The Atlanta-based sisters celebrate that unique genealogy and their own eccentricities with their debut full-length album, "Kin," on Restoration Hardware's label RH Music, produced by Chris Seefried (Fitz and the Tantrums, Lana Del Rey) in Los Angeles and Damien Lewis (Rihanna, Rita Ora) in Atlanta. People say madness runs in the family. They say the same about creativity and passion. That's good news for Larkin Poe's Rebecca and Megan Lovell, whose family tree includes tortured artist and creative genius Edgar Allen Poe. The sisters have self-released five EPs and their full-length debut is due out on Restoration Hardware's RH Music label later this year. "We have a very colorful family history," explains lead singer/guitarist Rebecca, 23, who also plays mandolin and violin. "There were a lot of creative, hotheaded, and intelligent branches that went against the grain in our family tree. Our paternal grandfather suffered from schizophrenia, while our great, great, great, great grandfather, Larkin Poe, was a Civil War wagon driver turned historian and a distant cousin to Edgar Allen Poe. Growing up with their crazy stories definitely shaded our perception of normal. As artists, I think some of those innate eccentricities, passed down from generation to generation, have been even further exaggerated in us!" Megan, 25, who contributes lapsteel and dobro and vocals to the line-up, adds, "As sisters, we just wanted to pick a band name that had familial significance, so we decided to give a nod to our ancestors and take on the name Larkin Poe." "Roots-rock'n'soul" is how they describe their music. "It's our whole heart and soul mashed up into a musical form," explains Megan.
This is a great album - although may come as a surprise to those familiar with their previous work - but it stands up in its own right.
August 2014
