Yesterday, fledgling local four-piece Clearance dropped what basically amounts to a compilation tape of the band’s entire output, dating all the way back to 2013. Comprised of a pair of seven-inch EPs, the “Carte Blanche Plus One” single, and a number of unreleased tracks, Catalogue Nos.—released via Unsatisfied Records—is a treatment in lo-fi, jangly indie rock, complemented by a hint of the infectious slacker attitude that made the mid-90s such a blase blast. Today’s 12 O’Clock Track, “Merchant Copy,” is one of the unreleased numbers and features front man Mike Bellis’s mostly deadpan vocals strolling over a fluttering beat—finished off by a final minute which includes a guitar freak-out/shred gnarling at the song’s edges. The track is sneaky in its catchiness—and one you’ll be humming tomorrow without any recollection of what it is that you’re humming.
Clearance heads out on a short, five-date midwest tour beginning Sun 9/28. They’ll be playing Chicago on Tue 9/30 at a DIY venue that you’ll have to find out more about on the Internet.