{"title":"The Year End Event","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"deerhoof-offend-maggie","title":"Deerhoof - Offend Maggie","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eOffend Maggie\u003c\/i\u003e is the first \u003cstrong\u003eDeerhoof\u003c\/strong\u003e album to feature current guitarist Ed Rodriguez.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis Polyvinyl re-issue features a different track sequence than the original pressing (released in 2008 and now out-of-print on vinyl).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polyvinyl Records","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl (Neon Green)","offer_id":50818972942643,"sku":"PRC-292LP","price":16.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/d21e9af0430a80d6177f4b8a8410d0133fd0ee57_f33fa3da3be7c26d3c36e7f810bbab7ea62009c9_photo_jpg.jpg?v=1737061660"},{"product_id":"japandroids-celebration-rock","title":"Japandroids - Celebration Rock","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the semi-factual promotional biography for the semi-professional rock \u0026amp; roll band \u003cstrong\u003eJapandroids\u003c\/strong\u003e. It was written in 2012 by Brian King at the behest of Polyvinyl Record Co., and describes in detail all matters of concern with respect to Japandroids' 2nd album \u003ci\u003eCelebration Rock\u003c\/i\u003e. It is the second semi-factual promotional biography written by Brian King at the behest of Polyvinyl, the first describing in detail all matters of concern with respect to Japandroids' 1st album \u003ci\u003ePost-Nothing\u003c\/i\u003e. For convenience sake, the aforementioned document has been distilled into two concise paragraphs as to negate redundancy as much as possible, while at the same time provide the necessary context by which to appreciate the existence of \u003ci\u003eCelebration Rock\u003c\/i\u003e, irrespective of its quality:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eJapandroids is a two piece band from Vancouver, BC. This 'band' started in 2006 and consists of Brian King and David Prowse. Originally intending to be a trio, the boys decided to forego the logistical nightmare of having a 'lead singer' and do it themselves. As a consequence, Japandroids are one guitar, one set of drums, and two vocalizers. Japandroids are maximal - a two piece band trying to sound like it's a five piece band. Their 'songs' run the gauntlet of rock \u0026amp; roll sub-genres, with the boys ripping off too many different bands to sound like any other duo making music right now. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAfter self-releasing two EPs, 2007's All Lies and 2008's Lullaby Death Jams, Japandroids released their critically acclaimed debut album Post-Nothing via Polyvinyl in 2009. The boys toured extensively throughout 2009–2010, playing over 200 shows in more than 20 countries, and quickly gained notoriety for their extremely energetic live performances. Finding it difficult to write and record a second album in the midst of such a heavy touring schedule, Japandroids released a series of 7'' singles throughout 2010, each one recorded during a brief interval between tours. The same year, Japandroids re-released their first two EPs as a compilation titled No Singles, which included a booklet detailing their early history.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5 long years in 2 short paragraphs. Not bad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePerhaps the most pertinent detail omitted from said paragraphs is the fact that at no point during this time did Brian and David even discuss the possibility of writing, let alone recording, a second Japandroids album. With the band having more or less imploded late in 2008 (after what was considered to be a valiant but ultimately fruitless effort), one single regret still lingered, and despite their wounds and subsequent estrangement, continued effortlessly to slander them and their attempts to move on, like the subtle scent of skin on the sheets days after the desecration. Ipso facto, the sole motivation for revisiting the band many months later was simply to see if they could exploit their sudden newfound internet popularity and take Japandroids on the road. Due in part to the unexpected (and untimely) discovery of the band early in 2009 by certain online entities and their congregations, what previously seemed reserved for only the most ardent hearts, presented itself to Japandroids like a deal from the devil himself. Cautiously seduced, Brian and David decided in favour of their romantic notions of the open road, and set upon a crusade to swindle the soul of a continent. Tour was the fire to which they fed themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs days became weeks, so too did months become years. Finally, having exhausted themselves, as well as the immediate charm of \u003ci\u003ePost-Nothing\u003c\/i\u003e, and with only one final recording session looming on the horizon, the boys found themselves at a crossroads. Would they abandon their days on the wind and nights on the rocks in favour of the gentle lull of a geographic coma? No one knew; not even the boys themselves. That is, until one cool New York night, when under the spell of the city's swill, they cast off the demons of doubt, having come in through the out door, back out through the window. For months, they laboured. Through the endless rains and windless chills of a northwestern winter, Japandroids fought tirelessly against their own creative limitations, struggling to expand their sound beyond the simple sloganeering that dominated \u003ci\u003ePost-Nothing\u003c\/i\u003e. Stuck knee deep in the swamp of summer, time had chased them down, and caught them waiting patiently. Had it not been for the fever of fall, with the boys back on tour where they belong, all might have been lost. Run out of town, they vowed not to return in anything less than triumph. Settling under the sulfurous skies of the south, Japandroids continued to labour through the dying months of 2011, returning reluctantly with nothing short of an album.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs with countless previous recording sessions, the boys would bestow their faith solely upon Heaven's native son, Jesse Gander. An inexhaustible rocket of patience and dedication, Gander's unique ability to build cathedrals out of criminals was pushed to its absolute limit, as Brian and David demanded he coax only the purest nectar from their delinquent hearts. And so he did:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Let's make this one a little more cruising down the highway, and a little less doing crystal meth on New Year's…\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"That take was the perfect mixture of pee and poo - it had the fluidity of pee, and the solidness of poo…\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd so on and so forth, until not even the deepest and darkest of nights could extinguish what can only be described as living fireworks. \u003ci\u003eCelebration Rock\u003c\/i\u003e - a title in and of itself so controversial that at first utterance, it was so feared and hated that Polyvinyl felt compelled to plead for an alternative. But the band would not yield. Hell was just going to have to come and get them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo there you have it. 1 year, 8 songs, 35 mins. Not bad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs for everything else, I've got no answers. Any questions?