Sorry, HAIM. You’re no longer the only Los Angeles-based sibling trio on the rise.
Representing the opposite gender and delving into a different sort of sound, Matthew, Mark, and Michael Cook comprise The Ceremonies. Counting dark-wave icons Echo & The Bunnymen and The Cure as inspiration, the brothers formed their band a few years back when twins Mark and Michael were still in high school. Matthew, now 21, writes the songs and plays all the instruments on The Ceremonies’ recordings, but live, it’s a family affair, with all playing various instruments and divvying up lead vocal duties.
Currently working on their debut album, The Ceremonies released their first single, “Land Of Gathering,” on Tuesday. Says Matthew, “‘Land Of Gathering’ is a metaphor for a place you can go in your mind to preserve childhood wonderment. If we can inspire other people to hold onto that appreciation for things that go unnoticed, it would be huge for us.”
Produced by Danny Garibay (brother of Fernando), the ebullient “Land Of Gathering” won’t be entirely unfamiliar to astute listeners. The song soundtracked Fab.com’s first-ever TV ad, which premiered last September.
Take a listen to another track from The Ceremonies, the wonderful “Wolfdance,” on which the Cook brothers’ love for Echo & The Bunnymen is writ large. There are shades of Suede, too, with Matthew’s vocals resembling those of the London band’s lead singer, Brett Anderson.
Purchase The Ceremonies – “Land Of Gathering” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.