How goes it?

We’ve been busy working on new material, playing shows with Dent May and the Temper Trap this Fall, and busting out the long johns….

Later this month, Mittens on Strings will be adding the the holiday cheer with a CHEAP show at the Empty Bottle.  We’re playing Wednesday Dec 30th with Second Story Man (one of Alex’s favorite Louisvillian bands) and Manbirdbelly. IT’S ONLY $5!!

The new Mittens on Strings LP, Let’s Go to Baba’s is OUT NOW. Travel over to SOUNGS DOT ORG to stream, purchase, and download it.  Check out a number of handmade videos in our media section!

Our interview on Chicago Public Radio’s 848 program aired and is up online(”geekiest interview ever” I’ve been told), and our performance on Chic-A-Go-Go is going to be part of the upcoming New Year’s show.  We’ll be taping a song for a new web show this weekend - more details as we get ‘em.

CHECK OUT THIS PRESS!!

Mittens on Strings, the band, have a song called “ Big Brother” that seems like standard lo-fi rock at first, until the gang vocals kick in and demand your attention, and the guitar solo combines notes that surely have been combined before in a way that seems like they’ve crossed galaxies to meet in a totally unique formation, and a second listen reveals that the entire song is silly-awesome. Slawesome? - Popmatters, Tyler Gould

[Let’s Go to Baba’s] is full of iridescent, laid-back folksy rock. From listen one, you can tell Mittens members majored in the bygone narratives of Neil Young and Lou Reed, studying up on the fuzz folk atmospherics of Sparklehorse and Lambchop as extracurriculars. The whole album is full of little nuggets of fool’s gold, with tunes about lonely birds, lumbering giants and flaming pigs. It’s the kind of clever music you’d expect from the Case ranks, with an innovative business model to boot. — Keith Gribbins, Cleveland Scene

[Let’s Go to Baba’s] contrasts moody chamber-pop with a hedonistic edge. The record swims in distorted guitars and cascading spirals of psychedelic sound, while lyrics explore both everyday mundanity and the extraordinary.  Cello highlights an autumnal current drifting through meditative tunes, but despite the Good Book references and existential undertones, a communal sense of humor shines through…  Singer Alex Preston apes Lou Reed’s warbly drawl to fit his own indie intentions, but to accuse him of biting the notorious curmudgeon would be disingenuous. We can’t imagine Reed ever having this much fun. - Arief Sless-Kitain, Time Out Chicago

The strange and beautiful pop songs of this quintet range from hints of rambling country to a rush of trippy electronica. - Mary Houlihan - Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago’s Mittens on Strings is an indie band that likes to jam. Or a jam band that dabbles in weird pop. Or maybe just a group of dudes who listened to a lot of Jonathan Richman and Neil Young while taking hardcore psychedelic drugs. Ok, it’s clear we have no idea what it is, but we do know the band likes to have fun: MoS’ latest album, Let’s Go to Baba’s, contains songs about flaming pigs, lonely birds on vacation and a Velvet Underground dig called “Lou Reed Says.” This isn’t a joke act, though. The musicianship is solid and varied and the lyrics, while often humorous, also pack a definite punch. Before long, you’ll find yourself mouthing the words “a burnin’ hog ain’t fun” without even cracking a smile. - Ben Rubenstein, Centerstage