We Were Promised Jetpacks November 11, 2011

Plus Royal Bangs and Bear Hands
When a band's debut album is both impressive and hugely successful, it's not often that their sophomore effort makes it seem almost average in comparison. But "In The Pit Of The Stomach" – We Were Promised Jetpacks’ grand, accomplished follow-up to 2009’s "These Four Walls" – is precisely this rare exception. We Were Promised Jetpacks spent 2009 and 2010 touring tirelessly on their debut, including a run with Frightened Rabbit and shows supporting Passion Pit and Tokyo Police Club. The band’s second set of US appearances, their first headlining tour, sold out across the board. Armed with the confidence of all that touring, a batch of new, road-tested songs, and a muscular vision for a new record, the band decamped to Sigur Rós’s studio retreat in the frozen wilds of Iceland. The result is a huge leap forward from their debut – full of prickly ambition and grand-scale vision, but with no shortage of the hooks and personal engagement that have earned their debut – and their powerful, wrenching live shows – such a wide and devoted following.