See how I capitalized Cattle Drums and slapped three fat exclamation points at the end? That’s how stoked we are to welcome this incredible Oneonta, NY five piece to the Tiny Engines family. Capital letters / multiple exclamation points stoked.  If I knew how to make a .gif of a unicorn jumping over a rainbow into a sea of cuddly puppies, I would have done that too.

p.s. – if anyone can actually finagle this .gif and somehow incorporate the Tiny Engines logo in there as well, I’ll give you a free test pressing.

In any case, I feel like we’ve been sitting on this announcement for a while, which is crazy because Cattle Drums’ debut EP, The Boy Kisser Sessions + 3, has been tearing up our stereos and iPods for the past few months.  It’s been tough keeping something this amazing a secret.

So cat = out of the proverbial bag: we’re officially releasing this eight-song EP today via iTunes and other digital retailers.  You can also grab it via our Bandcamp for a very special, limited-time price of only $4.

Of course, most people prefer the “try before you buy” method before committing to such a huge decision regarding the spending $4 (sarcasm), so either stream it at the bandcamp link above or click here to download an mp3 for the song “Sluts And Coconuts.” Follow your hearts and ears and do the right thing. Also, our friends at RCRD LBL will be giving away the song “Who Punched Pat Moore’s Face” later today, so swing by around noon-ish (EST) and grab that gem.

Additionally, you can watch this video of Cattle Drums performing an acoustic version of “Two Pigeons” on a roof in the band’s hometown.  Seriously – who plays on a roof?  Our bands, that’s who.  And these guys.

So what does Cattle Drums sound like?  One blogger wrote something to the effect of  ”a pop punk version of At The Drive-In.” Eh … maybe.  The quintet certainly shares similar qualities of an ATDI, not to mention peers such as La Dispute or mewithoutYou.  We even hear traces of emo, post-punk, math rock and yes, rustic Americana. One thing is for sure – it’s not often that you find a band that cranks out songs that are so undeniably infectious and catchy but that also keeps things simultaneously unpredictable and volatile.  Bear Versus Shark were a lot like that … in the way it felt like the outfit was constantly spinning wildly, aggressively out of control, yet it always had an expert command of its craft and the innate ability to embrace melody. That’s another touchpoint that isn’t too far removed from Cattle Drums’ wheelhouse. Still, however you slice it, The Boy Kisser Sessions + 3 is anything but ordinary and the band’s debut is an undeniably fun, unique listen; we’re so excited to see where the boys go from here.

On that note, Cattle Drums will be recording its debut LP in May for an early Fall vinyl release from Tiny Engines.  Someone cue the unicorn / rainbow / puppies.