Cleveland’s Signals Midwest came seemingly out of nowhere with its stunning debut album Latitudes And Longitudes in 2011. Its ability to unite pop-punk and post-hardcore was notable, but the fact Signals Midwest was able to make this sound its own is what was most impressive. Its sophomore album Light On The Lake is due out October 22 via Tiny Engines, and as the label begins to take pre-orders of the album, The A.V. Club has an exclusive stream of the track “St. Vincent Charity.”
Boasting back-up vocals from Tiny Engines alums Restorations (who released LP2 on Side One Dummy this year), “St. Vincent Charity” expands the Signals Midwest songbook without ever becoming formulaic. Moving from an aching opening to uproarious crescendo, “St. Vincent Charity” finds its through-line in the burly vocals of Max Stern, who is becoming increasingly prolific as he balances Signals Midwest with his side-project Meridian. “St. Vincent Charity” can be heard below, and the band will be appearing at The Fest 12 this November.