Roommate has been quiet since the release of his gorgeous Songs the Animals Taught Us in April of last year. However, he is back and stronger than ever, with the best music he’s yet put to tape. The onslaught of new material begins Feb. 27th, when we’ll be releasing the digital-only EP New Steam. That will have to tide you over until his new full-length in the fall. Suffice it to say, his new works are nothing short of brilliant. We’ll be putting up a podcast next week featuring snippets from the entire EP, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, here’s the full details:

The New Steam EP was recorded in Chicago between November 2006 and January 2007. In addition to the title track, which will also be released on Roommate’s forthcoming 2nd album, it features covers of songs by Red Red Meat and Broadcast, as well as an instrumental track initially conceived for a film about an elderly Roman man’s memories of his late wife.

Unlike past Roommate releases, which were largely solo, home-recorded affairs, the production of the New Steam EP was primarily collaborative, with band members taking an active role in arranging, recording and mixing songs written or chosen by Roommate founder/frontman Kent Lambert. The EP was intended to combine the organic energy of a Roommate show with the kind of headphone candy (computer-generated textures, Gameboy beats) that defined Roommate’s debut album Songs the Animals Taught Us.

Roommate’s website: www.kentlambert.org
Roommate on MySpace: www.myspace.com/roommate