, PA (Brillobox)
4/8, Bloomington, IN (Bear’s Place)
4/9, Urbana, IL (Courtyard Café)
4/10, Madison, WI (Der Rathskeller) ^^
4/12, Minneapolis, MN (7th Street Entry)
4/13, Fargo, ND (The Aquarium)
4/15, Missoula, MT (The Badlander)
4/16, Spokane, WA (Empyrean Coffee House)
4/18, Portland, OR (Doug Fir) **
5/23, Quincy, WA (Sasquatch! Music Festival / The Gorge)
(* w/ Say Hi, Visqueen)
(^ w/ Bishop Allen)
(**w/ War on Drugs)