We knew this summer would be busy, with a couple of physical releases already scheduled in our Seasons 12-inch (Something To Do Records) and the Wonderand cassette (Byaaaaaah! Records). However, as we made plans for fall and winter releases, we still wanted to do something new for the summer. and we felt like the perfect solution was a group of covers as a free digital release.

When going through some of my favorite songs and trying to figure out how to narrow it all down, I decided we wouldn't include any of the obvious bands. Our love for groups like the Beach Boys, the Beatles, Weezer, MTX, and the Ramones is obvious (and you can check out the Robinsons' Party album that we did for Mooster Records if you want to hear us cover those bands). So here, we ended up going with a few bands that we aren't usually linked with.

1. Depeche Mode - Dreaming of Me

This is definitely a tribute to my uncle (Casey Patton), who introduced me to so many of my favorite bands in the 80s and 90s. From Joy Division, New Order, and the Smiths to Oasis, Weezer, and Fountains of Wayne, there are so many bands that I still listen to today that I first listened to because of him. Although he passed away in 2005, I still have about 10 mixtapes that he made for me over the years, and Depeche Mode is present on most of those. Through all of the band's changes, Speak & Spell has always remained my favorite of their albums, so I grabbed a song from there to cover.

2. The Cascades - The Rhythm of the Rain

From about 1999 to 2004 I drove a Jeep Cherokee that only had a cassette player, so I was still listening to tapes every day while everyone else was going from CDs to digital. One day I bought a tape of oldies at the Goodwill or something, and this song was on it. I was obssessed with it and would listen to it over and over (not easy to do on a cassette, kids!). I started playing it in some of my acoustic sets and have always wanted to record it.

3. Big Star - Thirteen

Like most music people (I assume), I found Big Star in college and have always been a huge fan. Mark recently got into them, so we've been discussing the documentary and the music a bunch over the past few months. Mark arranged this one, and while we obviously will never be able to sing or play like Big Star, we had a lot of fun with Mark's version.

4. Teen Idols - Midnight Picture Show

Although late-90s/early-00s pop-punk is not really a stretch for us, we thought it would be fun to put more of a pop spin on this one. It's an obvious favorite of mine since it's about watching old horror movies. But it's also a shout out to drummer Matt Drastic, who owns Drastic Sounds, which is where Vista Blue rehearses (and where I stare at old flyers, wishing I'd been at all the shows).

Thanks for listening!