The Lonely Forest - the pride of Anacortes, Washington - have taken the Pacific Northwest by storm recently. The four piece rock band has developed a rabid fan-base in the area culminating in sold out shows at Seattle's Showbox Theatre, a coveted slot at Sasquatch! in May, and now a record deal with Chris Walla's new label, Trans. Walla, guitarist and producer for Grammy-nominated rock band Death Cab for Cutie, made The Lonely Forest his first signing when he launched Trans in conjunction with Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group.

Their first new release on Trans will be a self-titled, five song digital EP out September 14. Stereogum has the exclusive premiere of "Live There," which is available as a download. The Lonely Forest will be embarking on a nationwide tour this fall with indie favorites, Margot & The Nuclear So and So's, as well as Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

The EP is a sneak peek at Arrows, their forthcoming full-length which will be released in early 2011. In addition to his role as label head, Walla produced, engineered and mixed both the EP and Arrows at Sound City studio in Los Angeles, Tiny Telephone in San Francisco and his own, Portland-based studio, Alberta Court.

From the outset The Lonely Forest -singer/guitarist/keyboardist John Van Deusen, guitarist Tony Ruland, drummer Braydn Krueger, and bassist Eric Sturgeon- has been about inclusion. At its core, the music features Van Deusen's soaring vocals and keyboard melodies wrapped tightly around Ruland's expansive guitar anchored by a heavy yet nimble rhythm section. The contrast of brilliant pop songs featuring lyrics about spiritual longing wedded to an almost prog-rock sensibility appeals to a broad swath of listeners, from wide-eyed teenagers to jaded indie scenesters.