Louisville-based power-trio Wombo are back with “Slab”, the title track from the upcoming Slab EP. The track (and its surreal band-made video) was featured on Northern Transmissions and Our Culture, and was released on the eve of their first UK tour. The EP was recored in Louisville by Nick Roeder, mixed by me at Studio Windows (in Brooklyn, NY), and mastered by Greg Obis at Chicago Mastering Service. The Slab EP is out June 9 via Fire Talk Records.
My group P.E. is back with Volume 2 of the NOPE Tapes! This edition is once again live improvisation, and features Andrya Ambro (of Gold Dime & Talk Normal) alongside myself, Bob Jones, and Ben Jaffe. Treble Zine premiered the lead track “I Felt Something Earlier Today”, calling it “a sensory overload mix of industrial noise, sampladelic pulse and hypnotic rhythms, somewhere between the wildest moments of early no wave and experimental ’80s industrial”. We’re also hitting the road with FACS this month – check out the dates below and come hang if you’re in the Northeast! NOPE Tapes Vol. 2 is out now on Wharf Cat Records.
NYC freak-pop quintet Foyer Red have shared “Pocket”, the latest single from their upcoming LP Yarn The Hours Away. The single -which was accompanied by a wild stop-motion video from Dewey Pileggi – was featured on Stereogum, Our Culture, and Brooklyn Vegan, who also interviewed the band about their influences. This song was one of the last written for the record – and “by all means a wild card”, according to Elana – so it’s fun to see this released as a single. Yarn The Hours Away was recorded at Figure 8 Recording, mixed at Studio Windows, and was mastered by Joe Lambert. The album comes out May 19 via Carpark Records, and I’m DJing the record release show at Union Pool on May 26!
NYC jangle-punks Big Bliss are back with “A Seat At The Table”, the new single of their upcoming LP Vital Return. The track premiered on Flood Magazine (who wrote “Judging by the lead single, even the darkest moments on the record sound polished with a bright sheen”) and was called Big Takeover called it “a hands-down stunner”. I produced and recorded this record with lead-singer/guitarist Tim Race at Figure 8 Recording (with additional tracking at Light Show Studio, Studio Windows and BBHQ), mixed it at Studio Windows, and Sarah Register mastered the LP. Vital Return comes out August 18 on Good Eye Records.
May Rio has announced her new LP French Bath, and released the new single “Aspartame” along with it. The track debuted on The FADER, who included it in their “Songs You Need” section, and follows “Need You Like” from the same LP. I’ve known May since her days in Poppies, and was psyched to be able to help record & edit the new LP at Studio Windows. French Bath is out June 16 on Dots Per Inch Music.
British synth-punk collective The Umlauts have released the Another Fact: Remixes EP, which features a remix by my group P.E. Based on songs from last year’s Another Fact, it also includes remixes from Regressive Left, Maria Uzor, and Magnus Larsson. Another Fact: Remixes is out now on PRAH Recordings.
“Gorgeous” is the newest single from NYC art-pop freaks Foyer Red. Stereogum writes that “it lives up to its name” and Brooklyn Vegan called the track “unexpected”. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the upcoming new LP – I loved the demo, and fell for it even harder once I found out the lyrics were pulled from spoonerisms by the band’s drummer Marco. “Gorgeous” is from Foyer Red’s debut LP Yarn The Hours Away, which was recorded at Figure 8 Recording and mixed at Studio Windows, and mastered by Joe Lambert. Yarn The Hours Away is out May 19 on Carpark Records.
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.
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.
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.
Jonathan Schenke 