World Atlas

Brooklyn band World Atlas started in 2006 as a handful of four-track bedroom demos that were sketches of songs mirroring stories afforded by the city. The idea culminated in a full ensemble including guest member Fred Thomas (Saturday Looks Good to Me, City Center) on guitar and The Umbrella Girls, who often serve as the group's hand-clappers, back up singers, and tambourine shakers. Their first self-titled EP is a pop atlas steeped in nostalgia and allegory that exudes the aesthetic of a library of weathered books and stolen glances. Their instrumentation includes vibraphone, organ, shakers, trumpet, and string arrangements that take the music beyond the pop confines of drums, bass, and guitar. Infused with boy/girl harmonies and countermelodies, the resulting songs depict both innocence and experience. This is the band's first release, and work on a second full-length album is underway.