The Higher State - I Just Pretend 7"

The latest single from Kent's The Higher State was released at the tail end of 2012 on 13 O'Clock Records. The A-side features a brand new original track, penned by front man Marty Ratcliffe. "I Just Pretend" is two and a half minutes of superbly authentic West Coast folk-rock. The band come across as a great, lost Elektra Records act; their sound somewhere between the 12-string jangle and harmony of The Byrds and the garage folk of Love and all those great minor hit Nuggets bands.

 The B-side doesn't disappoint either with the band's take on The Gypsy Trips' Dylan-esque garage anthem "Ain't It Hard". The Gypsy Trips' version came out in 1965, but the song is perhaps better known for the altogether more snarly 1966 version by The Electric Prunes. The Higher State manage to put their own more polished, though no less enjoyable stamp on the track. All in all a great single.

Available on a limited 7", the single is in glorious mono and comes complete with a push-out centre should you want to stick it on your vinyl-playing jukebox.

www.13oclockrecords.com