We wanted this video to be a depiction of the fact that acknowledging the humanity of your enemy can be the most powerful battle tactic of all. Lay down your weapon. Get Muna’s new album ‘About U’ featuring “I Know A Place” available now:
Specificity is the marker of killer pop (the matches in Pet Shop Boys’ So Hard, the shoelaces in Robyn’s Be Mine), a trope that the LA Trio Muna wield to intense effect on their second album of gothic synthpop. Saves the World is an unsparing emotional confrontation that drags you right into the bedroom bathed in pink light, the dorm room with the blunt scissors, not to mention singer Katie Gavin’s torrid self-examinations.
“Silk Chiffon feature’s Phoebe Bridgers is finally out and it feels so good. a massive thank you to every single person who helped us bring this song to life. also, to everybody who worked on this video…we’re so grateful. director Ally Pankiw who busted her ass to make this happen, Moira Morel, our fave Amber Dreadon, stylist Olivia Khoury who *hand dyed* all the Dickies we wore, Taylor James, Jake Schwartz, Christian Zollenkopf, all our sweet and patient friends in the cast who showed up and showed out for us….we love you guys. now….go fall in love with someone
MUNA signed to Phoebe Bridgers Saddest Factory Records label back in May, and now they’ve shared their first new music in over a year, a poppy track that producer and guitarist Naomi McPherson calls “a song for kids to have their first gay kiss to.” Phoebe also appears in the video, and on vocals in the song.
Saddest Factory signees Muna takes another step toward world domination with the dazzling “What IWant.” The latest single to be unveiled from their recent self-titled third album, “What I Want” is a maximalist ode to unapologetically living your truth. “I want the full effects/I want to hit it hard/I want to dance in the middle of a gay bar,” sings Muna’s Katie Gavin on the cut. With its blend of cathartic vocals and pulsating synths, “What I Want” is a sparkling anthem arriving just in time for the end of Pride Month.
Big Thief are back with another new song. This one’s called “Certainty” and the band recorded it at Sam Evian’s studio in upstate New York. It’s a gorgeous song with a little country twang, recorded directly to 4-track at Sam Evian’s Flying Cloud Studios during a three-day power outage.
The band has released a handful of new songs since 2019’s “Two Hands” and U.F.O.F. Most recently, the group shared the tracks “Little Things” and “Sparrow” Adrianne Lenker had previously played another unreleased song identified as “Simulation Swarm” on Instagram in February. Big Thief also issued the Two Hands outtake “Love in Mine” last spring as the B-side on a promo 7″. The band is currently touring the United States for the rest of the month, with Lenker embarking on her own solo tour in November and December.
From guitarist Buck Meek: “There was a big summer storm while we recorded at Sam Evian’s Flying Cloud Studios last July, and the power went out for three days. On the third day of the outage, I found Adrianne on the porch writing a new song, so I sat with her and we finished it together, with the rain falling from the gutters splashing over our guitars.. James Krivchenia and Sam saw us writing, and quickly set up a four track tape machine in the kitchen, powered by the F250 cigarette lighter out in the yard. They set up the drums by the sink, and Max plugged his bass into a bluetooth speaker set on top of the stove. Take 2 had a great bark from Sam and Hannah Cohen’s pup Jan during the solo, but we ended up going with take 3 because it took us about that long to learn the chords. Then we made pancakes and sausages and ate breakfast for dinner.”
Since the release of their debut EP in 2014, Yumi Zouma’s evolution has been brisk and organic. The band sold out their first EP twice-over before its official release and before having ever played live. Growing up together in Christchurch, New Zealand, they scattered after high school, moving to Auckland, Paris and New York, collaborating over email to create Yumi Zouma’s initial material.
The intense reception to these early tracks resulted in the group’s first band practices taking place on arena stages, as they were asked on tour by both Chet Faker and Lorde. Yumi Zouma has since released three breath taking EPs and two albums with Cascine Records, earning the hearts of a devoted fanbase and selling out venues on national and overseas tours. Each release serves as another essential chapter in the continuing Yumi Zouma storybook.
