The Laughing Chimes have, over the course of one album and several singles, breathed new life into classic jangle and paisley pop. Formed by teenage brothers Evan and Quinn Seurkamp, they bring a fresh, youthful enthusiasm and the unique outlook of their eastern Ohio rust belt upbringing to sounds that would fit right in on labels like Flying Nun, Creation and Sarah. Gathering up 3 future-classic tunes from their 2021 debut album and two subsequent singles onto one 7", "Laurel Heights" is a brilliant distillation of The Laughing Chimes' considerable charm and a super vinyl introduction to the band. The song "Laurel Heights" sounds like a tune by the best Athens, GA band you never heard of, a brilliant slice of pastoral jangle destined for a thousand mixtapes. "Zoo Avenue" is an achingly melodic pop nugget taken from a tape EP of the same name, and "Try To Change My Mind" was one of the stand-outs of their aforementioned debut LP. The songs are strong, assured and enlivened by an infectious immediacy that allows The Laughing Chimes to claim this familiar sound as their own. They're at once timeless and bang up-to-date, and we're very happy to offer this rousing time capsule while the band works on what will surely be a terrific second album.
