Originally formed in Austin, Texas in 2011,
Literature are a four-piece indie rock band with a decidedly retro, garage pop sound that falls somewhere between the muscle of
the Kinks and the melodicism of
Belle and Sebastian. Singer/guitarist Kevin Attics first met guitarist Nathaniel Cardaci and bassist Seth Whaland at a house venue in Austin where the two musicians were also operating small imprint labels. The three friends eventually decided to start a band together and relocated to Philadelphia where they met and recruited drummer Chris Schackerman. After an initial single and a compilation track, the quartet released their debut album, Arab Spring, in 2012. The album was well-received and the group toured hard to support it, playing shows with a variety of well-known indie acts like
the Pains of Being Pure at Heart,
Ted Leo,
Sic Alps, and many more. A follow-up 7" appeared in 2013 and the band began working on their second album with engineer Gary Olsen (
Ladybug Transistor) at Brooklyn's Marlborough Farms. After signing with California indie Slumberland Records, they released their second album, Chorus, in 2014. ~ Timothy Monger