Song of the Day: The Kingsbury Manx - The Future Hunter

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of 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 song, featured on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “The Future Hunter” by The Kingsbury Manx from the 2013 album Bronze Age on Odessa Records.

The Kingsbury Manx - The Future Hunter (MP3)

Formed in the late '90s, The Kingsbury Manx have steadily released six albums (and an EP) of Southern-tinged folk pop across the last 13 years. After playing some buzz-gathering gigs in their hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the quartet (Guitarist Bill Taylor, drummer Ryan Richardson, guitarist Kenneth Stephenson, and bassist Scott Myers) released their self-titled debut in 2000, gathering acclaim from local and overseas (NME placed it on their top 50 albums of the year) press. The band toured and released albums every two years until 2005, when Stephenson and Myers were replaced by Paul Finn and Clarque Blomquist. Their sixth and latest album, Bronze Age, finds the band sharpening their indie-rock harmonies into a punchier, leaner attack. On "The Future Hunter", the band channels their harmony into a swift, three-minute pop exercise that recalls the sharp sugar-rush of Bob Mould's poppier moments or the jangly burst of an Mike Mills-led R.E.M. track. Guitars and keyboards buzz with fervor as the group ditches its typical laid-back folk pop for a faster pace, and show that even though the group is getting older, they're doing anything but slowing down.

The Kingsbury Manx have a single show booked in Raleigh, NC, at the moment, but when they announce future tour dates, those dates will be on their Facebook and website. For now, watch the band play an acoustic version of "Harness and Wheel":