Music Review: The Old Ceremony, Sprinter

By Melissa Bratcher

There is a terrible problem with Sprinter, the new album from Durham, North Carolina’s The Old Ceremony: it only includes ten tracks. These ten songs are incredible: transporting, literate, cinematic. I yearned for more.

Produced by Mitch Easter (and recorded at his Fidelitorium Recordings), Sprinter is a triumph of tight songcraft. There’s not a throwaway moment, not a skippable song, not a “hmm, I wonder why they thought that needed to be said.” The title track is dramatic, yet understated. Frontman Django Haskins has a wonderful, nuanced voice and his easy, nimble vocals are a highlight, especially on the slinky, snarky, delicious organ noir of “Magic Hour,” in which he is joined on harmonies (and bass) by REM’s Mike Mills. Haskins’s falsetto on the infectious power-pop track “Live It Down” is delightful. It’s a rambunctious tune with a huge sound.

Mills joins again with harmonies on “Fall Guy,” a jittery jangle of a track. With a drop of organ and a drummer on the offbeats, the giddy nervousness of skydiving is captured. The harmonies on the cascading chorus-in-the-round of “Over Greenland” are quite lovely as is “Hard Times,” though it is more melancholy. Haskins’s vocal is perfect: simple and honest and accompanied by an acoustic guitar.

The marriage of Mark Simonsen’s keyboards, Shane Hartman’s bass, and Gabriele Pelli’s violin on “Efige” is a treasure. An exotica gem rich with atmosphere, it’s a hip-shaking, arresting track, buoyed by Dan Hall’s surf drums. The closer, “Go Dark,” is paranoia cloaked in a charming melody. Sung by an unreliable narrator, the music reflects his madness and the harmonies are delightful.

Sprinter is a hooky, cleverly written charmer and the album’s characters and stories live and breathe within these songs. The incredibly versatile The Old Ceremony have made a witty, unusual album that transcends. Utterly fascinating and compulsively listenable, Sprinter deserves your ear.

Sprinter was released on July 10 through Yep Roc Music Group.

Tour Dates:
July 17-18 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC
July 24 – IOTA – Arlington, VA
July 25 – Joe’s Pub – New York, NY
July 26 – Great Scott – Boston, MA
July 28 – The Drake – Toronto, CN
July 29 – Southgate House – Newport, KY
July 30 – Fizz – Chicago, IL
July 31 – City Winery – Nashville, TN
August 1 – The Earl – Atlanta, GA