"They got this haunting Bob Dylan quality, like they've seen the future and know what's
coming. It's eerie and melodic." - NewMusicTen

Based in New York, The Cardinal Points are an indie rock outfit that imbues a crafted
Britpop sound with American roots rock tendencies, inspiring comparisons to
groups like Blur and Pulp or REM. Exploring what the Deli NYC called, "a tumbling
landscape of frozen dreams and tumbling anxieties," weave easy melodic gestures and
occasional electronic quirks supported by shimmering guitars atop a muscular rhythmic
foundation.

The title of their debut EP, I Promised You Mermaids, but the Ocean Was
Empty, captures the mood. "It's slightly absurd and a little forlorn but kind of funny at
the same time," offers ringleader John Washburn. "The punch line pulls you in without
quite giving it away."

Formed in 2011 after Washburn enlisted old friends and sometime collaborators Jon
Crider (guitar and keys), Bick (bass, mostly), it was originally meant to just be a studio
project. “At the beginning, we had just signed up to play on a few songs,” says Bick,
“Next thing you know we're a band again.” Painstakingly recorded in dribs and drabs
over the course of the next year, "Mermaids" was finally released in the fall of 2012 to
a warm response, with The Deli NYC calling it "an impressive debut” and Philly blog
MusicUnderFire saying it was “love at first listen.”

They work out of a makeshift basement studio in a commercial space in Long Island City,
Queens. While the environment is humble (they often have to wait for passing trains
to record takes), it affords them the luxury of collective exploration without worrying
about the clock. The end result rewards the attentive listener with little gems the reveal
themselves on repeated listening, from the Theremin that opens "The Strangest Days" to
the backwards guitars that close the "Circle the Sun" to the trumpets that adorn "I'll Get
To You, Somehow."

Since the release of “Mermaids”, they’ve been performing locally at NY venues such as
the Mercury Lounge and Brooklyn's Rock Shop. Meanwhile, they're planning a series
of singles to be released in 2013, with the first one—The Cure meets The National
inspired "Fade Out—due in February. These will eventually be collected into an album
(or possibly a couple EPs) inspired in part by Bowie's "Berlin" records, with a pop/rock
side and an experimental/art side.

As MusicUnderFire suggests: "Keep an eye on these fellas."

Mike Comite is your Old Best Friend. He's 24 now, and he lives in Brooklyn. He plays loud and quiet music under the moniker Old Best Friend, and sings stories about friends and car accidents and that person you've been trying real hard not to think about lately. You guys should keep in touch.