You dig philosophy? I do. A lot. So when I read and learned more about the inspiration behind the music of our latest feature, The Winter Sounds, I knew I had to find out more.
 -- Pens Eye View

Like most things, when the Winter Sounds are reduced, they get noticeably stronger. Seeing them live @ Le Voyeur, in that concrete cave, is only bound to crank up the cacophony.
 -- Weekly Volcano

Though the Winter Sounds' hodge-podge might baffle on first listen, if it were its own Pandora station, Church of the Haunted South would receive more "likes" than "don't likes."
 -- Boise Weekly

After relentless U.S. touring in 2008, The Winter Sounds followed Porcelain Empire with the thematic album Church of the Haunted South; released on Nashville label Theory 8 Records in 2009. Reflecting the contentious and pervasive shadow cast by the culture and history of the South, Church is a mature departure from the raw-aesthetic of their first record. Insomnia Radio proclaimed Church ‘an intricate masterpiece, piecing together individually beautiful and unique tracks to create a warming, powerful album full of contrast and intrigue’.
 -- My Secret Playlist

They released a fantastic record last year, Church of the Haunted South, which got much less attention on this site than it deserved
 -- Atlanta A-List

"...the band’s ever-shifting sound is basically an amalgam of indie-rock all-stars—a bit of Arcade Fire’s cinematic grandeur, a pinch of Bloc Party’s synth-driven skittishness, a gloss of Belle And Sebastian’s melancholy—its passion is genuine (even intoxicating in a live setting), and the group’s mid-song stylistic turns are anything but predictable."
 -- Onion AV Club (Washington, DC)

The Winter Sounds have left their college town hangout in Athens, Ga., long enough to play a handful of national dates including a May 2 stop at the Viper Room; their latest album is the eerily titled Church of the Haunted South.
 -- Campus Circle

This quartet challenges listeners... with soaring three-part harmonies, saw-like guitar lines, and in-your-face deliveries that you can’t help but compare to those other bombastic art rockers, the Decemberists.
 -- The Santa Barbara Independent

I have a really good feeling about these guys. They get great reviews wherever they perform and whatever they record, so watch out!
 -- Charlotte Music.typepad.com

On their 2009 release, the buzzed-about Church of the Haunted South, the band conceptualized an album of pride and regret about the complex past that’s come to define their region of the United States.
 -- Electric City Weekender

The Winter Sounds take their heart-on-sleeve pop-rock to Joe Squared on Friday.
 -- Baltimore City Paper

I spent half the year meaning to write about this record. I think I listened to it almost every day in August.
 -- Atlalist.com

"As one of their rewards, the band offered to not only write a song about a backer, they promised a music video as well. Today we happened upon two of those videos, and we haven't stopped smiling since.
 -- Kickstarter Blog

Show plug
 -- Washington Post

The band’s sound is pretty epic, their songs are often melody driven swishy numbers which often rise to a fantastic pop chorus, the kind that makes you smile inside.
 -- These are Sounds

“O’ Fear” sounds like a less orchestrated and femme-choir tinged version of The Polyphonic Spree’s creative moments. But it’s not quite like that. At first, you’re going to get distracted hearing Brian Wilson-ish choirs, then the song elevates to A-Ha for a few moments and by the first lines, you might get a Stuart Murdoch (Belle & Sebastian) feeling for the guy behind the mic, maybe because of the accent. But then the Winter Sounds surface and this is just when the false ideas vanish."
 -- This Winki's

"Their new record, Church Of The Haunted South, has wide ranging influences and if you are an indie rock fan, you’ll like that they’ve managed to successfully amalgamate all the bands you love so much into something new."
 -- Creative Loafing

"Patrick Keenan sings about in a way that mysteriously sounds like the very definition of what the British blokes cream themselves over. Yet, there’s this very subtle American emotionalism to it that savors – oddly enough – the fragility of a thousand compressed feelings, once all strewn about, but now collected and focused upon specific loves of tragic consequence and dimensions."
 -- Day Trotter

"the Winter Sounds blend indie rock and new wave for a sound that is somewhere between the Killers and the Cure"
 -- Creative Loafing Atlanta

"Uncle Skeleton submitted the remix “O’Fear (GLASS Remix)” and it made the cut."
 -- Uncle Skeleton

"It's rather uncommon for me to go to a rock show and have my expectations surpassed, but that's exactly what happened last night at Mercy Lounge in Nashville, Tennessee."
 -- Teradyme

"An impressive album from a criminally overlooked group of musicians."
 -- Sputnik Music

"The album is an intricate masterpiece, piecing together individually beautiful and unique tracks to create a warming, powerful album full of contrast and intrigue."
 -- Insomnia Radio

"The indie rock quartet from Athens, GA has found some time during their frenzied tour schedule to produce an album that combines elements of new wave with indie-pop hooks and vocal harmonies, making Church of the Haunted South a very unique and enjoyable listening experience."
 -- Blogspot-CD Tableu

"For those of you who haven’t yet heard them, their unique brand of vocal rock ranges from haunting vocal harmonies to fun pop jams, combining the best of the 80’s with the rock sounds of the 90’s."
 -- Scene SC

As indie becomes the next corporate behemoth, support a true alternative group.
 -- Blogspot- Brooklyn Music

"The album is a 12 song re-envisioning of all things that were great about Brit & Scottish pop from the late 70s and all throughout the 80s."
 -- Blogspot-Viva Indie Rock!

