Press:

“Chapel Hill has always made a name for itself by giving birth to music that was always a little left of the dial. North Elementary is no exception. By combining the type of widescreen, emotional vibe of Wes Anderson films, and plenty of sonic texturing; they are able to scratch that itch you could never quite reach.”
Daniel Gardner - Shutter 16

“North Elementary often sounds like a big and ballsy hard rock band trying to sound like pop geniuses, or maybe pop geniuses trying to sound like a big and ballsy hard rock band; either way, the result is magical.”
Douglas Cowie - Douglas Cowie Blog

“North Elementary's thick instrumentation and liberal genre-fusing—a good starting point may be to imagine a power pop incarnation of Wilco, though that hardly touches at the intended overall complexity.”
Corbie Hill - IndyWeek

“Everything sounds widescreen yet not necessarily excessive, allowing space for Harrison’s ever-sharp melodies to gain hold. It may also be one of their most propulsive disks, shrugging off their tendency to amble on the darkly seductive, Alex Chilton-channeling “Murder By Memory,” the bristling, distortion-drenched “War for Kicks,” and the groovy, Neil Young-ish, “Sharp Ghost Mind.” It’s a grower whose richness becomes more apparent over time”
Chris Parker - Hopscotch Music Festival

“Southern Rescue Trails finds North Elementary working with more ambiance and eclectic instrumentation this go-round as a fantastic record of fuzzed out guitar and hushed, gravelly vocals. It’s like Dinosaur Jr. with less bombast and high flying melodies and, at times, flourishes of Pink Floyd (“Sons of Turbo Town”) .”
Brian Tucker - Star News

“Southern Rescue Trails is two parts rock, one part pop and half parts country and electronic filtered through fuzz and North Elementary blends all of these elements expertly.”
Justin - Triangle Music

“North Elementary have crafted a natural sequel to the acclaimed "Not for Everyone Just for You" with its sixth full length. At its zenith "Southern Rescue Trails" captivates with a pull as irresistible as it is hypnotizing......SRT stands as a cosmic late night trip worth taking.”
Richard Finland - Shuffle Magazine

“North Elementary - A constant sonic reinvention. Classic psych-rock waves meld with forward thinking folk rock arrangements. Their new album is fucking amazing.”
The Pinhook

“love me some North Elementary for sure. It's not so much that they walk on water (which is pretty awesome if you've never seen them do that), it's that they're so good, and so many people still haven't heard them.”
Betsy Harris - Rock and Roll Photographer and All Around Amazing Human

“Moody, mellow, fuzzy guitar/keyboard pop that's so beautiful, spooky, and seductive you will want to marry a guitar or a keyboard, or if you're old school Mormon, both.”
Roctober

“Brilliant experimental pop record!”
Chris - Tuneslevel.com

“Among the best Triangle pop records of the decade!”
Indyweek

“North Elementary have done it yet again. While most bands putting out their sixth full length would notice a bit of a falling off, North Elementary continue to consistently put out great records.”
Grant Golden - The Bottom String

"Not For Everyone" is as good as any record that will come out of these parts this decade
The News and Observer

“The sound is a beam of indie rock shining through an alt-country prism, reminiscent of bands like Sparklehorse, Cracker, and middle period Wilco.”
OhmPark

“John Harrison resides in this physical world but a portal to a parallel plane constituted with discord and tumult lies just at his feet sealed in analog circuits and stomp boxes. Upon a refrain or outtro when John wishes to summon forth beasts from this dimension you will see him kneel down and rip the portal asunder revealing a hive of screeching demons and feedback monsters. North Elementary is like the calm, cool, good hearted neighbor who chats you up as if nothing is amiss while holding back with tightly gripped chains a pair of snarling and growling pit bulls who seem to want to devour your liver.”
Secret Carrboro Ninja Patrol

“Chapel Hill band North Elementary brings the kind of music you can't help but like. The intricities of their sound is something to behold.”
Circles of Concrete

“This is a solid rock-pop album that is right for a good time. How you define a good time is up to you, but there is no doubt that this album will be a good accompaniment.”
Kim Grey - Quick Like a Bunny

“Cycling through sharp-edged rasp of a driven guitars and animalistic squelches of synth pulls and tugs listeners deeper into the album. Lyrically discrete and instrumentally emboldened, new meanings, feelings, and understandings of this album are found with each listen.”
Secret Carrboroin Ninja Patrol

“These guys create melodies laced with inspiring words for an intricate future.”
FensePost

“Someone to show us the possibilities, not the constraints of the genre. One such band is North Elementary. ”
Americana UK

“The joy of songwriting lies in the experimentation and manipulation that comes after composition. A pop song ends once the lyrics and melody are in place, but for this Chapel Hill group, that’s where the songwriting process begins.”
Performer Magazine

“I’m all for down-home, unassuming pop that rocks. North Elementary have that in spades; their songs are bursting with delicious hooks and infectious melodies, but the real treat is the way the band creates a sonic palette that goes beyond just guitars, bass, and drums.”
Quick Before it Melts

“Harrison can conjure up musical landscapes, where a host of characters wander about, meet and drift apart again. In this incarnation of the band there are plenty of layers to unravel. A pair of decent headphones recommended.”
Here Comes the Flood

“The release of this record should see them move up the stratosphere, just have a listen to 'Golden Tigers' if you don't believe me!”
Swear I'm Not Paul

“The band's uncanny knack for the hook coupled with a healthy dose of indie rock ethos creates a synth-based indie pop gem of a record.”
Snobs Music

“North Elementary saturates and surrounds simple if elliptical songs with all manner of sound—strings that glide and drums that boom, noises that swell and keyboards that flash. Again, it's full, but not crowded.”
Indyweek.com