CAST your mind back now: did you fall for the hip-shimmying rush of Reigning Sounds’ “I’ll Cry”, hitting the sweet garage spot wherein the classic Memphis soul sound smashed straight into Hüsker Dü with abandon? The brittle, dusty run at The Byrds’ “Here Without You”, with which they debuted? Clutch long-playing bombs like Shattered and Home For Orphans close to your chest on the way back from the record store, or on your way out to a party?
Ever wonder what happened to those guys?
Well: wonder no more, cos Greg Cartwright’s Reigning Sound done gone got the seven-year itch, and they’re back over at Merge with a new record, their first in seven long years.
It’s been twice that long – more than 15 years, actually – since Greg upped sticks to North Carolina, but he’s returned to the Soul City for the new album, reinvigorated – and also rejuvenated that original line-up of bassist Jeremy Scott, drummer Greg Roberson and Alex Greene on keyboards. We’re reliably informed that their sonic chemistry “hasn’t faded a bit”, despite it being the first time this quartet have laid down tracks since Home For Orphans in 2005.
They’re on the doorstep right now, but instead of that bunch of flowers to say sorry, missed ya, they’ve brought something much more fun: a new song, “A Little More Time” – a welcome dose of garage rock and Memphis soul, warm, chiming, not too clean, a proper arm-out-the-window on the country backroads nugget.
It’s more or less the title track from their forthcoming album, A Little More Time with Reigning Sound, which is out on Merge on May 21st; and, even better, is the ‘A’ of a 7″, out this Friday.
A Little More Time with Reigning Sound will be out in May on CD and LP; you can pre-order your copy here. Oh, Rough Trade have an exclusive pink and purple swirl pressing for the UK only, which you can order here.
