On September 14, 2004, I left the house under false pretenses. I can’t recall what exactly I told my parents as I climbed into a friend’s car to make the trek to Nashville to see The Features for the first time at a venue called Rocketown for the release of their first full-length album “Exhibit A.”

It was my first live “show.” (I don’t count the Lynyrd Skynyrd show I saw earlier that year — that’s more of a right of passage for Southerners.)

I can honestly say that – since that first show in 2004 – I have loved The Features’ music. At one point (during the period between being dropped from Universal and being signed by a Bug Music imprint via Kings of Leon), I sold or gave away copies of their EP “Contrast” to friends and fans on the campus of my alma mater.

After moving to the D.C. area, I have had the pleasure of hearing them play twice. While my attendance at Features’ shows is far less frequent than it used to be, I’m still a fan.

Well, they’ve got a new album coming out at the end of this month titled “Wilderness.” Here’s their promo video:

Wilderness Album Promo from The Features on Vimeo.