"At first listen," reads a press release which recently landed in my inbox, "The Shin may sound like your average rocking band from Georgia." Actually, at first glance, "The Shin" sounds like a solo project from James Mercer, lead singer of the Shins.
But wait! Turns out The Shin (no s) is in fact a longstanding band from the Eurasian nation of Georgia that’s about to kick off an American tour. It’s not their fault that their name sounds so much like that other moderately well-known act, either. Evidently "Shin" means "home" in the Georgian language, and they put out their first album way back in 1995, years before Mercer changed his indie-pop band’s name from Flake Music.
So just consider this your daily lesson of "Know your indie sensations from your traditional Georgian fusion troupes." A clip of The Shin’s "Chips on the Water" is below — no word on whether it’ll change your life, but nice stuff, if you like that sort of thing. For comparison, the Shins‘ "Australia" video is after the jump.
More from EW’s Music Mix:
The Shins’ new song: Bring on the next album already!
Apples in Stereo frontman talks Idol cover, next album
Exclusive Rivers Cuomo clip
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