Yoncalla (LP)
The 2017 debut album by Yumi Zouma follows two well-received EPs and multiple world tours. On “Yoncalla”, the band’s effortless waves of harmony have been refined and their creative process laid bare to expose an act more unguarded and interconnected than ever before.
The group’s origins trace back to their history of playing concerts together in Christchurch However, the band did not begin writing music together until multiple members moved abroad and began collaborating over email following the events of the Christchurch eartquake This early material gained attention within the musical bloggers and encouraged American label Cascine Records to sign the band before they had played live or held a band practice.
The band quickly released their first full-length album, “Yoncalla”, the following year. As opposed to the long-distance writing of the band’s earlier releases, Yoncalla consisted of material that had been finished during tours for EP II. The majority of the album’s final material was recorded in Paris France following an American tour which stopped by the city of Yoncalla in Oregon, The band produced the album at electronic musician Phillipe Zdar’s Motorbass studio in Paris, enabling them to achieve a sound more akin to classic synth poppier than their previous records
Willowbank (LP)
For the making of Willowbank, Yumi Zouma settled on a plan to reunite for the New Zealand summer. To complete what would become their first significant work written and recorded entirely in their home country, they rented a studio in Christchurch’s semi-demolished CBD, on one of the few remaining blocks that still characterizes the city from before it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes.
When you know it’s there, the feeling of rootedness is undeniable on Willowbank. Being connected to their origins on the bottom of the earth allowed the band’s members to craft another essential chapter in the Yumi Zouma storybook.
After a year of heavy touring in support of “Yoncalla”, the band travelled home to record in New Zealand for the first time. A limited edition cover of the Oasis album “Whats The Story Morning Glory?” was distributed on vinyl in early 2017, before the release of the band’s second album, Willowbank, in October. The sessions for Willowbank marked the first time that the group had worked together in a professional studio, with the band initially questioning whether they should “all move into separate rooms” to recreate the remote song writing process from previous records. However, the sessions allowed for stronger collaboration and more organic instrumentation compared to earlier material, leading to jazz musician Olivia Campion joining the band as a live drummer. Lead single “Depths (Pt. I)” became a success on streaming platforms, and was accompanied by a video created by illustrator Frances Haszard. Following the completion of touring for “Willowbank”, Perry left the band in order to concentrate on his Serbia-based musical project DOG Power.
Yumi Zouma’s output for CascineRecords has been nothing short of prolific. In 2014, Yumi Zouma released their debut EP, and quickly followed it up in 2015 with EP II. After releasing two more albums in successive years – 2016’s “Yoncalla” and 2017’s “Willowbank” — the band bookended their series of short-form 10″ releases with 2018’s EP III. Long out-of-print, Cascine has now re-pressed each of the EPs on their original 10″ format with new vinyl colour editions.
The beloved and long out-of-print debut EP from Yumi Zouma — an understated classic since its release in 2014 — repressed for the first time on its original 10″ format and new seaglass vinyl edition. A second repress of Yumi Zouma’s debut EP. Originally released in 2014, EP represents the world’s introduction to the New Zealand dream-pop band Yumi Zouma. Though the project has since grown considerably in profile, releasing their 2020 album Truth or Consequences, their winsome allure remains. EP features early favourites from the band’s catalogue including “The Brae” and “Salka Gets Her Hopes Up.”
Tracklisting: A1. A Long Walk Home For Parted Lovers A2. Sålka Gets Her Hopes Up B1. The Brae B2. Riquelme
Yumi Zouma’s enduring and endearing second EP, newly re-pressed on its original 10″ vinyl format and new mist-coloured edition, following its original release in 2015. Originally released in 2016, EP II found the New Zealand band coming into their own as songwriters, developing their “soft-focus synth-pop” (Pitchfork) with hints of electronic piano-house pulse (“Alena”) and anthemic, movie-ready choruses (“Catastrophe”). Though the project has since grown considerably in profile (in 2020 year the band released their third full-length album Truth or Consequences), their winsome allure remains.
