I’ve been borderline obsessed recently with the Fleet Foxes EP Sun Giant, a five-song precursor to a self-titled full-length record that I am eagerly awaiting (due out June 3).

On the way to dinner on Sunday, I played the EP again in the car and Annie says: “You’ve been listening to this a lot lately. Who is this?” And it’s those kind of moments I love – and probably the kind Annie dreads … me rambling incessantly about this band or that. And, hey, I’ll just go ahead and put it on your iPod for you, mmmkay?

Yes, the Fleet Foxes push is on. As such, the folks at Sub Pop have made available the first mp3 from the full-length record. It’s called White Winter Hymnal and it’s as gorgeous as anything on Sun Giant.

At Daytrotter, singer Robin Pecknold had this to say, in part, about the song: “On the record it starts with a tongue-in-cheek harmony thing that we hoped would make people laugh or something but I think it just confuses them.”

That actually does make me laugh, because the beginning of the song makes me think of the harmonizing on Row, Row, Row Your Boat for whatever reason.

Fleet Foxes elsewhere:
English House live video at Muzzle of Bees.
Fleet Foxes at Daytrotter.

• Fleet Foxes | White Winter Hymnal