New Home

Formed in early 2007, Brooklyn band La Strada has quickly made a name for itself with raucous, foot-stomping music. The quintet - James Craft, Devon Press, Ted Lattis, Brady Miller, and Daniel Baer - sports a grand yet playful sound, and the live lineup follows suit, expanding to include additional strings and horns. The band released a self-titled EP in 2009 on Ernest Jenning Record Co., the NYC label that is also putting out this debut full-length, New Home. Recorded at Miner Street Studios in Philadelphia and The Buddy Project in Queens, New Home features 13 tracks of raw emotion channeled into well-crafted pop songs. It's no surprise that Craft, the band's primary songwriter and multi-instrumental front man, has lived all over the world, including France, Romania, Indiana, Chicago, Northern California, and, since 2005, New York City. With influences ranging from ancient music to modern-day indie rock, the band has garnered comparisons to Neutral Milk Hotel, Beirut, and Arcade Fire. Lyrically, the album revels in wanderlust and geography. It's about pushing on to see what's over that next mountain.