Tracklisting:
A1 Dodi A2 Alena A3 Catastrophie B1 Second Wave B2 Song For Zoe & Gwen
The bookend to their EP trilogy, Yumi Zouma’s“EP III” is rich with effortless atmospheres, winsome hooks and stadium-sized finishes — now repressed on its original 10″ format and new cloud-coloured vinyl edition. Since the release of their debut EP in 2014, Yumi Zouma’s evolution has been brisk and organic. In the process, they’ve won the hearts of a devoted fan base and sold out venues in the US and throughout the world. Yumi Zouma now returns with EP III, completing the trilogy they started with EPs I and EPs II.
Though the project has grown in profile, their song writing process remains the same, working across continents and timezones, with Charlie Ryder now based in London, Josh Burgess in New York, and Christie Simpson in their hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand. This new collection finds the international act stronger than ever, sculpting effortless atmospheres, winsome hooks and stadium-ready finishes.
Tracklisting:
A1. Powder Blue / Cascine Park A2. Crush (It’s Late, Just Stay) B1. Looking Over Shoulders B2. In Camera
To commemorate the re-pressing, Yumi Zouma are sharing “In Camera (Unplugged),” an alternate rework of their 2018 single recoded this winter. “‘In Camera’ was originally destined for the scrap heap” says Charlie about the original single. In 2018, as the band was pulling together the tracklist for EP III, Christie saved the demo from the cutting room floor and prompted the band to bring it back to life. The track would go on to be their most successful single across platforms and a clear fan favourite.
Re-recorded in 2020, the new stripped-back version of “In Camera” foregrounds its winsome melody with softer, organic instrumentation — piano, acoustic guitar — and culminates with a choir of voices joining on the chorus. “We wanted to record something reminiscent of The Killers’ piano-driven live sessions at Abbey Road, and bring to life the power-ballad that was secretly hiding underneath the surface,” Charlie said.
The new track and re-press news come on the heels two new releases from Yumi Zouma in 2020 — “Truth orConsequences”, and an album of alternate versions — released by our friends at Polyvinyl.
“Truth or Consequences”, Yumi Zouma’s third album and first for Polyvinyl was produced by the band and mixed by engineer Jake Aron (Solange, Grizzly Bear, Snail Mail)
Christie Simpson’s voice gives weight to whispers of impressionistic poetry, shielding hard truths with soft tones, while Burgess’ vocals reveal a rarified dimension of raw and lucid romanticism, with lead single “Right Track / Wrong Man”, in particular, exhibiting a Balearic tempo and bass-heavy energy that belies its underlying tension.
The first Yumi Zouma album to feature live drums, “Truth or Consequences” radiates a brazen spirit of perseverance.“I love the duality in a lot of disco songs, where they’re incredibly upbeat, but there’s real frustration in the lyrics – sort of like, ‘Nothing’s going the way I want, but I’ve got to deal with it any way I can,’” Simpson says.
Yumi Zouma ring in the new year with a re-press of their long out-of-print EP trilogy on their original 10″ formats. They’re commemorating the occasion by sharing a new semi-acoustic version of “In Camera.” Watch the official video, created by Josh using archival footage from 2014-2020,
A European tour is now happening March next year we’ve had to reschedule these dates from September/October this year to March 2022 – sadly due to restrictions it just wouldn’t be possible to do this tour as planned, as we’d initially hoped it might be by that time. we are so sorry to have to reschedule – but we hope you’ll come party with us across Europe when it’s safe and possible and the world is feeling a little more okay again!.
New Zealand’s Yumi Zouma are back with this brand new single. It holds special meaning to the group: “Before we went on stage for the only show we would play on our sold-out 2020 US tour, we held each other tight, and fighting back the tears, someone said ‘let’s give it hell tonight’. The next day, ‘Truth Or Consequences’ was released. We drove to New York, took some photos, and dispersed back to our homes in the US, UK, and New Zealand. We haven’t been in the same room since.