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReference materials:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e8 song albums - \u003ci\u003eRaw Power\u003c\/i\u003e by The Stooges, \u003ci\u003eBorn To Run\u003c\/i\u003e by Bruce Springsteen, \u003ci\u003eIV\u003c\/i\u003e by Led Zeppelin\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e35 min albums - \u003ci\u003eLet It Be\u003c\/i\u003e by The Replacements, \u003ci\u003eRevolver\u003c\/i\u003e by The Beatles, \u003ci\u003ePet Sounds\u003c\/i\u003e by The Beach Boys\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polyvinyl Records","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl (Black\/White Mix)","offer_id":52708197466419,"sku":"PRC-238LP","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50818984640819,"sku":"PRC-238CD","price":6.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":52708197499187,"sku":"PRC-238DIGITAL","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/2a8e6455543d4b724ab4a9160f7abd65daaf4818_ac23b485f226709a8a41d98ef7d0413b986993ce_photo_jpg.jpg?v=1735838688"},{"product_id":"braid-frankie-welfare-boy-age-five","title":"Braid - Frankie Welfare Boy Age Five","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter releasing the \u003cem\u003eRainsnowmatch\u003c\/em\u003e 7\" in 1994,\u003cstrong\u003e Braid\u003c\/strong\u003e's debut full-length, \u003cem\u003eFrankie Welfare Boy Age Five\u003c\/em\u003e, came out in June 1995 on Divot Records. With 26 blistering tracks in just under 60 minutes, the members of Braid -- Bob Nanna, Todd Bell, Chris Broach and Roy Ewing -- simultaneously encapsulated and redefined the Midwest scene from which they came.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrankie Welfare Boy Age Five\u003c\/em\u003e is a meticulously crafted record that never once feels anything other than raw and organic. Starting with the song titles (each begins with a different letter of the alphabet), it soon becomes clear that no aspect of the album is superfluous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven the between-track interim is filled with precision. Nanna and Bell spent six hours adding static and snippets of music from their old bands and friends' bands (including Cap'n Jazz, Friction, The Sky Corvair and Mary Me) to give listeners the feeling of tuning a radio dial while listening to the record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis attention to detail is especially evident in the music. Never uniform and always challenging, the songs on \u003cem\u003eFWBA5 \u003c\/em\u003econtinually change tone, volume, and structure within time spans that sometimes swell to more than three minutes, but are most often contained to one or two. 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I haven’t achieved anything.’ So I was like, ‘Mum, as soon as we get home from this holiday I need to go to singing lessons.’\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eClassical singing lessons were the only kind in the area, but Jacklin took to it. Voice control was crucial, and Jacklin flourished. But the lack of expression had the teen seeking substance, and she wound up in a high school band, “wearing surf clothing and doing a lot of high jumps” singing Avril Lavigne and Evanescence covers. It wasn’t much but she was hooked.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJacklin’s second epiphany came after high school. Travelling in South America she reconnected with high school friend and future foil \u003cstrong\u003eLiz Hughes\u003c\/strong\u003e. The two returned home to the Blue Mountains and started a band, bonding over a love of indie-Appalachian folk trio\u003cstrong\u003e Mountain Man\u003c\/strong\u003e and the songs Hughes was writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I would just sing,” says Jacklin. “But as I got my confidence I started playing guitar and writing songs. I wouldn’t be doing music now if it wasn’t for Liz or that band. I never knew it was something I could do. “\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow living in a garage in Glebe and working a day job on a factory production line making essential oils, the 25-year old found time to hone her craft – to examine her turns of phrase, to observe the stretching of her friendship circles, to wonder who she was and who she might become. That document is Jacklin’s masterful debut album, \u003cem\u003eDon’t Let The Kids Win\u003c\/em\u003e - an intimate examination of a life still being lived.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecorded at New Zealand’s Sitting Room studios with \u003cstrong\u003eBen Edwards\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003eMarlon Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e,\u003cstrong\u003e Aldous Harding\u003c\/strong\u003e,\u003cstrong\u003e Nadia Reid\u003c\/strong\u003e), \u003cem\u003eDon’t Let The Kids Win\u003c\/em\u003e courses with the aching current of alt-country and indie-folk, augmented by Jacklin’s undeniable calling cards: her rich, distinctive voice, and her playful, observational wit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou can hear it in opener ‘Pool Party’, a gorgeous lilt bristling with Jacklin’s tale of substance abuse by the pool; in the sparse, ‘Elizabeth’, wrestling with both devotion and admonishment of a friend; in detailing the slow-motion banality of a relationship breakdown in the woozy ‘L.A Dreams’; and in her resolve to accept the passing of time on the snappy fuzz of ‘Coming Of Age’. The album hums with peripheral insights, minute in their moments but together proving an urge to stay curious.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I thought it was going to be a heartbreak record,” says Jacklin of \u003cem\u003eDon’t Let The Kids Win\u003c\/em\u003e. “But in hindsight I see it’s about hitting 24 and thinking, ‘What the fuck am I doing?’ I was feeling very nostalgic for my youth. When I was growing up I was so ambitious: I’m going to be this amazing social worker, save the world, a great musician, fit, an amazing writer. Then you get to mid-20s and you realise you have to focus on one thing. Even if it doesn’t pay-off, or you feel embarrassed at family occasions because you’re the poor musician still, that’s the decision I made.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn person Jacklin is funny, wry, quick to crack a joke. It makes the blunt honesty and prickly insight laced through her songwriting disarming, a dissonance she delights in. “Especially coming from my family,” says Jacklin. “They don’t talk about feelings at all. I love writing songs about them and watching them listen and squirm. To me that’s great. I enjoy it.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe title track was the last song Jacklin wrote for the album. “My sister’s getting married soon,” she says of the closer. “And it hit me – we used to be two young girls and now that part of our lives is over. Seeing her talking about wanting to have a baby and…it’s like, man I can’t believe we’re already here.