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You combine two 50º Chicago mid-February days with the arrival of our boys in blue pinstripes to Mesa for spring training in twelve and a half hours, and it's starting to feel like we might make it out of this long, dark winter of our discontent after all, to a time when all the clouds that low'r'd upon our house in the deep bosom of the ocean will be transformed into cool lake breezes, ice cold Shiner Bock, sizzling grills, and the sound of Pat + Ron narrating our summer afternoons. Ahh.

In the short term, we're giving you great new music that should warm you up inside and out. Three new songs, one from each of our next three new releases, and all of them love songs of a sort, though I'm still not quite sure what it is the Bitter Tears are trying to say here, or really anywhere (I'll have to get back to you on that). I don't really read the fine print, just the titles, so that's good enough for me. Would love to hear your interpretations of these three though, so fire away at the Comments section.

So what do you get for nothing?

The Bitter Tears The Love Letter
❤A pretty acoustic number that builds to a huge climax thanks to some tasty horns and strings and superb dynamics. A sleeper pop hit that hasn't left my head for days.

Speck Mountain Angela
❤A laid back dreamer with some groovy 70's keyboards, spaced out guitar and heavenly vocals that support the down-tempo groove rather than smother it. Says a lot without saying much at all. We've got a dance remix we're itching to release, but we'll save that for April or May.

The Handsome Family Darling, My Darling
❤Insects have written billions of love songs. I have no idea how many love songs have been written about insects, but Honey Moon has two of them—one of them a first person crooner that lays bare the level of insect romantic commitment that humans will never begin to touch. They love unconditionally, even to their ultimate personal detriment, build the most intricate and solid structures made only from their immediate environment and secretions, generally play well with others of their own species, and make sure the kids are taken care of and get out of the house safely. Maybe we can learn a thing or two from 'em. This 3/4 time ballad full of wavering mellotrons and heavenly whistling certainly won't hurt. Bust out the headphones.

If you can't wait until Friday night, head over to our ReverbNation page where you can stream them all starting right now. Tell your friends. Tell your relatives. Tell your lover. Tell your ex.

Happy Valentine's Day.