To ‘give it hell’ is one of the strongest ways to stay present. Throwing yourself entirely into something, knowing it’s all you can give – it can be equal parts rewarding and humbling. This song encapsulates us digging deep, pushing through self doubt, and being grateful for the purpose and process of making music together. Especially when it’s hard and feels futile. In the spirit of staying present, we wanted to release this song NOW, and not wait for any other moment than this one.”
Alternative pop with a soft touch. Yumi Zouma is Christie Simpson, Josh Burgess, Charlie Ryder, and Olivia Campion.
Lala Lala’s new album “I Want The Door To Open” is due out October 8th via Hardly Art Records, and she’s shared another single from it, “Prove It,” which she says “is a song about insatiable people and the idea of ‘good’ vs ‘bad. It’s about lack of control. Even though this song is accusatory, I relate to the person I’m talking to. I think sometimes when we criticize other people we’re also talking about ourselves.”
“I want total freedom, total possibility, total acceptance. I want to fall in love with the rock.”
That’s how Lillie West describes the theme of “Diver,” the song she calls the thesis of Lala Lala’s third record, I Want The Door To Open. The rock in question is a reference to Sisyphus, the mythical figure doomed by the gods to forever push a boulder up from the depths of hell. To West, it is the perfect metaphor for “the labour of living, of figuring out who you are, what’s wrong with you, what’s right with you,” she says. “I think it’s easy to feel like we keep making the same mistakes over and over again, that we never learn, that we’re Sisyphus; but time is actually a spiral that we move up. The key is falling in love with the labour of walking up the mountain.”
Coming off of 2018’s acclaimed “The Lamb”, an introspective indie rock album recorded live with a three-piece band, West knew she was ready to make something sonically bigger and thematically more outward-looking than anything she’d done before; a record that would be less a straightforward documentation of her own personal struggles and more like a poem or a puzzle box, with sonic and lyrical clues that would allow the listener to, as the title says, open the door to the greater meaning of those struggles.
The result is I Want The Door To Open, a bold exploration of persona and presence from an artist questioning how to be herself fully in a world where the self is in constant negotiation. From the moment West declares “I want to look right into the camera” over a cascade of dreamy vocal loops on opening track “Lava,” I Want The Door To Open distinguishes itself from anything she’s done before in scope and intensity. The ultra-magnified iteration of Lala Lala is fully encapsulated in the monumental “Diver.” Inspired by a character from a Jennifer Egan novel, it’s a pop song of Kate Bush-esque proportions replete with layered synths and booming, wide open drumming contributed by fellow Chicago musician Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, and West pushing her vocals to the ragged edge.
Lillie West co-produced “I Want The Door To Open” with Yoni Wolf of Why? and reached out to various music friends to help her achieve a galactic level of atmospherics that would’ve been impossible on her own. In addition to Ogbonnaya, I Want The Door To Open features contributions from poet Kara Jackson, OHMME, Adam Schatz of Landlady, Sen Morimoto, Christian Lee Hutson, and Kaina Castillo. Former tourmate Ben Gibbard can be heard on the gentle “Plates,” a song about accepting the past regardless of whatever negative feelings accompany those memories; a necessary act for unlocking the door to the present moment West is actively seeking on the record.
Throughout “I Want The Door To Open”, West is fascinated with the idea of avatars: how we present ourselves to the world versus how other people see us versus who we really are when we’re alone, and how those images can change over time. “How can anyone else know who you are? How can you know who anyone else is when all these different avatars or personalities or performances are happening simultaneously, in different places,” asks West. It’s a question she poses on the cinematic “Color of the Pool,” a song about wanting to embody the characteristics of something pure and uncatchable that features stacks of wigged-out saxophone from Schatz. West revisits the topic on “Photo Photo,” on which OHMME provide a haunting medieval vocal round as West attempts to parse the various aspects of presentation and representation.