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDon’t mistake this awareness for nostalgia. “It’s not that I want to go back to that time at all,” says Jacklin. “It’s trying to figure out how to be responsible when you don’t identify with who you were anymore.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“All my friends at this age are freaking out. Everyone’s constantly talking about being old. \u003cem\u003eDon’t Let The Kids Win\u003c\/em\u003e is saying yeah we’re getting older but it’s not so special. It’s not unique. Everyone has dealt with this and it’s going to keep feeling weird. So I’m freaking out about it too but that song is trying to convince myself: let’s live now and just be old when we’re old.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polyvinyl Records","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl (Blue)","offer_id":50818989850931,"sku":"PRC-322LP-BLUE","price":20.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50818989883699,"sku":"PRC-322CD","price":10.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":50818989949235,"sku":"PRC-322DIGITAL","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/cf610bb5ab1609a41de77566d7c65683a08e8e08_dadc05c042728003629a682ba198faedb1bf4c62_photo_jpg.jpg?v=1735838720"},{"product_id":"yumi-zouma-truth-or-consequences","title":"Yumi Zouma - Truth or Consequences","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the early 2010s, the members of \u003cstrong\u003eYumi Zouma\u003c\/strong\u003e spent time together on a New Zealand street that gave its name to their first single, “The Brae.” After the 2011 Christchurch earthquake destroyed that street and much of the city, its members took off for other parts of the globe and soon began writing their first songs over email.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a result, the band was born, and distance became a recurring theme in Yumi Zouma’s work. This makes sense given the far-flung cities the group of musicians currently call home: New York City for Burgess, London for Ryder, Wellington for Campion, and Simpson remaining in their native Christchurch. Of course, distance can also manifest metaphorically, and it’s in these figurative chasms that \u003cem\u003eTruth or Consequences\u003c\/em\u003e, Yumi Zouma’s third album and first for Polyvinyl, finds its narrative: romantic and platonic heartbreak, real and imagined emotional distance, disillusionment, and being out of reach. There are no answers, there’s very seldom closure, but there is an undeniable release that comes from saying the truth, if only to oneself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In the age we’re living in, there’s an emphasis on making things clear cut” says Burgess about the album’s title. “But in life and in art, nothing is ever that definitive. The truth is usually in the gray zones, and I think that’s so much of what we were trying to explore and understand on this album.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhilst exploring these realms, Yumi Zouma deliberately pursued a deeper sense of collaboration in order to craft a record that reflects the bond between them. Produced by the band and mixed by engineer Jake Aron (Solange, Grizzly Bear, Snail Mail), \u003cem\u003eTruth or Consequences\u003c\/em\u003e stems from sessions in Los Angeles, London, and Christchurch, where the band actively took a collegial approach, often working note-by-note, to ensure the foundations of the album reflected a sense of togetherness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e “We wanted to make the songwriting process as egalitarian as possible. 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Simpson reveals, “At the time I was living with a boyfriend who was quite lovely, but there wasn’t that passion or excitement that you imagine for yourself when you’re young. That song is about accepting that something’s not working, and deciding to just be on your own for a while.” Album centerpiece “Cool For A Second” coalesces the motif of isolation and its ensuing fallout into a letter to a past connection: Whilst on “Truer Than Ever,” the band draws inspiration from the classics to radiate 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThroughout, 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. 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A profound sense of emotional vulnerability weaves its way throughout the dozen albums the group has made, but also a spirit of openness and experimentalism as they peer into the sonic unknown, creating moments of catharsis by harnessing bursts of noise and other uncommon sounds. They have collaborated with confessional songwriters like Mitski and avant-garde composers like Charlemagne Palestine, displaying an uncommon fluency in both worlds. Singer and songwriter Jamie Stewart’s lyrics are often veiled in layers of metaphor, but his delivery always suggests urgency and intimacy, that there’s a universal truth that cuts deep. Xiu Xiu makes beautiful music for hard times. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eOH NO\u003c\/i\u003e, the group’s newest album, is an album of duets, with Stewart sharing the spotlight with an array of guests who have made an impact on him personally and musically. Sharon Van Etten’s tentative musings open the album, and from there vocalists from across the musical spectrum, including Circuit des Yeux’s Haley Fohr, Liz Harris, Alice Bag, Chelsea Wolfe, Owen Pallet, and Twin Shadow’s George Lewis Jr., all drift into Xiu Xiu’s distinctive soundworld. \u003ci\u003eOH NO\u003c\/i\u003e was written and recorded in Xiu Xiu’s home studio in Los Angeles throughout 2019 and 2020, and produced by Xiu Xiu’s Angela Seo, experimental musician Lawrence English, and Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier, who also sings on the incisive, noise-laden song “Goodbye For Good.” The album was born out of anguish and isolation, but exists as it does because of a profound rediscovery of community and friendship. It is the sound of finding one’s place in the world after the destructive powers of jealousy and mistrust make any map seemingly unreadable.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"\u003eAs Stewart began writing the songs that would end up on \u003ci\u003eOH NO\u003c\/i\u003e, a series of long-standing friendships and musical partnerships were abruptly and unilaterally severed after surprising acts of betrayal and disrespect. Stewart was thrown into a deep pit of dull isolation, unsure of how he got there. He cancelled tours, and spoke publicly about mental health issues that prompted his closing off to the world. But as he did, people he had not talked to in many years reached out offering support. Xiu Xiu fans wrote expressing how his music had helped them through their own personal tragedies, offering reciprocal care as he faced his own intense darknesses. In a way that was new and unfamiliar, there was a critical mass of people showing him how much he meant, and had always meant. Their words and actions provided the rope he needed to leave that pit behind and emerge with a newfound appreciation of those around him, and humanity at large. