On their second EP
the Press, recently relocated to New York from Atlanta, comes out of the gate fast, beginning "The Kindly Woodcutter" with an enthusiastic choral part. It's a good introduction to a band with several singers, each of them distinctive. But this never sounds like different groups when someone else is at the microphone. Paolo De Gregorio gives the tracks a hot, noisy mix that manages never to bury the vocals, despite lots of loud, clashing sounds, particularly in the chiming, chopping guitars. The Press is a frisky band that plays with fervor, as if the group members are racing each other to the end of each song. This is music that sounds road-tested and at the same time serves as a heady advertisement for the band's live show. It is also sufficiently accomplished that it suggests this is an act ready to record a full-length CD. ~ William Ruhlmann