ABOUT
LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS, having crawled from the wreckage of a post-industrial Akron, Ohio, decided to stick around and form a band. Because what else are you gonna do? Digging deep into the wellspring of power pop, jangle rock and that classic college rock sound for inspiration, LWH burst onto the Ohio -- and global -- pop rock stage in 2019 with the single “Black Velvet Dress” b/w “Alex" on the fledgling Big Stir Records, and became instant mainstays of the scene. By the time of the release of their acclaimed 2020 debut album, the doubly-ironically-titled LONG OVERDUE, not even the ongoing pandemic could stop their ascent. Without missing a beat, new singles including the hit "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" followed, signaling that there was much more from our Librarians in the stacks. And indeed, this fall will see the release of a new full-length record on BSR: HANDCLAPS & TAMBOURINES.
The band started off 2019 with their self-released debut single “Until There Was You” and “And Then She's Gone” which showcased the twin guitar jangle and chime of Ray Carmen (vocals, guitar) and Mike Crooker (guitar, vocals), the propulsive groove of Andrew Wilco (bass) and the rhythmic backbone of Rob Crossley (drums). On BSR's side of the ledger, credit goes to label founder Christina Bulbenko's keen midwestern ears for catching those tunes early on and recognizing the Librarians as kindred spirits in musical aesthetics, community ethos, and good old fashioned heart and soul. The band's subsequent breakthrough, and the tunes they've been offering up since that auspicious debut, more than bear her instincts out.
“For anyone out there who may still, for some unfathomable reason, question the power and the glory of the three-minute four-chord p-o-p song done right, “Black Velvet Dress” will in no way fail to raise you off your settee and shove things direct towards the nearest Volume UP knob,” opines Gary Pig Gold of The Rock and Roll Report. “Nostalgic? No. The word would be timeless.” We couldn't agree more, and for Librarians With Hickeys, that time is clearly now. Keep your eyes and ears open for the new single and video "Ghost Singer" and the official release details of HANDCLAPS & TAMBOURINES, out in October 2022.
- Big Stir Records