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"\u003eAnd so Stewart, along with Seo, decided to have this collection of songs, many of which speak directly to the experience of dissolution and abandonment, as well as the shared reality of environmental devastation, represent the combined expressions of love and humanity that so effectively vanquished that darkness. There is no shortage of severity and shadow, this is a Xiu Xiu album after all, but here it is a burden shared. On “The Grifters,” Haley Fohr’s full-bodied wail bolsters Stewart’s wavering falsetto over stark acoustic guitar. Alice Bag’s defiant chiming of “Knock Out” provides a perfect foil to his tentative singing of “hey hey.” Chelsea Wolfe helps Stewart turn The Cure’s “One Hundred Years,” a favorite of his since high school, into pulsating industrial music that radiates intensity. And Liz Harris provides gorgeous beds of harmonizing vocals to “A Bottle of Rum,” one of the hookiest songs Stewart has ever written. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"\u003e“The guest stars of \u003ci\u003eOH NO\u003c\/i\u003e reflect the types of people, and many of the very same, who helped remind me that the ratio of beautiful humans to shitty humans is more like 60\/40 rather than what I have always assumed was 1\/99,” says Stewart. “Although there is an ‘I HATE PEOPLE’ pin on my guitar strap, I hate them less now.” His revelation, and the music that has come out of it, is a reminder of the power of Xiu Xiu’s music to surprise and connect. Listening to the songs on \u003ci\u003eOH NO\u003c\/i\u003e, it is hard to feel truly alone. Instead, it is a reminder that even when we’re alone, we’re alone together. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eAll songs by Xiu Xiu, except for “One Hundred Years” by The Cure.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eInstruments by:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eAngus Andrew – vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eAlice Bag – vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eJherek Bischoff – double bass\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eJohn Congleton – optigan, granular sampler\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eZachary Dawes – double bass, bass guitar\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eDeb Demure – vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eValerie Diaz – vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eHaley Fohr – vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eLiz Harris – vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eDavid Kendrick – drum kit, bongos, percussion\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eCharlie Looker – guitar, bass guitar\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eJonathan Meiburg – vox, animal calls\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eOwen Pallett – vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eFabrizio Modonese Palumbo – vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eSusanne Sachsse – vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eGwendolyn Sanford – vox, experimental vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eGreg Saunier – vox, guitar, bass guitar, cymbals, synth, sampler\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eAngela Seo – vox, piano, harmonium, gongs, percussion, bass synth\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eJamie Stewart – vox, bass guitar, guitar, organ, drum box, autoharp, viola, stylophone, xylophone, bajo quinto, mandolin,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003esynth, banjo, percussion, sampler\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eTwin Shadow – vox, saxophone\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eSharon Van Etten – vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eChelsea Wolfe – vox\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eRecorded by Jamie Stewart at NURSE.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eAdditional Recording by Angus Andrew, Paul Beauchamp, Ben Chisholm, Dirk Dresselhaus, Dan Duszynski, Haley Fohr, Justin Higgins, Brandon Jay, George Lewis Jr., Owen Pallett \u0026amp; 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Bazan collected his earliest childhood experiences for 2019's \u003cem\u003ePhoenix\u003c\/em\u003e, the prolific artist's celebrated return to the Pedro moniker and the first in a planned series of five records chronicling his past homes. To write its sequel, Bazan traveled to Havasu four times over several years, driving past his junior high campus, a magical skating rink, and other nostalgic locations that evoked feelings long suppressed. \"An intersection I hadn't remembered for 30 years would trigger a flood of hidden memories,\" he says. \"I was there to soak in it as much as possible.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDriving the inscrutable loops of Havasu's lakeside, Bazan listened through an audiobook of Tom Petty's biography, eventually dialoguing with Petty's voice in his mind. A revelation from the book–that Petty subconsciously wrote the song \"Wildflowers\" as an act of kindness toward himself–inspired Bazan to approach his own work with radical generosity toward his young self. \"I wanted to be there for that kid,\" he offers. \"That twelve year old still needs parenting, and still needs to process.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo revisit his past with openness, Bazan modified harmful work habits he'd accepted as necessary. That meant doing away with deadlines, and accumulating moments of play as he felt moved to–\"Rather than squeezing stones every single time. I'm on a slow journey away from that,\" he clarifies. As he worked through the music that became \u003cem\u003eHavasu\u003c\/em\u003e, flexibility and curiosity informed the arrangements. Bazan began writing on a simple synthesizer and drum machine setup. He detoured to a more elaborate assortment of analog electronic equipment, then woodshed his original two-handed keyboard arrangements on fingerpicked acoustic guitar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConcurrently relearning his catalog for a weekly series of livestream concerts also renewed his gratitude toward songwriting. \"I was trying to evaluate what I have to show for 20 years of kicking my own ass,\" Bazan quips about the strenuousness of full-time touring. \"But the garden of my songs is what I've been building. It doesn't have to be an ego test.