Third Man Records London have announced their first signing, Island Of Love – you can hear the four-piece’s new single ‘Songs Of Love’ below.

The Jack White-owned label expanded their operations to London last summer and opened a record store in Soho in September.

Third Man London have announced this afternoon (February 9) that their first signing is the London band Island Of Love.

The quartet will release the ‘Songs Of Love’ EP via Third Man on March 18 digitally, with a physical release – a limited edition 7″ – set to follow on July 1. Pre-order is available now from here.

You can hear the EP’s title track below.

Third Man co-founder Ben Swank, who is said to have offered Island Of Love a deal 30 seconds after they got off stage following a gig at Third Man London, said in a statement: “I grew up a working class kid in Ohio, coming of age in the early 90s… did Island Of Love’s songs immediately strike a note of familiarity to the heart strings of this former teenaged lo-fi obsessed anglophile? Yes they did. But it was no mere nostalgia (a ridiculous concept if ever there was one…).

“IOL delighted and excited me from the second their corpse paint began to drip in the cold Brighton sun. They write killer songs and back them up with an exuberant stage show, ridiculous solos and harmonies acquired only through hours sat alone in one’s room, staring at Kinks 7″s revolving around the Dansette for hours.”

Island Of Love added that their EP is “a collage of pretty wacky riffs Karim [Newble, guitars and vocals] would play as guitar warm-ups until writing with the full band”.

“Dealing with feelings of inadequacy, the lyrics shine a light on a way most of us felt before picking up an instrument, and the voice it’s since been able to give us. To have Third Man show an interest has been a surreal privilege, to say the least.”

Jack White, meanwhile, is set to release two albums this year, ‘Fear Of The Dawn’ and
‘Entering Heaven Alive’. He released the track ‘Love Is Selfish’ last month.