With praise from the music mainstream press and bloggers worldwide, Chicago-based indie rock band The Laureates are set to release their debut full-length album There Are No More Gentlemen on November 11th.

A writer for the popular music site 3Hive said of the new album: "Laureates fans beat me to some apt descriptions like 'equal parts paisley and punk' and 'Interpol produced by Phil Spector.' Absolutely right up my alley." The Chicagoist called it "60s inspired pop with a new millennial sensibility."

MP3: "A Novel Approach" from the forthcoming debut album by The Laureates.

The Laureates have become one of Chicago's most popular indie rock bands over the past couple of years and were successful in creating the all-important "blogger buzz" by opening for indie artists like Frightened Rabbit and The Spinto Band.

The band formed, and reformed, during a two-year process between 2005 and 2007, drawing on musicians from states like Iowa, Illinois and Kentucky. The Laureates is the brain-child of Chad Preston. Preston had written a collection of songs, his PR firm says, "that was exciting enough to inspire him to go out and find the right team to perform the songs."

Preston assembled bassist Crawfie Ward, drummer Peter Gray and guitarist Adam Penly, and together with Mike Lust from Phantom Manor Recording in Chicago, recorded all 13 songs, during a time that spanned from December 2007 through March 2008.

The resulting songs contained on There Are No More Gentlemen feature a blend of influences from bands like The Kinks, Spoon, The Creation, The Replacements and Guided by Voices, drawing off "the spirits of '60s freakbeat, pop, garage, indie rock, psychedelia, and post-punk."

Fans and interested music listeners can download The Laureate's 7" EP for free.

The band's official record release show will be held at Chicago's Empty Bottle club on November 19, 2008.


New feature: Halloween indie playlists to get you in the mood for Halloween week.

Labels: Free Indie Albums, Indie Artist/Group Profiles, The Laureates