Since Familiars seems massively absent from conversations, I believe The Antlers chose the wrong month to release their beautiful fourth album; summer could never be the best time to release a record for a band most of us associate with guilt, agony, anger, abuse and heart-ripping break-up songs. Shame, since The Antlers have pulled off one of the most beautiful albums of the year; and although not as tormented and intimate as Hospice or as floating as Burst Apart, Familiars connects all loose ends into their most coherent and luxuriously orchestrated work. As we move to frostier and darker seasons, I hope this will change and Familiars get the recognition it so justly deserves.
