Belly of the Lion by Ola Podrida – Now Available from Western Vinyl

Headed by film composer David Wingo, Ola Podrida have performed their atmospheric, folk-tinged, majestic noise at sold-out headlining shows in New York, at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Europe, and with like-minded contemporaries including Fleet Foxes and Beach House. Chockfull of unsentimental love songs, Belly of the Lion pulses with the burgeoning sexuality borne of feral adolescent summers spent in the sprawling suburbs of the South. It’s hard not to be wooed, as the songs gingerly lay to rest the calamities that inevitably befall an adventurous heart.

If Pink Floyd had been influenced by Bedhead and Flying Saucer Attack, they might well have crafted gorgeous shimmering gems like “We All Radiant” and “Monday Morning.” As tracks like “Donkey” swell, almost to the point of bursting, it’s easy to be reminded of Jeff Mangum’s heartbreaking croon. Alternately, the gently driving rhythm and fragile vocals on “Lakes of Wine” project a hypnotizing mood that seems to summon the spirit of Nick Drake, while “Roomful of Sparrows” with its pastoral shoegaze rock feels like the best song Kevin Shields never wrote.

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PRESS
“Ola Podrida have beaten Sufjan Stevens to the punch and recorded an aural love letter to singer David Wingo’s Lone Star stat..”
– Pop Matters

“very good album…fantastic live show. Definitely worth checking out”
– Brooklyn Vegan

“Ola Podrida is a cohesive, confident album full of folky, quiet guitars and thoughtful lyrics that coalesce into complete songs. But what sets the group apart from similar acts like Iron & Wine and Paul Duncan is its cinematic flair: Wingo treats his words like images, so that the music acts like a soundtrack that gently reinforces their meaning and impact.”
– Pitchfork (8.0)