The brotherly duo England in 1819, comprised of Andrew and Dan Callaway, have taken an interesting path to crafting its brand of electro-infused indie rock. The brothers Callaway played in rock bands at a young age while they lived overseas in the hills of the English countryside. Upon moving back to the states, they both spent time in conservatories, studying composition (Andrew) and french horn (Dan). Now, the duo purveys in a variety of indie rock that’s primarily electronic in its instrumentation. Summer Lighting EP, the duo’s latest release, is a further expansion of its sound, particularly with a noticeable incorporation of ’80s influences.
The duo tells PopMatters about the EP: “These songs were written after a year of being on the road. We had so many cities and memories floating around in our minds, and the songs represent the places and people we love, and the great times we spent with them. Our previous album, Fireball Electric Tomorrow, was very much a DIY project. It was conceptualized and captured by the two of us while we lived in a cabin in North Carolina. The album unintentionally became a somewhat lo-fi electronic experience. For the Summer Lightning EP, we wanted to take some of our favorite songs, and get them into the hands of someone who could give them the shine and vibrance we had heard all along. This is where Derek Garten of Prime Recording came in — he attended one of our shows in Nashville and we connected right away and started working together just a few weeks later. Working with Derek, it was as if we were hearing these songs again for the first time. We knew and loved these tracks, and to finally hear them with a cleanness, a crispness, with beautiful ups and downs — it was incredibly rewarding.”
Summer Lightning EP is out on October 21st.