by Grady Mitchell | On Thursday, June 19th, The Shilohs will be celebrating the release of their latest, self-titled album with a show at Fortune Soundclub. The jaunty, jangly twelve-track record – a time-capsule throwback to 60s and 70s pop – combines the work of three talented songwriters – guitarist Johnny Payne, bassist Dan Colussi (who founded Scout’s Soundtracking column), and guitarist Mike Komaszcuk – alongside drummer Ben Frey.

It’s rare to find a band with songs that sound so wildly different and yet all, somehow, perfectly their own. The guys lean on no tropes, and you’ll never experience deja vu with a moment you swore you heard just a couple songs back. That diversity comes from the triple-threat of lyricists and their variety of styles. Johnny’s songs are typically more personal stories, he says, while Mike’s are more philosophical, and Dan’s fall somewhere in between.

The lyrics are written solo, but a Shilohs song doesn’t become a Shilohs song until it’s brought to the studio and everyone puts their mark on it. Even then, each track has a final, even more rigorous test: touring. Back home some songs may get canned altogether while others get overhauled, but only after surviving the gauntlet of live shows will they make the album. For this record the band wrote almost 20 songs before narrowing the count to twelve.

Thursday’s release party will also feature a performance by COOL and a set by Big Tiny. In July, the boys embark on a tour across the US with The Fresh & Onlys. For more information, visit their site.

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