Category: Blog

on

by

Constant Smiles – the dream-pop collective led by Ben Jones – has released their latest LP Kenneth Anger. The album has received rave reviews from both Allmusic and Brooklyn Vegan, and Ben goes into some of the inspirations for the record with Brooklyn Vegan and Talkhouse. I mixed & mastered this record at Studio Windows, which was largely self-recorded and features a wide range of collaborators – Ryan Jewell on drums, Spike Currier on bass, and numerous others on synths, strings, and vocals. The LP is more synth-focused than its predecessor Paragons, but the songs remain equally earnest and catchy. Kenneth Anger is out now on Sacred Bones.

on

by

Foyer Red – one of my favorite new groups in NYC – released the new single “Plumbers Unite” and announced their debut LP Yarn The Hours Away on Carpark Records. Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, Our Culture Mag, and others picked up the song, which follows “ETC” (also from Yarn). I produced the record with the group last summer, recording at Figure 8 and mixing at Studio Windows; the album was mastered by Joe Lambert. I cannot overstate how psyched I am about this record, or how awesome this band is live! They’re going on tour in March with Why Bonnie and Kolezanka (with many overlapping members between the three bands), and on tour in May with Deeper – do yourselves a favor and go check them out. Yarn The Hours Away is out May 19 on Carpark Records.

on

by

Alone With The Sound The Mind Makes – the second LP from the art-rock duo Kolezanka – is out now on Bar/None Records. Kristina Moore and their production partner Ark Culkins recorded the album at Pulp Arts in Gainesville, FL with Danny Clifton and Lily Ruckstuhl, and I mixed & mastered the LP with Kristina at Studio Windows. After scores of press in Stereogum, Allmusic, and this in-depth interview in Under The Radar, Kolezanka is preparing to take off with Why Bonnie & Foyer Red (Kristina’s other band) in March down to SXSW and back. I love this record – it is beautiful and singular, powerful and vulnerable in equal measure. If nothing else, make sure to listen to “A Body”, my favorite song on this record. Alone With The Sound The Mind Makes is out now on Bar/None Records.

on

by

Constant Smiles – the ever-evolving project led by singer-songwriter Ben Jones – has released “Gold Like Water”, the second single from their upcoming LP Kenneth Anger. The new single is a slow-groove ballad, featuring a duet with Taia and cello accompaniment by Nicky Wetherell, while retaining some of the electronic flourishes from lead single “In My Heart”. I edited, mixed & mastered the record with Ben last summer at Studio Windows, and am thrilled to be a part of the record release show at Union Pool. Kenneth Anger is out March 3 on Sacred Bones Records.

on

by

P.E. is back with NOPE Tapes Vol 1! This is the first in a series of digital mixtapes, and was recorded live & totally improvised. The release and its lead track “Branding Crisis” was premiered on Brooklyn Vegan, included on Uproxx’s “Best New Indie Music” list, and featured on Stereogum, Treble, and others. The NOPE shows have been a fun way to collaborate with an extended circle of friends and to get back to the origins of P.E., and the NOPE Tapes promise to be a fun way to experiment in between “proper” releases. NOPE Tapes Vol. 1 is out now on Wharf Cat Records.

on

by

“Cheers!” is the latest single from NYC art-pop project Kolezanka and their upcoming LP Alone With The Sound The Mind Makes. The song was featured on Stereogum, Under The Radar (where it was also one of the Best Songs Of The Week), Our Culture, and others. While mixing and fine-tuning the arrangements, I suggested an edit to this song which we ultimately decided against, but that conversation made it into the statement for this single:

“This song is about the exhausting and annihilating loop of SA, in its unfortunate repetition and also the way you become stuck after trauma. When we were mixing this song, Jonathan Schenke suggested removing the middle distorted guitar and hocket vocal part to create a better flow. He was right and I contemplated it, but I realized I wanted this song to feel uncomfortable. Each movement of this song is very intentional, I hope it says what I needed it to say.”

Along With The Sound The Mind Makes is out February 17 on Bar/None Records.

on

by

Constant Smiles – the ever-changing project of singer-songwriter Ben Jones – is back with “In My Heart”, the first single of their upcoming LP Kenneth Anger. Shared by Brooklyn Vegan, Northern Transmissions, and others, the track came with tour date announcements (including the NYC record-release show at Union Pool, where I will be performing with the band) and a beautiful video by Samuel Jerome Mason. Ben recorded much of this record himself, with various contributions by a wide range of musicians (including Ryan Jewell on drums); I edited, mixed, and mastered the LP with Ben at Studio Windows last summer. The single (and album as a whole) features more prominent electronics in the sound, while retaining the intimacy and directness of Ben’s writing from previous records like 2021’s Paragons. Kenneth Anger is out March 3 via Sacred Bones Records.

on

by

NYC-via-Texas quintet Why Bonnie returned with a new single called “Apple Tree”. The track was shared by Stereogum, Under the Radar, Our Culture and more, along with tour dates in January (with Sun June) & March (with Foyer Red and Kolezanka). “Apple Tree” was an outtake from their album 90 In November – the basic tracking was recorded with Tommy Read in Silsbee, TX, and vocal recording, mixing, and mastering done at Studio Windows this past fall. I always loved this song and was happy to breathe new life into it. “Apple Tree” is out now on Keeled Scales.

on

by

NYC art-pop quintet Foyer Red are back with the new single “ETC” on Carpark Records! The song was featured in Paste Magazine’s Best Songs Of The Week (“it’s perfect”), Brooklyn Vegan (“it’s a joy”), Stereogum, and others. I produced this track with the group over the summer, recording at Figure 8 Recording and mixing at Studio Windows, with Joe Lambert mastering. From mastering their self-recorded EP Zigzag Wombat, to recording the singles that came out earlier this year, and seeing their incredible live show get better and better, Foyer Red has quickly become one of my favorite bands, and some of the sweetest people as well. Expect great things to come in the new year! “ETC” is out now on Carpark Records.