“Utopia Planet,” the final track on “I Want The Door To Open”, features a very special guest: West’s own Grandma Beth, who charmingly relays her thoughts on a painting West made of herself—another avatar of the artist as seen through the eyes of someone who loves her. It is the fitting end to the inner labyrinth that West maps on I Want The Door To Open, a musical quest undertaken with the knowledge that the titular door may never open; but it is through falling in love with the quest itself that one may find the closest thing to total freedom, total possibility, and total acceptance available to us on this plane of existence.
‘I Want The Door To Open’ by Lala Lala (Out October 8th, 2021)
Wye Oak’s debut online concert should be a must watch, the Durham-via-Baltimore duo are sharing a new single and music video! On “It’s Way With Me” Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack knowingly revel in the unknown, with Wasner gazing “to the warmth of a future I cannot see” as Stack’s polyrhythms propel the song to powerful heights. The song’s equally gorgeous video, a single uninterrupted shot by Spence Kelly (who created the video for last month’s “TNT”), is a must-watch featuring Wasner and a bunch of helpful hands.
Here’s Jenn Wasner on “Its Way With Me”: This song is about surrender—about learning to feel at peace amidst the chaos of existence through letting go of all that is beyond our control. It’s about the fact that change and loss are inseparable from one another, and about trying to have faith in a more peaceful and equitable future, even when the specific details of what that might look like are beyond our imagining.
Wye Oak will debut their first online concert! Captured at Durham’s NorthStar Church of the Arts, the virtual session features Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack in classic Wye Oak duo formation, performing material across their impeccable discography.
Embracing experimentation in how they approach their musical storytelling, Wye Oak continue to eschew the confines of an album cycle. The end of 2019 and early 2020 saw the release of “Fortune” (which Stereogum described as “a glorious synthesis of Wye Oak’s past and present, pointing to a new way forward”), “Fear Of Heights” and “Walk Soft” a continual flow of the amorphous creative energy the two harness, and a testament to Stack and Wasner’s ability to craft fully realized self-contained universes.
In honour of “Civilian” turning ten this year, we’re so excited to share Civilian + Cut All The Wires: 2009-2011, a deluxe reissue including a second disc made up of songs written during the Civilian era, demos, and live sessions. The first single, “Electricity,” is out everywhere,
“After playing “Electricity” in live shows for a year or so around 2009, we made a studio recording but never mixed it, and ultimately decided to shelve the song. And so, it was relegated to the dustbin of time, AKA an old hard drive which I did not unearth until 2020 when I came looking for old photos and other memorabilia from the Civilian era. On my old drive, I found a treasure trove of material which we had both forgotten ever existed—original demos, live versions of the songs, and, most exciting, a bunch of fully realized studio recordings from this era which never saw the light of day.
On “Electricity,” I was really bashing the drums in a way that I never would now, and I hear that same abandon in Jenn’s singing. The recording has much of what defined the first phase of Wye Oak: an urgent push and pull between chaos and beauty, and a hard-hitting attempt to push out as much sound as we possibly could from our duo setup. It’s not who we are anymore, but I still relate to the old feeling, and I still get goose-bumps when I listen to these recordings. Everything old is new.” – AS
The original demo of “Holy Holy”, recorded in our little attic practice space in Baltimore in late 2010. We weren’t intentionally trying to make it sound like “Cold Blooded Old Times” by Smog but we were absolutely listening to way too much “Cold Blooded Old Times” by Smog.
In July 2020, Wye Oak released the Brooklyn Youth Chorus–assisted “No Horizon” EP, leading The Paris Review to exclaim, “How wonderful it is to hear these artists at the peak of their powers, now a long-lived band but more ambitious than ever. I can’t wait for what’s next.”
“Civillian and Cut All The Wires 2009-2011” the tenth anniversary edition of Wye Oak’s third album Civilian, is due out October 22nd via MergeRecords, and from the “lost” album of previously unreleased tracks and demos they’ve shared a demo version of “Holy Holy,” which is beautifully stripped down and raw.
“Civilian + Cut All the Wires (2009-2011)” is out October 22nd, 2021 on Merge Records.
