Never Mind the Tiger, Here's The Laughing

These teal-shirted, white denim-vested tiger-lovers have been popping up around town since August, piquing our curiosity as to their legitimacy. Touted by some as the “best new” in Austin, The Laughing are set to release their first EP Tiger Cry tomorrow night at the historic Victory Grill.

We’d hate to just hype (since we haven’t seen them yet), so we’ll do our best to give it to you straight. The EP is dance-rock fun. Founded on drum beats designed for the dancing set, the tracks top off with lively lo-fi vocals, engaging beats and synthetic noise. There’s even a glockenspiel that pops up on “Tiger Cry,” though we’re hoping to see more of that at the show. The first track “Wearing The Colors” begins with a saxophone-drone and is actually a lament from the endangered white tiger itself. Probably the best song on the EP is “Wait Until He Roars,” a toe-tapping head-bobber with an organ to boot. We thought the relentless tiger references would be annoying, but well, they’re not. And we hate to compare them to the Brit-rock sounds of the Killers, but well, we will.

Whether it’s ballyhoo or the real thing, with so many murmurings about The Laughing, we’re set on showing up Saturday night to check them out. We’d love to let you in for free—just drop us your information and cross your fingers.

Congratulations to our winners!

[The Laughing official site]

The Laughing
w/Til We’re Blue or Destroy, The Always Already
Saturday, February 10th
Victory Grill [map]
Doors at 9pm, $5

Photo courtesy the band's web site