Pitchfork

Everything's coming up Jersey. Real Estate have roots in the Garden State and they're led by singer/guitarist Martin Courtney and feature guitarist Matthew Mondanile (the latter known to some for his work in Ducktails). They've played shows with both Vivian Girls and Titus Andronicus, but "Black Lake", from their debut 7", doesn't sound much like either of those bands (who also don't much sound like each other). Instead, it's a fuzzy, sweetly simple sea chantey (or in this case, I guess a "lake chantey") that reminds you of how awesome that last bonfire of the summer was, until the cops showed up and you had to run for your life. The song wafts in on a slinky bassline playing all by its lonesome, and then a sleepwalking slide guitar (ready for a couples-only dance on prom night), tapping cymbals, and Courtney's reverbed voice complete the picture, leaving plenty of open space to stick your head inside of. "Black Lake" is a jangly, hazy slice of nostalgia for those of us who still have love for America's forgotten playground.

MP3:> Real Estate: "Black Lake"
[from the Real Estate 7"; out now on Underwater Peoples]