\" Approaching his discography with appreciation reconciled cognitive dissonance about the music of his childhood, which Bazan had dismissed as cheesy. \"As a kid, that Richard Marx song would come on and I would swoon. I've been working my whole life to pretend that wasn't there, and I wanted to honor the sappy, emotional kid that I was. It helped me see myself,\" he admits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen he entered the studio with co-producer and engineer Andy D. Park (who worked in the same capacity on Phoenix), Bazan planned to make a desolate, desert-informed record. But the duo quickly realized a rock configuration closer to Pedro's classic sound would convey the landscape and stories best. Bazan switched to a Les Paul, which brought smoothness and linearity; though he'd planned to use a drum machine, he laid down scratch drum kit and bass as an experiment. Listening back the next day, those initial rhythm section takes had a sense of joy and ease that augmented the record's themes of psychic healing. \"First Drum Set,\" which faithfully chronicles Bazan's lifesaving switch from clarinet to drums, builds the explosive jubilation of musical self-discovery into triumphant fills, like a throbbing heartbeat overflowing with love. \"Teenage Sequencer\" takes on the rattling anxiety of mind-body disconnect, using trepidatious bass, vacillating guitar slides and hopeful tambourine to evoke the crushed-out ups and downs of the mutable edge of thirteen. \"There goes nature, pulling me along like a sequencer,\" sings Bazan, wondering: \"Will I always be a teenager now?\" And on \"Making the Most Of It,\" stuttering hi-hat adorns downtempo, arpeggiated guitar, adding playfulness to a reckoning with concealed emotion. \"I can go along to get along, but let me know when I can quit making the most of it,\" Bazan shrugs. Yet the contrasting optimism of the music reflects an imperative to communicate feelings both light and heavy: to break through the scar tissue of tender memory and find peace.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough Bazan wrote, arranged, and performed most instruments himself–as is characteristic of most of his work, solo and with Pedro the Lion–several key collaborators helped him find the self-accepting tenderness needed for \u003cem\u003eHavasu\u003c\/em\u003e. Pedro live drummer Sean T. Lane makes appearances on every track, but on a self-constructed noisemaking instrument called \"the bike.\" It's composed of various metal objects and strings mounted on a bicycle frame, rigged with contact mics and run through a drone-accentuating pedalboard. \"It can be percussive, it can be ambient. It's a real nightmare machine. It's just great,\" Bazan enthuses, highlighting its crucially menacing counterpoint to the otherwise \"wistful, melancholy, guilty pleasure romcom\" progression of \"Own Valentine.\" A warm moment exploring his synth setup with longtime collaborator Andy Fitts led to the insistent new wave sound of \"Too Much.\" And on album opener and cinematic scene-setter \"Don't Wanna Move,\" a riff appears that was first devised by Pedro guitarist Erik Walters and used on Phoenix's closer. \"I was psyched to open this record with it,\" Bazan says. \"I'm trying to have a flow between the records, so if people want to engage with that, there's something there.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough the next three albums in the series are not fully written, Bazan currently understands \u003cem\u003ePhoenix\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHavasu\u003c\/em\u003e together as a completed exposition in a traditional three-act structure. \"I want to paint a picture of how my family and parents and everyone I love got coopted by nationalistic, authoritarian religion,\" he lays out. \"I'm planting the seeds for that, and my own culpability is part of it.\" Though these careful compositions pave the way for darker stories in later acts, Bazan resolutely emphasizes the curative nature of returning to Havasu, mentally and musically. \"It gave me the ability to make vulnerable choices, and connect with a part of my younger self that I didn't want to turn my back on,\" he suggests. \"I worked through a lot of self-judgment, and was kinder to myself on this record than I have been before in any songs.\" The result is an open-hearted acknowledgment of shame and elation both, spaciously but delicately arranged in affirmation of the nurturing those feelings deserve – even if the kid in need of validation has long since grown up and moved away.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eProduced by Andy D. Park \u0026amp; David Bazan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eAll songs written \u0026amp; arranged by David Bazan (except: track 1 music written with Erik Walters \u0026amp; track 2 music written with Andy Fitts)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eAll instruments \u0026amp; vocals by David Bazan (except: percussion on tracks 3, 4, \u0026amp; 8 by Sean Lane \u0026amp; keys on track 5 \u0026amp; additional keys on tracks 4 \u0026amp; 8 by Andy D. Park)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eRecorded by Andy D. Park at The Crumb\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: hsl(0,75%,60%);\"\u003eMixed by Andy D. 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It also introduces drummer Laurie Torres, saxophonist Adam Kinner and string arrangements by Owen Pallett (Arcade Fire) recorded by a full orchestra in Prague.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Making a record to me has always just been about the experience, a new experience in a new place with a new person at the desk, taking the plunge and just seeing what happens” says Jacklin, on the decision to travel to Canada and work with a new producer for the third time in as many albums. “For the first time I stepped away from the guitar, and wrote a lot of the album on the Roland keyboard in my apartment in Montreal with its inbuilt band tracks. I blu-tacked reams of butcher paper to the walls, covered in lyrics and ideas, praying to the music gods that my brain would arrange everything in time.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou can hear it in the spare drum machine and piano of ‘Lydia Wears A Cross', which rustles to life on clattering percussion, synths and a solitary dirty lead guitar line. ‘Love, Try Not To Let Go’ (“I need you to believe me when I said I found it hard \/ to keep myself from floating away”) skates along on airy keys and crisp drums, before blossoming into thundering guitar chords under Jacklin’s full-voiced declaration: “try not to let go”. The sprinkling of strings, chimes and saxophone lend ‘ignore tenderness’, ‘Moviegoer’ and ‘End Of A Friendship’ a woozy dreaminess at odds with Jacklin’s detailed portrayals of shifting personal politics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThose musical flourishes can be traced to an inspiration Jacklin rediscovered while questioning her own motivation at the end of the \u003ci\u003eCrushing\u003c\/i\u003e tour. “Once music becomes your job, you can lose the purity of music fandom,” says Jacklin. “I spent the last two years trying to reconnect with that. I didn’t play much, I just listened. Especially to a lot of big pop music like Celine Dion, Robyn and Luther Vandross – music that wasn’t so heavy, big feelings, big production. You lose sight of what putting on a big, beautiful song can do.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJacklin remembers being eight years old, sitting at the kitchen bench playing the Canadian superstar’s 1996 hit ‘Because You Loved Me’ on repeat from her dad’s CD player. Listening to it again in 2020, “brought back a lot of nice, uncomplicated feelings about music,” says Jacklin. “Pure joy and feeling. And as someone relatively introverted and trying to be cool, Céline was a good person for me to lock onto during this period, because she’s definitely not that. She’s dramatic as hell and incredibly cheesy. I think listening to her helped me get over myself.