Music Review - The Maple State - We Swear By The Lightlife

Manchester four piece The Maple State are a band that manage to extract all the best parts of emo without touching on all that annoying overwrought angst or self pitying screaming, kind of Death Cab For Cutie by way of Bloc Party and The Shins.

With new single, WE SWEAR BY THE LIGHTLIFE, The Maple State weave excitable indie pop sounds from jagged guitar stabs and ragged vocal yelps. Frontman Gregory Counsell injecting the song with boundless energy and a sense of upfront fun.

Continuing to impress with their excitable indie pop wares, WE SWEAR BY THE LIGHTLIFE is yet another reason to fall in love in The Maple State.

Manchester's The Maple State release their 7" JOANNA / WOOD AND RAIN on High Voltage Sounds on February 5th.

The four piece, Gregory Counsell (bass/vocals), William Pearson (keyboards), Christian Counsell (guitars) and John Goodwin (drums) formed just over two years ago after meeting each other at school/college. The band have since perfected their effortless live show having played in front of thousands in America with Motion City Soundtrack as well as dates all over the UK.

The Maple State spent the later part of 2006 writing and recording, also getting out on the road for shows with Liam Frost and The Slowdown Family, Say Anything and Get Cape Wear Cape Fly. The band recently appeared on the second High Voltage compilation FULL CHARGE with the track IT'S HOT AS HELL IN MARTIRO, which instantly got the thumbs up from Steve Lamacq on his 6Music show. The Maple State played a storming set at In The City showcase at the end of October, impressing a captivated Night & Day crowd with an energetic live performance.

JOANNA is three minutes of gorgeous indie/rock, full of glorious multi-harmonies which nod as much to The Smiths as Bloc Party, all gathered meticulously together with a pulsing keyboard riff, sharp guitars and a super tight rhythm section. WOOD AND RAIN combines a militaristic drum-beat, melodic guitar breakdowns, atmospheric keyboard stabs and strong, emotive vocals.

The band continue to work on new material and are set to tour at the end of January. One thing is for certain, you'll be humming The Maple State's choruses for months.

The Maple State>