Originally the solo project of Elise Cook, Soot Sprite have evolved into a three piece shoegaze/ dream pop outfit for their sophomore EP ‘Sharp Tongue’. Now in 2020 for their single ‘It’s Summer and I don’t Feel Like Smiling’ the full outfit comprises of Elise Cook, Sean Marriner and Tom Gilbert
The Exeter trio Soot Sprite announced a new EP, “Poltergeists”, due out October 29th via Specialist Subject Records. The first single is “Alone Not Lonely,” an anthemic, propulsive track. “This was one of those epiphany moments, where I realised that alone I was not only okay, but I was thriving, and it wasn’t down to anyone else except myself,” lead singer Elsie Cook says. “It was that realisation of self-love and owning my accomplishments in life. It came out in this form of pure joy that I needed to put into song.”
New EP from Exeter’s Soot Sprite! 6 songs on a one sided 12″, purple smoke vinyl limited to 500 copies.
From Soot Sprite’s ‘Poltergeists’ EP out 29th October via Specialist Subject Records
Pysch and indie rock cult legend Nick Saloman celebrates 35 years of The Bevis Frond with new album “Little Eden”. Much like Robert Pollard, Saloman’s well of catchy songs never seems to run dry, as you can hear on “Hold Your Horses.”
Set against the austerity of post-modernism, ‘Little Eden’, The Bevis Frond’s new album glows with vintage McCartney-esque couplets; new single ‘My Own Hollywood’ is a stand-out melodic pop gem that perfectly captures the record.
‘Little Eden’ is a psychedelically-hewn panoramic take on modern Britain punctuated with pure pop melodies and beautifully-observed English melancholy that rekindles your love of music – from the harmonies that are oh-so Teenage Fanclub and Lemonheads, to the grunge and awe of Dinosaur Jr.
This is an album that yearns for better days signposted by the brutalism of the housing estates that main man Nick Saloman photographed for the cover.
There’s perspective and retrospective tale-spinning where we wait “for the wonderful world to come” (‘Start Burning’), an imaginary future soundtracked by the spirit of Arthur Lee, brought into focus with witty wordplay (who else could dot in “sarcophagus” but a former Countdown champion?) on songs that are littered with spine tingling guitar breaks.
‘Little Eden’ glows with vintage McCartney-esque couplets before rolling out a chiming signature riff on ‘As I Lay Down To Die’ and adopting Jimi-like phrasing on ‘And Away We Go’.
“Harking back to the liberating songcraft of The Beatles, but with a jagged edge.” Classic Rock
A psychedelically-hewn panoramic take on brutalism Britain punctuated with pure pop melodies and beautifully-observed English melancholy.
This is an album that rekindles your love of music – from the harmonies that are oh-so Teenage Fanclub and Lemonheads, to the grunge and awe of Dinosaur Jr.
“Still mixing pop, punk and psych to giddy effect.” The Guardian
A brand new album from national treasures The Bevis Frond.
The Chastity Belt and Childbirth multi-instrumentalist discusses her grappling with a pandemic-induced identity crisis in her forthcoming solo album, “Zorked”.
Julia Shapiro, is the multi-faceted musician and frontwoman, who plays in a number of popular bands. She’s part of the funny, acerbic Childbirth, the droning, often-heavy Chastity Belt and the vigorous Who Is She?, all while spearheading her own solo project. As such, she has many outlets for her vast talent.
Shapiro is set to release her newest offering, her forthcoming solo record, “Zorked”, which is out October 15th. The 10-song album, which was written during the pandemic, is themed on the idea that confusion abounds these days in a time when there is so much public and private upheaval.
Shapiro talked about the origin of her new zoned-out record, how she used the guitar to create its heavy, layered soundscapes and what her relationship to the instrument has been like throughout her creative life.
I started playing guitar in sixth grade. Around that time I was listening to Blink-182 and Third Eye Blind. Those were some of the first songs I learned on guitar. Before that, I’d taken piano lessons but it was all classical and it was something my parents had chosen for me.
