James Barrett releasing 'A Series of... Mostly Nothing' on Refresh Records (stream a new song)

Scranton, PA’s James Barrett recently signed to Refresh Records and he’ll release his new album A Series of… Mostly Nothing on September 24 via his new label home (pre-orders will launch soon). The label tags his new music “indie rock” and “stadium rock” on SoundCloud, and his James Cassar-penned bio calls the new album “a love letter to the hushed splendor of The National and the spaced-out bombast of Angels & Airwaves,” and you can hear that contrast between intimate indie sounds and more stadium-sized ones coming through in the album’s singles. New song “The Art of Letting Go,” which premieres in this post, does sound a little like Angels & Airwaves, but it also kinda sounds like Scranton hometown heroes Tigers Jaw or emo-infused dream popsters Turnover. James does a good job of giving you the thrill of bombast but taming it with something a little more up close and personal. Hear it for yourself by streaming the new song and two previous singles from the album below.

James made A Series of… Mostly Nothing with producer Jake Checkoway (Sleeping Patterns, Origami Angel), and it features vocals by Amanda Rogan of Sweetnest along with a few other guest contributions (including cello on “Love Song in 2020”).