Stanley are a five-piece outfit from South London that found its way in to our inbox a couple weeks back. After assuring me that they weren’t Chelsea fans, I spun their debut EP and my toes were tapping immediately. They deliver a blend of indie pop with hints of folk – and folk tends to hit our sweet spot.
My buddy Moish once described She & Him (The M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel collaboration) as saccharine because it was sweet and just left you feeling good. The same description would also work for Stanley. Fronted by the angelic voice of Hazel, the band eases through the five song EP in effortless fashion. The tunes are wonderfully arranged and leave you in a better place.
No US dates in the foreseeable future, but for our UK readers, they seem to be playing all over London. In fact, there are some pictures on their site from a performance at a place called The Barfly, where I once got monumentally wasted.
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Nice ending there. I think we’ve reached a new low with album reviews after yesterday and today. Might be time to take a break and refresh.
Well, “saccharine” has a bit of a negative connotation (i.e. excessively sweet or even fake), so I wouldn’t apply it to She & Him, who I really like. But yes, sweet they (and Stanley) are. Anyway, thanks for sharing Stanley; I need to look for their EP.
Fair enough but it obviously wasn’t meant as a negative. I dig their music. It puts me in a happy place just like She & Him does. Both great artists.