“So, for me, playing guitar was my own choice and my own interest. One of my friends at the time also took up guitar and we were taking lessons together. I really just stuck with it.” at the beginning I would just try to learn songs that I liked, that were easy enough. I had a guitar teacher in middle school and another one in high school, so I’d ask them to help me learn certain songs. I learned how to read tabs, so I was just figuring that out. And I think it was a lot of practicing over and over again.
“I honestly don’t know if I would have that kind of discipline now. But, as a kid, I just spent so much time alone in my room. For me, until I joined Chastity Belt, guitar was just a solo endeavour. It was how I liked to pass my time alone in my room. But yeah, I would look up YouTube videos, if whatever tab I was looking at didn’t quite make sense. I did that a lot.
“I liked Elliott Smith a lot – I still do. He has really advanced guitar methods that are pretty unusual. So, just looking at tabs for his songs wasn’t quite enough. Instead, I would look up people covering his songs. I remember watching an interview on YouTube about his song writing style, which I still think about a lot. It was just him talking about how he writes songs. But it’s just, like, the least descriptive thing.
Shapiro is in a number of bands, including Chastity Belt, Childbirth, Who Is She? She also has some solo work. How do you think about the guitar differently in each of these projects?
“Well, I don’t play guitar at all in Who Is She? That’s the one band that I drum in. But yeah, I feel like between my solo stuff and Chastity Belt, it’s pretty similar guitar-wise.
“Although, with my solo stuff, I’m doing both lead and rhythm guitar and bass. Whereas, in Chastity Belt, I’ll do rhythm guitar on one song and lead on another when bandmate Lydia [Lund] is playing rhythm guitar.
“For Childbirth, a lot of it is more power chords and dissonant chord progressions and the more straightforward lead lines. For me, writing a Childbirth song, I could write one in, like, two seconds, probably, which is why it’s probably a joy to have that as a fun outlet.”
“Zorked” out October 15th, 2021 on Suicide Squeeze Records.
The Antlers‘ “Green To Gold”, their first album in seven years, is out today. “Making records is never easy, but this one was pretty rejuvenating and grounding, in ways that I likely won’t fully understand for years to come,” says Peter Silberman. “That elusive sense of perspective that comes with time… well, that’s really what it’s all about.” He adds, “I hope this album provides you with some semblance of calm, and a sense of trust in nature’s course. Thank you for listening, and making space for us in your lives.” It’s a gentle but engaging album and a welcome return. You can pick up the album on limited tan vinyl listen to the album.
The Band are about to play their first show in over two years this fall, on October 22nd at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. For those unfamiliar, Levon’s is a legendary, intimate spot nestled in the woods of the Catskill Mountains. Hard to imagine a more fitting setting for us to perform “Green to Gold” in its entirety, followed by a second set of several songs from across our catalogue.
Peter gave some insight to the inspirations behind “Green to Gold” and he gave us a list of 10 influences that includes artists like Yo La Tengo and Neil Young, books, films, TV shows and podcasts, with commentary for each.
Making records is never easy, but this one was pretty rejuvenating and grounding, in ways that I likely won’t fully understand for years to come. That elusive sense of perspective that comes with time… well, that’s really what it’s all about. I hope this album provides you with some semblance of calm, and a sense of trust in nature’s course. Thank you for listening, and making space for us in your lives.
There’s no two ways about it: The Antlers’ comeback effort is simply delightful. Like a warm cup of tea and the smell of fresh earth on a dewy autumn’s morning, the ultra‑crisp strumming, honeyed warbles and hypnotically dreamy vocal runs at play are downright idyllic and enthralling. It’s a markedly more joyful offering from the indie-rocking Brooklynites, lacking their once‑signature undertone of existential anxiety. But it suits the record well, shifting between cruisy, snail-pace balladry and bright, cantering indie-pop jams.
The production is clean, but not plastic, the performances tight but not over‑wrung; it feels good to listen to – like you’re sitting in on a casual Sunday morning jam session with the band, sharing smiles and nodding along as you all lose yourselves in the labrythnine soundscapes.
