It's crazy to think that it's been four years since Fences--AKA Seattle musician Chris Mansfield--first worked his way into our hearts and eardrums with his self-described brand of "pouty petulant pop." And while Mansfield's moody sing-along melodies in songs like "Girls With Accents" perfectly soundtracked our lives back in 2010, we've grown up in a big way since then. Which is perfect, because so has he.
First discovered by Sara Quinn via MySpace, the singer and songwriter has quietly become one of the most popular guys in the music business. He's worked with Tegan and Sara on his debut self-titled album (they produced, recorded and added vocals to the LP); he's toured with HelloGoodbye and Against Me!; and for his sophomore effort, he's recruited a whole new group of buds. Chris Walla and Jason McGerr from Death Cab For Cutie, along with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have all contributed to Mansfield's new full-length project Lesser Oceans, which will drop in October.
However, we've got a sneak peek of what to expect early--and spoiler alert!--it's going to be awesome. "Songs About Angels" is the first track off the album, and it showcases a version of Fences that's a little wiser, a little more experienced, and 100-percent just as relateable as before. Stocked with a boyount pop backbone and a guarded optimism ("Well this life can be such a devil, so I wrote this song about angels"), this just might be the musical silver lining we all need, especially on a Monday morning.
Get a first listen at "Songs About Angels" in the lyric video below, then stay updated on Lesser Oceans here!