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere are moments throughout the ten songs that reflect this source inspiration, and Jacklin’s willingness to explore new terrain as both a producer and songwriter, but ultimately\u003ci\u003e PRE PLEASURE\u003c\/i\u003e presents Jacklin as her most authentic self; an uncompromising and masterful lyricist, always willing to mine the depths of her own life experience, and singular in translating it into deeply personal, timeless songs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0, 75%, 60%);\"\u003eall songs written by julia jacklin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0, 75%, 60%);\"\u003erecorded at mixart studios and planet studios in montreal\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0, 75%, 60%);\"\u003eengineered by marcus paquin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0, 75%, 60%);\"\u003eproduced by marcus paquin and julia jacklin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:hsl(0, 75%, 60%);\"\u003eassistant engineer - 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Three band members had recently relocated away from Chicago, not to mention Joe Keery having left the band in 2017 to focus on acting. In the end they started right back up at the beginning, rediscovering that uncompromising closeness of connection they all shared from those endless hours spent in practice spaces and the late-night diner runs that follow. Prolonged stretches of time together not only reinforced the strength of their friendship—it reinvigorated their music. “If you want to get one hour of good painting in, you have to have four hours of uninterrupted time,” David Lynch once said. The product of a few straight weeks together, \u003cem\u003eIRON\u003c\/em\u003e not only finds them reunited with Keery but is the embodiment of 30 days of camaraderie and unbound musical exploration, their renewed connection ironclad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter 2022’s sublime \u003cem\u003eLove Gibberish\u003c\/em\u003e, Post Animal found themselves sunk deeper into their work than ever before. That record was their first released independently, with all the extra effort that entails. They also toured extensively, both on their own and with UK psych band Temples. By the time things started settling down, Post Animal was scattered to the wind. Guitarist Javi Reyes and drummer Wesley Toledo dropped back home to Chicago, while guitarist Matt Williams moved to Los Angeles, bassist Dalton Allison decamped for Ithaca, and multi-instrumentalist Jake Hirshland relocated to Brooklyn. “There was some burnout happening,” Allison says. “We were ruthlessly fighting and grinding.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut then Keery showed up at a New York tour stop, and the idea was hatched that they cut another record—all six band members together again, for the first time since 2017. “When we made \u003cem\u003eWhen I Think of You in a Castle\u003c\/em\u003e, that was near the start of \u003cem\u003eStranger Things\u003c\/em\u003e,” Keery recalls. “And now with it kind of coming to an end in my own life, we all felt it'd be great to do something like that again, to go somewhere and be isolated and work on music together. It was a labor of love.” A big part of that process was focusing on the experience rather than putting pressure on an outcome. “We all agreed that even if we went and just hung out, we’d be happy with it,” Toledo says. “We're just heartfelt, sentimental, and emotional, but there was a real positivity and optimism among us.” They would set up camp at the Indiana home of their friends Malcolm Brown and Charles Glanders, an A-frame tucked into some woodlands with massive windows for views of the fall foliage. In addition to the lush surroundings, the band’s hosts pitched in: Glanders engineered the tracks with Allison, while Brown inspired via chef-caliber meals. “We got back to our roots, hanging out and writing music without the expectations or pressure,” Hirshland says.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe creativity driven by comfort is apparent from the opening instrumental track; “Malcolm’s Cooking” was recorded in part on a balcony overlooking the woods, complete with the humid wind, insect whirring, and euphorically clinking bottles. Lead single “Last Goodbye” follows, a slow-loping look at the end of a relationship, a point in time somehow both uneasy and familiar. “I try to love every corner of your mind\/ But we’ve been going off the deep end,” they sing, buffeted by choppy acoustic, prickly electric staccato, and waves of harmony. There’s a vintage AM radio glow to follow-up “Pie in the Sky”, a giddy-up bass and thumping percussion giving way to layered harmony. “Make me wanna sell my soul for just a bit of your shine\/ How am I gonna fill this hole, if your heart ain’t mine?” they sigh in a fit of honest, unadorned adoration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“This record felt like a revitalization of our friendships and our band,” Hirshland says. “We always work collaboratively, but it’s amazing how reintroducing Joe into the mix brought back that dynamic from 2017.” Keery agrees, noting both how close they’ve remained and also much has changed since their last work together. \"We're all still such great friends, but now everybody has a lot more experience under their belts,\" he says. \"I was just appreciative to be spending this time, knowing we might not get another chance to do this the way we're doing it right now. The record reflects that enjoyment, and you can feel the fun.\" Not only did the six members work closely together, each brought in song ideas and took their turn taking the lead. In perhaps the most intimate example, the glistening, punchy “Maybe You Have To” opens with a voicemail of Toledo’s abuela prior to her passing. The track that follows stares at the pain of that loss, unflinchingly. “The song is about coming to terms with death, with the absence of someone you love,” he says. “She was a warrior.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven when \u003cem\u003eIRON\u003c\/em\u003e touches on heavy themes, Post Animal finds fluidity and strength in their compositions—a clear result of sharing so much time together. Members of the group would come and go from the home studio, a free-flowing stream of ideas. “This is the easiest experience I’ve had making an album,” Williams says. Reyes agrees, noting that ease comes from understanding—and growing from—your past: “It’s a return to ourselves, but down the road, feeling better than we ever have.