Canopies – “The Plunderers and the Pillagers”

Canopies have already graced Obscure Sound with outstanding synth-pop three times before — “Rebels” in 2011 and “Miss You Now” + “Getting Older” this year. In both features of the recent tracks, I noted that the the Milwaukee-based group was hard at work on a new album set for release sometime later this year. Now the details are public; Canopies’ debut album, Maximize Your Faith, will be released on 12/9 via Forged Artifacts.

The release is preceded by the single “The Plunderers and the Pillagers”, a fantastic effort that sounded wonderful when I heard the unmastered versions. Now that it’s mastered, it sounds even better. Those lovable Cut Copy comparisons are still there, immediately in this case as a whimpering guitar tones slides under a throttling synth-bass and gleefully anthemic vocals. The chorus – “you really got me now” followed by chime-y synth blasts – is a fantastic hook, the type Canopies have already proven themselves to be master manufacturers of.