Album Premiere: The Petticoat Tearoom, The Petticoat Tearoom

The Petticoat Tearoom are firmly in old-school music camp, doing everything they can to recreate the “golden era” of capturing a recording without losing the energy or dynamic of live performance. And so, as Baltimore worked itself into a fervor over the Ravens’ Super Bowl appearance, the D.C.-based neo-folk group fed off their native city’s energy, channeling the energy into their most recent self-titled release.

All that said, the final product is not quite an energetic, riotous rock album. Rather, it’s geared in a more Americana direction, with the vocals and guitar lines at the forefront of most tracks, and yes, that’s a harmonica on the quick-paced “Jubilee Melody.” Drawing comparisons to My Morning Jacket, Dawes and Blitzen Trapper, The Petticoat Tearoom are more than up to the task of joining such names on a roots-revival bill.

Says vocalist Tomas Pagan Motta, “this record was a departure from our previous efforts. We recorded the entire album in one weekend without sleeping. I’m happy because the record captures a vibe, sound and performance. It was recorded live and to tape for that reason. This way was much easier to capture the warmth we were looking for.”