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Hear Real Estate Debut Breezy New Tracks ‘The Bend’ and ‘April’s Song’

real estate, atlas, soundcheck

A few weeks back, Real Estate mapped out the details of their upcoming Atlas album and shared the LP’s glinting lead single, “Talking Backwards.” Now, the New Jersey-bred five-piece have debuted two more songs from their forthcoming third record via an in-studio session for WNYC’s Soundcheck series. “The Bend” maintains the lazy river pace that helped the band’s first two full-lengths drift forward, while the swooning instrumental “April’s Song” puts frontman Martin Courtney’s loyalty to Garden State heroes Yo La Tengo to good use.

What’s immediately clear from this January 30 performance, though, is just how tight of a live band Real Estate have become. In the time since 2011’s Days, the group has expanded from a core trio — Courtney, guitarist Matt Mondanile, and bassist-singer Alex Bleeker — to a full-fledged quintet, with Jackson Pollis on drums and Matt Kallman on keyboards. The added personnel came in handy when Real Estate began recording Atlas at Wilco’s Loft studio in Chicago with producer Tom Schick: According to an official announcement, the new effort is the band’s “most collaborative and richly detailed album to date.”

For a preview of Atlas, stream the Soundcheck session below. The 25-minute program includes live performances of “Talking Backwards,” “The Bend,” and “April’s Song,” as well as a short Q&A with Courtney. Catch “The Bend” at the 10:30 mark and “April’s Song” at 16:15, then scroll further down for Real Estate’s fast-approaching tour dates. Atlas is out March 4, and pre-orders are now available through iTunes and Domino Records’ Dom Mart.

Real Estate tour dates:

February 28 – San Francisco, CA @ Noise Pop Festival
March 1 – San Francisco, CA @ Noise Pop Festival
March 3 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
March 4 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
March 6 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
March 8 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
March 9 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
March 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
March 19 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
March 20 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
March 21 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
March 22 – Montreal, QC @ Il Motore
March 23 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House
March 25 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
March 26 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
March 27 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
March 28 – St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
March 29 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
March 31 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
April 1 – Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theater
April 2 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
April 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
April 5 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall