One year ago, with the release of the band's self-titled debut, the Postmarks instantly became the most critically acclaimed band in all of South Florida. Indie press stalwarts such as Pitchfork Media praised the group's gorgeously arranged pastoral sounds. Acclaim by mainstream giants including Rolling Stone and Spin further brought the band's music into the national spotlight. Even the self-appointed Queen of All Media, Perez Hilton, gave the album rave reviews on his megapopular blog.
Yet for all of the band's stateside accomplishments, multi-instrumentalist and main composer Christopher Moll still had one aspiration on his wish list — to release his band's record in England. A lifelong Anglophile, Moll collected imported issues of British music weekly NME as a teenager, the jangly sounds of Eighties and Nineties alternative sounds there filtering into his present-day band. And finally, after all these years, his dream is coming true: Friday's party here in Miami marks both a rare local appearance by the band as well as the launch party for the British edition of The Postmarks.
"Its amazing and frightening," says the 36-year-old Moll. "I've been following the English music scene since high school. To have my music finally released over there is something I would have never dreamed possible. Hopefully we'll be well received. The music comes from an honest and sincere place, so all we can do is put it out there and hope that people enjoy it."
To mark the record's June 23 British release date, the band — comprising Moll, drummer Jonathan Wilkins, and chanteuse Tim Yehezkely — are flying several members of the British media for a "preview" show at the new downtown Miami club The Vagabond. The hope is to build some buzz in the always-temperamental British music press, as well as offer a free concert for the group's hometown fans.
Still, for Moll, the concert will be only one of many highlights in a year full of triumphs, among them being asked to appear on the ever-popular Nickelodeon TV show Yo Gabba Gabba. "That was a definite highlight. Since I was a little child, I had dreams of appearing on the Dinah Shore show ... of playing with a band where each one of us was on a different-colored tier stage-wise," Moll says. "I mentioned that idea to the producers of Yo Gabba Gabba and they made it happen. That childhood dream is checked off."
As for its sophomore album, the band has started working on songs, but nothing is definitive yet. "The second record is coming into focus," says the always-meticulous Moll. "We have rough demos for at least 25 to 30 songs, with some fairly polished off demos for six to seven strong that are contenders for the second album."
For now, however, the group's sights are set on Friday's show. "All we can do is put on the best show we can," he says. "Plus we have a couple of new tricks up our sleeves."
