Small Black has only dabbled in releasing tangible recordings to this point, gaining the most recognition with their self-titled, 7-song EP out on Jagjaguwar last year, so it was quite the welcome surprise when these guys finally announced a debut, and now we finally have it in our hands. New Chain mixes the best elements of modern rock and synthesizer glam alongside a more temperamental edge compared to older material, and it will be no surprise to see the overwhelmingly positive reviews for this effort as we move into the colder months of winter; they are making music to fit the mood transition of their listeners.

Advance single “Photojournalist” was a bit of a throw-off for those addicted to the choppy, Washed Out reminiscent vibes of songs like “Weird Machines” or “Despicable Dogs.” It’s a propulsive track that automatically sees a sound maturation into the darker caverns of electronic music. The vocals on this are under developed, concise, without much inflection. The songs are hollow but sweetly elegant in instrumentation. There’s a lot of oxymoronic music making going on here- hard to believe so much of the arrangements Small Black creates actually fit together nicely. “Light Curse” utters “Come away, come away” in the chorus, leaving the listener up to a choice: do they follow Small Black until the end or take a leap out of the depths the band is beckoning them into?

They’ve never been to the Midwest and who knows if they’ll ever venture out of the Delaware suburb they reside in to bring their music to a larger crowd (at least anytime soon). Signing to Jagjaguwar does not ensure this, as Small Black has mostly relied on word-of-mouth, internet blogging to get them attention, but what we do know is that they’ll continue to emerge as a prolific band making a different sort of music in a different sort of location. It’s refreshing to see their take on sample-based compositions, not to mention this recording is done in a state which hasn’t garnered attention yet for its music scene. Perhaps Small Black is on the forefront of a new type of musical community for the area.