Ortolan Streams EP, Preps Full-Length for Fall

The newest addition to Sounds Familyre Records, a sister act from southern New Jersey called Ortolan, will release its debut LP Time On A String this fall. The quartet is made up of Cottingham sisters Stephanie, 16, Brianna, 17, Lara, 20, and sister-in-law Jill, 22. Somehow these youngins have captured a bit of the vintage sound we loved in 2008's releases from Dr. Dog and She & Him; it streams as if from a phonograph on the band's upcoming Ortolan EP. The full-length album will likely traffic in the same whimsical waltzes and charming teen nostalgia that makes the EP and Ortolan's live shows such a treat.

"Stephanie is just a great songwriter," Sounds Familyre founder and producer Daniel Smith  tells Paste. "Her lyrics are so interesting. Everyone that sees the band live is really taken by her." Smith says that when the sisters saved up to pay for time in his studio, The New Jerusalem Recreation Room, last year, he was blown away by their sound. "I told them, 'If you can go home and write some more songs, we'll give you free time in the studio and we'll see what happens.'" Stephanie got to work, and the Cottinghams came back armed with a full LP's worth of songs. 

Smith, who won our hearts years ago with his own family band Danielson Famile, recorded Time On A String last summer, and invited the girls to join the 10 other artists on his label.  "They've got that family vibe, so it just made so much sense," Smith says. He plans to release the inaugural album in October or November, though the former carpenter hasn't nailed down a date yet.

Smith stood by earlier this month as Ortolan took the stage at The Auction House in Audubon, N.J. The Sounds Familyre family had gathered to celebrate the release of Dan Zimmerman's newest record Cosmic Patriot, which dropped in April. Third in a lineup of six artists, the freshman of the label put on an upbeat show that was anything but amateur. Stephanie hid behind chunky bangs and an electric guitar, her surprisingly mature voice floating with the casual warble and girlish story-telling of Kate Nash. Ortolan's tight set included a number of songs from Time On A String, and boasted an array of vintage relics: bubblegum instrumentals, folky harmonies, toy piano solos and flannel. 

From his seat in the audience, Smith watched father-like, nodding and smiling. Sounds Familyre veteran Sufjan Stevens sat nearby, too; he had come down from Brooklyn to hear his friends play. It'll be more than Ortolan's respected cohorts, though, that will make Time On A String soar. The Cottingham girls have a sound that will bring you back to the most delightful parts of your yesterdays and will ring in your ears all day today. For more on the band, check out Ortolan EP, which is streaming here. 

Related links:
SoundsFamilyre.com
Ortolan on Sounds Familyre Records
YouTube: Ortolan Live

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