The ANTLERS – 10 Influences Behind the Album “Green To Gold”
The Wonder Years Other than The Simpsons Season 3-10, this remains possibly my favourite show of all time. I grew up watching it and return to every few years. I love how most of the show is narration and reflection, with a certain sweetness, sadness, and nostalgia that I haven’t really felt from another show in quite the same way. The passage of time and its effect on friendships was a sizable influence on Green to Gold.
Yo La Tengo They’ve been one of my beloved bands since I was a teenager, and my favourite records of theirs (I Can Hear The Heart…, And Then Nothing…, Summer Sun… There’s a Riot…) have nearly infinite replay value. I’ve always loved their ability to transcend styles, but lately it’s been the effortlessness that’s been so inspirational. The music is complex and experimental without feeling like they’re trying too hard to impress you, yet it’s inviting and there’s clearly so much care put into it. They manage to sound comfortable without being stagnant or unambitious. Something to aspire to
Neil Young – Harvest Moon This one always has been and likely always will be my favourite Neil Young album. I have many memories of Michael and I listening to it on the road, driving through the desert and elsewhere, and I think we both went into making Greento Gold wanting to somehow bring that energy into our music. I don’t know if we succeeded at that, but it was an important touchstone for our mood-board. Every song on Harvest Moon sounds like it belongs there, like it was recorded on the same dusty afternoon.
Chuck Johnson – Balsams I’d used pedal steel sparingly in the past, but it wasn’t until I spent endless hours listening to this album that I recognized the potential it held. Thanks to having this record on constant loop for a couple years, my pedal steel (on long-term loan from my dad) transformed into an ambient texture and source of motion across all of Green to Gold. You may not always know it’s there, but it always is.
Home of the Brave The podcast’s creator and host Scott Carrier is a true original and his shows are immersive, like being in the passenger seat on a road trip across the more desolate parts of the country, talking to people you don’t agree with and doing your best to find compassion for them and if you’re lucky, some common ground. Scott’s narration is plainspoken and thoughtful, and his use of field recordings gives an uncanny sense of place and environment. I’ve been incorporating field recordings for some time now, but hearing them so artfully used on Home of the Brave reinforced the choice.
Beatles Anthology Revisited podcast Though it was taken down for copyright infringement, a friend sent me the ripped files and I spent many hours with this archival history. Just fascinating that such a far-reaching journey spanned so few years, with so much creative and personal evolution in so short a time. The Beatles, particularly post-acid Beatles, have been in my song writing DNA since I was a kid, but getting so much insight into their process, and revisiting albums I hadn’t heard in years certainly brought that influence to the forefront for many of the new songs.
Ray Bradbury – Dandelion Wine A series of interconnected, transportive stories set in the idyllic childhood summer of the past. The title refers to a homemade wine of fermented dandelions, kept to catalogue each summer. By drinking it, you’re returned to that particular year. I set out to make an album that might have the same effect, bottling the season and its associated memories and senses.
Peter Wohlleben – The Hidden Life of Trees An exploration and explanation of the inner workings of trees, how they communicate with one another, their life cycles, nuances and intelligence. The book is scientific but readable for a less-scientific person like myself, personifying these beings in a way that is down to earth and devoid of pseudo-science or magical thinking. Reading (and re-reading) this informed the analogy laid out across the record, and helped me draw parallels between the worlds of people and nature, which are in some sense, the same world.
Richard McGuire – Here My partner gave me this graphic novel, and its impact was immediate. Essentially, the premise is an illustrated history of one location across all eras of time. I could say more about it, but the story and its effect are so much better through experiencing it.
The Straight Story (David Lynch) I wasn’t aware of this movie until I read David Lynch’s autobiography. Having been a fan for a long time, I was surprised he’d made a film for Disney, and that it was so heartfelt and not at all weird or scary, and didn’t require decoding. When you remove those elements, you’re left with something melancholic, funny, and patient. It’s essentially a story of reconciliation— how strong-headedness makes that difficult, but time and effort makes it possible.
“Green To Gold” Released March 26th, 2021
All songs written by Peter Silberman and Michael Lerner between 2017—2020 Produced and engineered by Peter Silberman
