Librarians With Hickeys - Ship To Shore
BIG STIR RECORDS is proud to bring you a new single (and video) from Akron, Ohio indie rockers LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS, from their widely-admired hit album HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS BY TELEPHONE. “Ship To Shore”, the fourth official single from the album, gets a standalone release on March 7.
The third album from LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS (and also their third for BSR), HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS BY TELEPHONE marks a true watershed for the band (vocalist/guitarist RAY CARMEN and guitarist MIKE CROOKER). Already renowned for the jangle-heavy brand of '60s pop, '80s college rock and classic power pop perfected on their 2020 debut Long Overdue and its breakthrough 2020 followup Handclaps and Tambourines, LWH nonetheless managed to up their own game on the new album, delivering a thematically-linked and deeply textured set of tunes while simultaneously sharpening the hooks for which they're known. Global indie radio and pop rock critics worldwide certain took note: the album and its tracks landed on Best Of 2024 lists from Washington State (KWVA's Snap, Crackle, Pop!) to Montana (KGF Rocks' Wild Bill Hill) to New Jersey (WFMU's Where The Action Is) and beyond. Notably, over in the UK, it landed among the Top Five Albums of the Year by Roger Nicholls of Roger's Imaginarium and The Walrus & The Carpenter Show (Rock Radio UK).
“Ship To Shore” follows in the footsteps of the album's prior singles “Hello Operator”, “No More Goodbyes” and “Listening”, each of which had its own chart-topping day in the sun on indie radio worldwide. What's more, each embodied in its own way – as does the title of the album itself -- themes of the challenges and rewards of communication in the modern era (where “modern” might encompass anything from an antique switchboard to a 5G tower). The new single stays on message, adding a perhaps even more antique and distinctly nautical overlay to the theme. “It's an opus about trying to communicate with a loved one overseas, who may – or may not – be waiting for them when they get home,” explains Crooker. “Wistful and yearning with a slight sea shanty vibe and Smiths-like guitar figures. We were delighted to have Joe LaRose weave some appropriately vintage-sounding mandolin into our tapestry of guitar jangle, too.”
The video, a Wes Anderson-inspired clip featuring Carmen in a surprisingly authentic maritime setting for these Ohio natives, completes the picture. And if it points your compass toward HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS BY TELEPHONE, which, for all its accolades, might have escaped your attention in the madness of the election season, so much the better. LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS are still there for you, waiting to connect.
