aaamusic | On 30, Mar 2011

Released June 13^th, DOYA (Depend On You Alter-Ego) is London-based Shibuya Crossings’ sophomore album, to be released through Typically Magic Records. As much pieced together in anger and protest as it is influenced by all things heartfelt, this alt rock animal is full of nods to the likes of Sparklehorse, Hefner, Teenage Fanclub, and even the art-school fringe-swinging of Blur.

Talking of the release, vocalist and guitarist Declan Harrington said:

‘We’re both relieved and really excited to be releasing this album. It’s been a labor of love as we did most of the recording and mixing ourselves. There were times when I thought it just wasn’t going to happen, so to have it turn out so well is really satisfying. I think we’ve definitely made a big step forward in terms of the writing and our general production and sound, so we can’t wait for people to hear what we’ve been working on.’

A literal translation of “Shibuya” is “Bitter Valley” and the poeticism of crossing a bitter valley captures the ideas in DOYA perfectly. If the grass is always greener wherever we’re not, let’s at least enjoy the crossing.