Tall Firs, a.k.a Aaron Mullan and David Miles, originally came together as ‘90s teenagers in Maryland, Since then, Mullan and Miles have toured separately with various bands, accumulating a wealth of musical knowledge and influences that come to the fore in ‘Crooked Smiles,’ taken from just their third album, the forthcoming Out of It and Into It.
The duo’s voices and guitars seem to summon this well-crafted song from the ground: it’s brimming with breathy, rootsy atmosphere typical of the band’s brand of slow, sparse, deeply American electric folk, at times reminiscent of Neil Young. But they juxtapose this with lyrics about ATP festival (held every year at the very English Butlins holiday park) which give a sense of adventure and youth, combined interestingly with darkness: ‘Let’s get high, let’s get evil’. The legendary Jeff Mangum chose Tall Firs to play this March’s ATP. On this evidence, you can understand why.
Words by Trahearne Falvey
Are you serious?