We were as surprised as anyone to discover we had never done a Three Stars feature on Georgie James. With a big, heralded entrance onto everyone’s radar last year fueled by lots of live shows and an EP that won the hearts of pop lovers throughout the city, they became one of D.C.’s premiere bands. The band is driven by Laura Burhenn and John Davis (formerly of Q and Not U), doing their best take on vocal-driven, 60s- and 70s-inspired pop-rock. They’ve headlined our own Unbuckled series, the Black Cat and the 9:30 Club, they’ve opened for international acts like Camera Obscura, and they’re fresh off of a tour of the UK and about to embark on an even longer cross-country and international trek, landing home in November for a gig at the Black Cat.

This week, the band released their highly-anticipated full length, Places. Putting some serious, focused time into the album at Inner Ear’s Silver Sonya Studio, they re-recorded six of their original seven songs (“Need Your Needs,” “Long Week,” “Hard Feelings,” “Places,” “Cheap Champaign,” and “More Lights”), and recorded six new tracks. The most notable change from the original recordings is a stark upgrade in production value. You can hear the time and precision that went into each track on Places. Nothing’s overpowered by a more prominent element; every instrument and voice is perfectly placed.