Feral Conservatives, the indie rock band formed by Virginia Beach, VA songwriting duo Rashie Rosenfarb (vocals, mandolin) and Matt Francis (drums), return with their new album Better Lives, set to be released by Egghunt Records.

The band made inroads as a trio with their 2016 LP Here’s to Almost, earning year end accolades including “Album of the Year” from their hometown. In the time since, the band added guitar to the lineup — still distinguished and defined by the mandolin — the new twin rhythm attack brings both bite and jangle. Touching on mature themes with a youthful energy propelled by Rosenfarb’s dynamic voice and mandolin stylings, Better Lives sees the band under the seasoned direction of Jon Auer, co-founder of Seattle’s The Posies and reunion era member of original power pop mavens Big Star. Auer co-produced, mixed the record, and even duets with Rosenfarb, bringing his sharp pop sensibilities to a heavier affair overall. The result is a darker, more thought-out album, sonically adventurous while sti ll wholly melodic. Lyrically, hopes co-mingle with disappointment, abandonment with reconciliation, discontent with euphoria, and of course…a song about missing your cat while on tour.

“Splitting the difference between evocative folk and dissonant post-punk, a multi-faceted sound united by an endless sense of creative curiosity. – Consequence of Sound.