With Lions: Equipo

Is With Lions a band? It seems like a ridiculous question to ask about an act that sold out NYC’s Mercury Lounge for their first EP release party but more and more With Lions is beginning to feel like a project. Each EP in its ambitious self-imposed four-a-year cycle has a particular distinction to it and is accompanied by a bombastic performance (or, in Equipo‘s case, two). Equipo is a sprawling release that brings to mind the chamber pop of Grizzly Bear only inflected with more modern influences. The songwriting throughout is immense and the arrangements are towering. For as perfectly realized as Equipo is by the time the last few tracks hit, the length begins to set in and it feels a little long. That’s the only complaint to be had with Equipo. Whatever With Lions have up their sleeve for the next release, it’s bound to be spectacular.