E Rey (Live in Philadelphia)

Recorded at the final show of We Were Promised Jetpacks' 2012 U.S. tour at Union Transfer in Philadelphia, E Rey—Live in Philadelphia is a live album mixed by the band’s touring sound engineer, Andrew Bush. (It will also be a five-camera concert film.) It makes for an excellent summary of this tuneful Glasgow indie-pop postpunk group. Six tracks here appeared in studio versions on their 2009 debut album, These Four Walls; another six appeared on their second album, 2011’s In the Pit of the Stomach. This leaves “Peace Sign” as a live preview of a tune slated for release on their late-2014 studio album. While the band have been slow to get new material to market, they’ve been touring consistently, including multiple U.S. tours. The band’s sound translates well to the stage, where the guitars’ constant motion fills the majority of the sound. By the time of the subtler “Ships with Holes Will Sink,” it’s apparent that few songs come up for air—such is the intensity of the band’s material.