"The Winter Sounds are a fantastic band coming out of Athens, Georgia – one that ‘gets it’ – they have pop songs that are experimental, but don’t stray into the “I know I’m a great musician so look at all the cool shit I can do” territory."
 -- Chicago's Independent Music Review

"With Church of the Haunted South, Keenan and crew have developed an admirable piece of work that uses its many genre subsets to build quite an album. It's a church that all should experience."
 -- Blogspot- Deckfight

"An intent, energetic rocker with an underlying Cure-ishness at its core, from its ringing, two-part guitar melody and mobile bass line to its yelpy-voiced front man, Patrick Keenan, who edges pleasantly towards the almost hysterical in his upper register."
 -- Blogspot - Fingertipsmusic

"Motivated by creativity, the unstoppable Winter Sounds drives their brand of popular chased indie rock through the walls and right onto the stage."
 -- Blogspot- Secret Carboro Ninja Patrol

"The Winter Sounds manage to tie everything together with strong songwriting and an almost impeccable balance of substance and 'catchiness'"
 -- Sputnik Music

"...the Winter Sounds is much more Hey Mercedes than, say, the Arcade Fire, giving all of its music a deeply nostalgic kind of feel. This is indie rock that doesn’t just move – it takes you somewhere."
 -- Wonka Vision

"Head's Up: The Winter Sounds"
 -- Sound As Language

"The Winter Sounds have created a flowing and constantly transitioning rock that never feels contrived or planned. In fact, in embracing such a wide range of influence, the Georgia-based group is making some of the most organic-sounding music to hit the national scene in years."
 -- HeadExploder

"...[the live show]...was a loud, clattering, noisy good time. The bassist and lead singer, Patrick Keenan, sings with urgency and earnestness. Oh, and the guy has some serious pipes. He adds a certain "Fuck yeah!" intensity to the show. You can sense the tension and emotions he's trying to convene in each song."
 -- DC Rock Club

"Porcelain Empire is an amazing indie-rock album that mostly fluctuates between dreamy baroque pop and frenzied post-punk, and also dabbles in everything from shoegaze to new wave. The atmospheric melodies, sprawling instrumentation, smart lyrics and catchy vocal harmonies are hard to resist."
 -- Flagpole Magazine

The Athens, Ga., band is at the top of their game and poised to become hit makers.
 -- Citybeat (Cincinnati) blogs [Live Review from Midpoint]

Porcelain Empire, the debut release from the Georgian indie rockers, is thought provoking, atmospheric, uplifting, and just plain enjoyable.
 -- Sputnik Music Blog

The Athens, GA band is at the top of their game and poised to become hit makers
 -- Oxadox

"Jangly riffs are bulked with plenty of frantic, new-wave beats."
 -- Racket Magazine

"...an exciting Atlanta indie band called The Winter Sounds (pictured). The modern-tinged retro pop group (bits of stylish New Wave, post-punk, and industrial-strength synth-pop) comes armed with advance copies of their new EP."
 -- Charleston City Paper

"An Athens, GA quintet with a unique style."
 -- Alternative Press

"The Winter Sounds return to Soho with their walls of indier-than-thou guitars"
 -- Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

"The band has a lot up its collective sleeve and dips its biscuit into multiple musical cups, from neo-baroque balladry to sharp-edged post-punk to '80s New Wave. It's a pretty engaging mix on The Winter Sounds' latest CD, "Porcelain Empire."
 -- Tallahassee Democrat

"Throughout Porcelain Empire, singer Patrick Keenan now and then conceives of himself as a ghost, drifting slowly towards death or hurtling towards it, nostalgic for an uncapturable past or a love that’s gone. That’s the thread that holds the disparate parts of the album together, and what makes it a success despite its missteps. The band’s got promise."
 -- Pop Matters

"The Winter Sounds did what they could with their 40-minute set in front of a dwindling audience at the outdoor stage as the Athens-based band performed just a couple of hours before sunset. Those who left early to gain strength before the night’s club crawl surely missed out on one of Athens’ best new bands, as the sounds of The Sounds made an almost-seamless transition to the stage, and frontman Patrick Keenan’s voice was as pitch-perfect live as it is on their newest release, Porcelain Empire."
 -- Southeast Performer Athfest Live Reviews

