Eaters – my electronic/art group with Bob Jones & Christopher Duffy – released a new ambient microtonal drone record today on Bandcamp. Armonica was created with a hand-built Glass Armonica and synthesizers, improvised & recorded live, and edited/mixed/mastered at Studio Windows. We decided to make this record available for donation, with all proceeds going to the Food Bank for New York City. It’s available for stream and download on Bandcamp now – please donate what you can.
Everyone’s favorite mutant-punks Surfbort are back! This five-song EP was recorded with Ben Greenberg, and I mixed/mastered it at Studio Windows. Short/sweet/fun/dumb – Apocalypse Care Package has it all! Available now for stream & download via Bandcamp.
Public Practice – the NYC dance-punk quartet featuring members of WALL and Beverly – return with a new single from their debut full-length Gentle Grip. “My Head” – which premiered on Stereogum – is a disco-rooted earworm, and features a video by Studio Jojo. Brooklyn Vegan also featured the track, along with music/book recommendations from the band. “My Head” is one of the songs I co-produced/recorded and mixed on Gentle Grip, and of my favorite songs on the album (which was mastered by Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound). Check it out now, and pre-order the album, which comes out May 15 (digital)/June 26 (physical) via Wharf Cat Records.
NYC country weirdo Dougie Poole is back with the brand-new single “Vaping On The Job,” which premiered today on The FADER. It’s the first puff of his upcoming sophomore LP The Freelancer’s Blues, which I produced/recorded/mixed at Studio Windows in Brooklyn. Dougie and I conceived of doing a record like this – more band-oriented and relatively “hi-fi” but keeping all of the “Dougie Poolisms” intact – shortly after completing mixing for his debut Wideass Highway. It was a long road from conception to completion, but the hard work shines across the album, from the earnest-yet-hilarious lyrics and spirited performances, to the intricate and other-worldly arrangements, to the final mix & presentation. I’m truly proud of this record, and thrilled to be able to share a bit of it today!
The Freelancer’s Blues is out June 12 via Wharf Cat Records (home of Gong Gong Gong, Public Practice, P.E. and other family faves). Check out the song & article on the FADER, and take some time to revisit Wideass Highway while you’re at it – “Don’t You Think I’m Funny Anymore” is a stone-cold classic.
Montreal art-rock quintet Pottery have postponed the release of their debut LP, but here’s a new single to tide us over, courtesy of Stereogum. “Hot Like Jungle” is the final track on Welcome To Bobby’s Motel (which I produced, recording at Breakglass in Montreal & mixing at Studio Windows in Brooklyn), and it was also the last song we worked out for the album. What started as a goofy dance-popper ended up being the most genuinely touching moment on the whole album, and was tracked in about three takes after figuring out the direction for the song in the studio. The hand-drawn animated video was created by the band’s drummer Paul Jacobs, who also did the album’s bizarro art as well as the previous videos for “Texas Drums” and “Take Your Time.”
Welcome To Bobby’s Motel is now out June 26 via Partisan Records/Royal Mountain. If you need more Pottery NOW, check out their recent interviews in DIY Mag and So Young. Also recommended: Paul Jacobs’ wealth of solo material over at Bandcamp!
Montreal art-rock quintet Pottery have a new single called “Take Your Time” taken from their upcoming album Welcome to Bobby’s Motel. I produced this record last year – recording in Montreal at Breakglass Studio and mixing in Brooklyn at Studio Windows – and am so excited to be able to share another song from the album. As opposed to lead single “Texas Drums” (which was recently named KEXP’s Song of the Day), this song is a bit more nervy and direct with a sweet & sour verse/chorus structure. Check it out on Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, Paste or others, and don’t miss the truly psyched-out video by the band’s own Paul Jacobs. Welcome to Bobby’s Motel is out April 10 on Partisan Records.
P.E. – my new group featuring members of Pill & Eaters – released our newest single “Pink Shiver” today. The track premiered on Flood Magazine, who likened the energy of “Pink Shiver” to Tom Tom Club, and Stereogum describes Veronica as “opening up to the wild terrain of the human body with a humid zeal.” This song wasn’t really a “song” until the last day together in the studio – it was always just a goof, more of an inside joke than a coherent idea – but it’s become one of my favorite moments on the record. Also today, Treble Zine posted an interview where we discuss the creation of the band and the upcoming debut LP Person. Person is out March 6 on Wharf Cat Records, and the band is hitting SXSW in March and the northeast with Pottery in May. Stream “Pink Shiver” below, check out the tour dates, and pre-order your LP (or special edition LP + Sick, Sad, Fun! mixtape) now!
NYC punk/groove quartet Public Practice are back with “Compromised”, the new single of their just-announced full-length debut Gentle Grip. BBC 6 Radio premiered the track, with sites like Paste, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, and NME picking it up in quick succession. “Compromised” is one of the songs on this album that I co-produced/recorded with the band and mixed at Studio Windows; Joe Laporta mastered the record at Sterling Sound. I’ve known the members of Public Practice for a while now, and am truly thrilled with the way this record turned out – SO many surprises in store! Stream the single, watch the video by Josie Keefe & Jonny Campolo (my bandmate in P.E.), and pre-order the record now. Gentle Grip is out May 15 on Wharf Cat Records.
Tazmanian punkers A. Swayze & The Ghosts return with a new single called “Mess of Me” and a string of North American tour dates. The song premiered on Beats 1 Radio, and Mixdown Mag called it “an exuberant, punky stomper.” “Mess of Me” and their previous single “Connect to Consume” are both from an upcoming record produced & recorded by Dean Tuza (Stella Donnelly) in Melboune, which I mixed/mastered it at Studio Windows. The band will be hitting SXSW and then back in North America in April/May, hopefully playing much more from this new LP. “Mess of Me” is out now via Ivy League Records.
“Texas Drums” is the first single from the debut LP by Montreal-based art-pop quintet Pottery. Steve Lamacq premiered the track on BBC 6 Radio, Stereogum (who named Pottery one of 2019’s Best New Bands and their No. 1 EP one of the Best EPs of 2019) gave the song a glowing review, and it was featured in Brooklyn Vegan, Consequence of Sound, Paste, and other publications as well. Stereogum nailed it when they called the band “a roiling, infectious entity, frantic grooves and tightly wound guitar rhythms and psychedelic synth affectations moving as one organism until the band unleashed it all into danceable, artier chaos.”
I produced “Texas Drums” and Welcome to Bobby’s Motel last summer – recording it with the band at Breakglass Studios in Montreal and mixing it at Studio Windows (my studio in Brooklyn) – and Josh Bonati mastered the madness. Working on this album was genuinely one of my favorite record-making experiences ever – the group is so fun, so bonkers, and absolutely incredible live! They’re touring extensively through Europe with a week of North American dates this spring/summer, so do yourself a favor and get your tickets now. You can stream the song in its entirety, watch the video for Part I, and pre-order the album now. Welcome to Bobby’s Motel is out April 10 via Partisan Records.
Jonathan Schenke 