HOUSE OF HATS Release 'This Love' Today; Kick Off U.S. Tour This Weekend

American Songwriter is currently premiering "This Love," the first track from the debut LP of the same name by Brighton, U.K. band House of Hats, at http://www.americansongwriter.com. Produced by Pete Smith (Sting, Joe Cocker, Sheryl Crow) and out in the U.S. today, June 10 on Willow Walk Records, the album has already earned high praise in the U.K. with Q Magazine giving it three stars and commending the band's "vocal pyrotechnics" and "harmonies cascading into, over, through and beneath one another," and Acoustic Magazine calling it "just the stuff to hum along to" and asking if it could be "just the kind of music we all need?"

In support of the album's U.S. release, the band will play a string of dates in the Northeast-see below for details.

House of Hats is Alex Gigante (guitars, piano, vocals), Al-Anoud "Noddy" Al-Omran(acoustic guitar, piano, vocals), James Kuszewski (vocals, ukulele) and Roberto Gigante(bass, percussion). Alex, Noddy and James met as students in music school and formed House of Hats in 2012 when they each arrived simultaneously at similar moments in their careers. "All the bands we were involved with individually ended, and we decided to hook up and try to sing a few songs together," Alex says. It was Rob-Alex's brother and bassist in the band-who first saw the shared potential and urged the solo musicians to give it a shot together. Alex continues, "It's hard to explain but it just felt right from the first time we met up to make music together and we bonded musically straight away."

"House of Hats revel in complex simplicity...behind vocal pyrotechnics that suggest a younger Crosby, Stills & Nash, there's a solid songwriting heart and the production by Pete Smith transcends any folk clichés."-Q
"...a work of surprising complexity, beautiful playing and sublime singing."-Folk Radio U.K.
The band has toured with fellow Brighton favorites Will and the People in the U.K. and Holland, and played festivals including the Cambridge Folk Festival and the annual Secret Garden Party. Recently their track "Across the Universe" was featured in the film Common People, which was spotlighted at the 2013 Cannes International Film Festival. They also produce and perform in Brighton's "Harvest Sessions," a regular series of intimate acoustic evenings showcasing up-and-coming bands and singer/songwriters. Recently they stopped by "BBC Introducing" for an interview and performance, a clip of which may be seen at http://youtu.be/7aYLGiCuQDM.

TOUR DATES:
June 14 /// Rams Head /// Annapolis, MD
June 15 /// Atwood's Tavern /// Cambridge, MA
June 16 /// The Space /// Hamden, CT
June 18 /// Hill Country Live /// New York, NY
June 19 /// World Cafe Live /// Wilmington, DE
June 20 /// Hill Country Live /// Washington, DC

THIS LOVE TRACKLIST:
1. This Love
2. Close to Me
3. King of the Average Pace
4. Rivers Will Run
5. Right Behind You
6. Joanne
7. Gold
8. Home is Where the Heart Is
9. Wonderland
10. No Man
11. This Love (Alt)

Photo Credit: Frederique Bellec

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