Darling indie-poppers Exlovers release their new single ‘Blowing Kisses’ on Y&L club on 28th February. With their boy/girl harmonies and guitar driven melodies, they’re comparible to the gender-bending early days of Placebo by way of Belle & Sebastian with lots of sunshine thrown into the mix.

After the 2009 release of their 10” vinyl EP through Chess Club Records, the band have slowly built a serious reputation around the bones of their lo-fi 90s indie-pop sound, which taps into the transient whimsical nature of kidulthood and romance. Having gained radio support from major djs such as Zane Lowe and Steve Lamacq, the Exlovers are now signed to ‘powerhouse of indie goodness’ Young & Lost Club records. They’ve also embarked on their UK tour to coincide with the release of bittersweet love song ‘Blowing kisses‘.
A break-neck example of the type of sound the band are capable of achieving, the track is a 2 minute window into the confusion and the wonder of first love, symbolically driven home through a hi-hat pulse that kicks like a heartbeat, or more aptly, like the first-flush excitement of romance. ‘Blowing kisses‘ is about the genderless pits and troughs of falling in love and the complicatedness it brings to life- ‘blowing kisses, telling tales, I know you’re waiting for someone else’.

The boy/girl dynamic of the group gives a sense of credulence to a track that encompasses a visage of melodious pep elevated above a current of heartache. Having drawn comparisons to the likes of Belle and Sebastian, or currently en vogue Warpaint with their emotional narrative style and lilting vocal harmonies, this track certainly does credit to those shout-outs, producing a really lovely track that’ll sit nicely on any spring time compilation. We’re moving out of the winter, but we’re not quite in the sun.

Currently recording their new album with Demian Costallanos and Jimmy Robertson (Florence and the Machine), it should be released late in 2011 and is definately something to look forward to. In the meantime, put this track on and think back to the first “I love you”…

LISTEN TO: if you like Warpaint, Belle & Sebastian, The Pipettes, early Brian Molko meets Elliot Smith
FIND IT: Pre-order the limited 7″ vinyl from Y&LC… Get it on itunes from 28 feb AND/OR for free stream at the band’s soundcloud page. You can also download the b-side Moth-eaten memories for FREE here…. it’s a cracker.
RATE IT: 3/5