"Sweet, bittersweet, and swishy in a synth-poppy, country fashion, the Winter Sounds and its principal songwriter, singer/bassist Patrick Keenan, take to the skies with layers of merry melancholy that don't leave an ugly aftertaste."
 -- CHORD Magazine

"When melodic punk is done right, its hard to beat, and these Athenians hit the groove.."
 -- Roctober

"the Winter Sounds turn blissful melodies into shooting stars of soaring pop"
 -- modernfix.com

They sound like the '80s, but like all of the '80s: not only de rigueur electro-pop and new wave, but also hardcore, post-punk, hip hop and New Romantic.
 -- Flagpole Magazine

The Sounds successfully forge emotion and longing with punk-beat melodies that will have you discovering something different every time you listen to Porcelain.
 -- EU-Jacksonville

The Winter Sounds arrive Saturday
 -- Meridian Star

The Winter Sounds released their video of “Windy City Nights”
 -- JDS Musical Alchemy

Lush, dreamy and toe-tappingly infectious all at once
 -- Connect Savannah

"Porcelain Empire is the band's debut album...and it is chock full of stunning, cerebral, smart pop."
 --  Babysue

"Built on chiming guitars, intermittent synths, and catchy choruses..."
 -- DALLAS OBSERVER

"Regardless of the remnants of bands past that are engrained into the album, the real genius lies in the fact that the band still manages to carve out an entirely original sound"
 -- Performer Magazine

Though favorable and flattering comparisons to Ride and other blue Brits are inevitable, these synthy, shoegazing Southerners put another feather in Athens, Georgia's indie-rock cap with startlingly sincere songwriting and the occasional foot-frenzy dance beat.
 -- WESTWORD

.."atmospheric, indie-pop.."
 -- NUVO

Fiercely melodic indie rock that doesn't shortchange listeners on layers of substance or instrumentation.
 -- Alarm Magazine

...the sound of all seasons, evoking every shimmering, driving, melodic and melancholic cornerstone of the last two decades of indie rock....
 -- Heeb Magazine

...windswept, romantic tunes
 --  Nashville Scene

freezing the attention of Indie music junkies everywhere.
 -- HYPEzine

solid vocal harmonies and some good songwriting
 -- Razorcake

They are a fusion of The Arcade Fire, Cass McCombs, and British Sea Power, with a dash of punk and choirboy-rock harmonies, giving them enough Indie cred to suit a converse loving, tight jean wearing hipster-kid.
 -- Minute Morning Magazine

Porcelain Empire is a superb debut...The Winter Sounds have come a long way in a short time.
 -- TheMagazine

While they are an expected progression from new wave, The Winter Sounds offer up a smarter, nimbler sound that brings the whole genre into the new century.
 -- SIX DEGREE

good, powerful, interesting...
 -- Merdian Star

dreamy synths, sparkling keys, and loads of atmosphere
 -- UWEEKLY

inventive updating of influences gleaned from that period, particularly bits of new wave, punk and even early hip-hop, though they're clearly in the rock camp in terms of lyrics, edge and attitude.
 -- Nashville City Paper

must-hear debut
 -- silent uproar

A delightful and invigorating synth-pop experience
 -- Minute Morning Magazine

The Winter Sound's new album is an epic, ambitious, indie-pop masterpiece completely unique in style and sound, hopeful and triumphant.
 -- Sentient Bean

Lush, dreamy and toe-tappingly infectious all at once, theyve recently inked a deal with a respected regional label and seem like theyre about to get some sort of decent push on an international level.
 -- Connect Statesboro

The Winter Sounds' heart is in the right place, and that's all that matters. Well, that and its songwriting is in the right place, too. While we're bound to see a flood of indie wannabes flooding the market in hopes of riding on Modest Mouse's coattails, don't count The Winter Sounds among them.
 -- Aversion

Through the daze of fuzzy and phased out guitar noice, bludgeoning heavy drums and percussive pounding basslines, The Winter Sounds uses breeze of inventive vocal harmonies, an ethereal synth, and airy lead guitar lines to weave through the chilly fog they've created. It's sure to be one of the more interesting shows Savannah has seen in quite awhile.
 -- Murmur Magazine

The talent and passion that The Winter Sounds showcase on their auspicious debut is unmatched by other seemingly hip poseurs. If youre a forthright and unashamed fan of pop melody like I am then The Winter Sounds will push their way through the clutter and make you love them.
 -- MetroBeat

The artistic value of this CD is by far something to marvel with all of its minute characteristics and details.
 -- Skyline Press

There's nothing cookie cutter about their smoothly transitioning music, into which they skillfully shape bits of new wave, punk, the best of 80s music, and tidbits of post-punk and pop. Out of this mish-mash of styles, they've unexpectedly defined themselves.
 -- EntertainingU.com