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the album, Post Animal use that honed edge to push and pull at genre threads, imbuing some synthpop here and some folk there, vintage radio rock on one track and twitchy psychedelia on the next. Like the six sides of a die, the members of Post Animal each brought their own energy and style into an interconnected whole. Whether in the tumbling, interlocking eighth notes of the sugary “Common Denominator” or the cloudlike, piano-driven title track, \u003cem\u003eIRON\u003c\/em\u003e lives deliciously in its moment, in the room. Or, as Hirshland explains it: “This is an exploration of being alive and in this group of friends.” The beguiling “Setting Sun” churns and flares across that spectrum, opening on a burnt synth wash, a chunky electric guitar matching the lead vocals step for step. Psych pop “Dorien Kregg”, meanwhile, taps into some Elephant 6 orchestral energy, Allison taking on the mantle of the title character with childlike glee. “I remember Jake coming home from a grocery run and I was standing in the driveway being a creep, channeling this character,” Allison laughs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSurreal ideas like that only come about (let alone get chased down to such a brilliant conclusion) with the punchy energy that comes from a month of working this closely together. \u003cem\u003eIRON\u003c\/em\u003e puts the listener directly into the room with the band, freewheeling and experimental yet played with precision. That atmosphere should be palpable as the band hits the road with Keery’s Djo project, Toledo and Reyes pulling double duty as well by working in his backing band—the whole group getting to spend even more time together. “We’re having fun making things that we’re proud of. It’s a more mature period for us as collaborators and as friends,” Reyes says. “We’re all vibing with each other creatively, enjoying the momentum and our friendship.” Allison vehemently agrees: “All of these creative forces coming together, it was like iron sharpening iron,” he says. “When we’re in proximity with one another, we make each other better.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eAll songs written \u0026amp; produced by Post Animal (Dalton Allison, Jake Hirshland, Joe Keery, Javier Reyes, Wesley Toledo, Matt Williams)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eEngineered by Dalton Allison \u0026amp; Charles Glanders\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eMixed by Adam Thein \u0026amp; Dalton Allison\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eMastered by Jared Hirshland\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e","brand":"Polyvinyl Records","offers":[{"title":"Early Bird Vinyl (Metallic Iron Mist)","offer_id":67749919752499,"sku":"PRC-516LP-EB","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Vinyl (Coke Bottle Clear)","offer_id":51358079189299,"sku":"PRC-516LP","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":67601307435315,"sku":"PRC-516CD","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tape (Smoky Tint)","offer_id":67601307566387,"sku":"PRC-516TAPE","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/PostAnimal_IRON_EBSQ1_1.jpg?v=1794565140"},{"product_id":"polyvinyl-compass-logo-t-shirt-realtree-camo","title":"Polyvinyl - Compass Logo T-Shirt (Realtree Camo)","description":"\u003cp\u003eBRAND: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCode Five \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSHIRT COLOR: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRealtree® Camo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDESIGN COLOR: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReflective Orange Ink (Water-Based)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polyvinyl Accessories","offers":[{"title":"Small","offer_id":51367649116467,"sku":"PRC-TS1234-S","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Medium","offer_id":51367649149235,"sku":"PRC-TS1234-M","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Large","offer_id":51367649182003,"sku":"PRC-TS1234-L","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"X-Large","offer_id":51367649214771,"sku":"PRC-TS1234-XL","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2X-Large","offer_id":51367649247539,"sku":"PRC-TS1234-2XL","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/Realtree_SQ.png?v=1744919966"},{"product_id":"squirrel-flower-your-love-garage-sale","title":"Squirrel Flower - Your Love","description":"","brand":"Polyvinyl Records","offers":[{"title":"7\" Flexi","offer_id":51632135405875,"sku":"MISC","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/SquirrelFlower_FlexiMock_SQ.jpg?v=1749470060"},{"product_id":"algernon-cadwallader-trying-not-to-have-a-thought","title":"Algernon Cadwallader - Trying Not To Have A Thought","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eTrying Not to Have a Thought \u003c\/i\u003eisn't just the first \u003cstrong\u003eAlgernon Cadwallader\u003c\/strong\u003e album since 2011's \u003ci\u003eParrot Flies\u003c\/i\u003e. It's also the first with their original lineup - vocalist-bassist Peter Helmis, guitarists Joe Reinhart and Colin Mahony, and drummer Nick Tazza - since Algernon's seminal 2008 debut, \u003ci\u003eSome Kind of Cadwallader\u003c\/i\u003e. Shortly after that album was recorded \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e– and long before it was heralded as a lodestar for the 2010s \"emo revival\" - Tazza and Mahony departed the band. Despite their looming influence on the aforementioned \"revival,\" Algernon broke up in 2012 following the release of \u003ci\u003eParrot Flies \u003c\/i\u003eand remained stubbornly deceased until their fiendishly anticipated resurrection in 2022.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\"I almost see it as fate that it boiled us down to this core, our original form,\" Helmis says. \"There' a certain magic to that that couldn't really be replicated.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThere was no expectation that the reunion tour would precipitate new music. However, as the band began rehearsing their classic songs, new ideas started leaking out in the form of off-the-cuff jams, and the seeds of \u003ci\u003eTrying Not to Have a Thought \u003c\/i\u003ebegan to germinate. Reinhart was pleasantly surprised that, even after 17 years of not playing together under the Algernon umbrella, the foursome's foundational musical chemistry was still surging.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\"I'm kind of hearing in my head what this person's already doing,\" Reinhart says, recalling the intuitive flow of those improvisational jams.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eTrying Not to Have a Thought \u003c\/i\u003eis simultaneously the most considered and off-the-cuff Algernon Cadwallader album yet. The 11-song classic was written across two rural retreats on either side of the country - first in Snoqualmie, Washington (mythically known as Twin Peaks), and then in the Poconos in the woods of Pennsylvania. After an initial session at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, the collection was largely recorded and self-produced at Reinhart's Headroom Studios in Philadelphia. Whereas some reunion records sound stilted and forced, this record sounds resplendently natural: the production warm and lively, the musicianship congenial yet exacting, and the hooks effortlessly sticky. Fans who've been listening to Algernon since their 2005 formation will be fondly reminded of the band's familiar ring, but the album feels distinctly uncoupled from any of the ephemeral trends that Algernon were previously filed under. Their musical touchpoints remain unchanged - \"Joan of Arc and Pavement in a blender is where we end up sitting,\" Reinhart says with a smile - but the band sounds more comfortably singular than ever before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAlgernon Cadwallader are certainly cognizant of their cult legacy, a status that's transformed their fanbase into a unique convergence of graying punk lifers and fresh-faced teens who first discovered \"midwest emo\" on TikTok. Given the long gap between albums and the critical acclaim they've garnered in that time (a 2018 \u003ci\u003ePitchfork \u003c\/i\u003eretrospective earned \u003ci\u003eSome Kind of Cadwallader \u003c\/i\u003ea sterling 8.3 score), it would've been understandable for the guys to feel pressured to live up to their own standards while making this new record. Thankfully, the opposite was the case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\"If anything, I think [our legacy] made us feel like we had more freedom to be ourselves and let it come out naturally,\" Helmis says. Reinhart doubles down on their creative autonomy: \"The only thing we ever try to do is entertain ourselves. Do we like this? Good. No? Let's try harder.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eTrying Not to Have a Thought \u003c\/i\u003ediffers most from previous Algernon records in its lyrical content. On their first two albums, Helmis avoided heart-on-sleeve emo tropes by penning prose that was ambiguous and out there. For this batch of songs, Helmis felt compelled to be a little more thematically explicit, pointedly exploring the tension between the necessity of self-improvement and the urgency of the external. Specifically, the doom-scrollable apocalypse that is modern American life. Album opener \"Hawk\" is a brisk, poignant meditation on grief that weighs the ache of loss against the bittersweet memories that keep the deceased ever present. \"Revelation 420\" and \"Million Dollars\" are scorching political diatribes that excoriate capitalism's failures and venerate protest. \"Attn MOVE\" is a historical reminder of the MOVE 9, a group of Black radical activists whose Philadelphia homes were notoriously bombed by police in 1985 - a block of houses that's located right between Reinhart's current house and Headroom Studios.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWith \u003ci\u003eTrying Not to Have a Thought\u003c\/i\u003e, Algernon Cadwallader juggle intrinsic musical connection and shrewd lyrical intention with remarkable poise. 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It features two solo acoustic songs that have always been in the back of our minds, but we hadn't figured out how to transition them into a full band setting. We decided to record them live with acoustics, and felt like that was the best way to give them justice.  Wrapping the deluxe editions is our cover of the song \"Christian Brothers\" by Elliott Smith\/Heatmiser, which is a song that we have been covering and playing live since high school. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWelcome to My Blue Sky\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLike so many coming-of-age stories that leave a long-lasting impact, \u003cstrong\u003eMomma\u003c\/strong\u003e’s new album \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWelcome to My Blue Sky\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e takes place during a charmed and turbulent summer—a transformative moment in time that co-founders Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten sum up as a period of “parallel chaos.” The Brooklyn-based band’s fourth LP, over the course of 12 immaculately composed yet immediately potent songs, documents all the life-altering upheaval the two singer\/songwriter\/guitarists experienced during a whirlwind mid-2022 tour. Equal parts shared memoir, communal outpouring, and riveting emotional travelogue, each track is infused with both unsparing self-awareness and immense sensitivity, and the result is a bold leap forward for one of the most creatively uncompromising and singular voices in indie-rock.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“This record came from a very formative time for us—there was a lot of change that felt so fun and exciting, but also a lot of instability and heartbreak,” says Weingarten, who met Friedman during their high-school years in L.A. and soon struck up a close musical collaboration. As they dealt with the fallout of that phase of their lives (a moment marked by infidelity, loneliness, heavy drinking, and the start of new romance), the two friends made a pact to wade through the mess together. “In a way it felt like we flipped our entire lives upside-down,” says Friedman. “We needed to lean on each other to cope with everything we were going through, and writing songs together was a big part of working through those feelings and finally putting them to rest.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWelcome to My Blue Sky\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, produced by their bandmate Aron Kobayashi Ritch,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003emarks the follow-up to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eHousehold Name\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—a 2022 release that earned acclaim from the likes of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePitchfork\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNYLON\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNME\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (including landing on Rob Sheffield’s “Top 20 Albums of 2022” list). In creating their most autobiographical and exactingly realized work to date, Friedman and Weingarten wrote most of the album together on acoustic guitars before sharing those songs with Kobayashi Ritch. The multi-instrumentalist\/engineer then guided the band through a highly methodical demoing process aimed at elevating their sound (or, as the band puts it, “setting a new standard for ourselves”) while harnessing the infectious energy they’ve shown in touring with seminal bands like Death Cab For Cutie and Weezer, and performing at major festivals like Coachella. With the help of drummer Preston Fulks, Momma arrived at an album matching the raw urgency of rock with the sticky melodies and taut arrangements of pop—a dynamic born from their deepened commitment to finding the most direct vessel for their emotional expression. “With this album we were less concerned with sounding cool and heavy and rock \u0026amp; roll and much more focused on good, clean songwriting that hopefully inspires people to sing along and mean every word,” Weingarten reveals.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne of the first songs completed for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWelcome to My Blue Sky\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, “I Want You (Fever)” served as an essential breakthrough in shaping the album’s viscerally charged, inventive, and detailed sound. “I remember us writing that in my bedroom and coming up with a riff for the pre-chorus, and then deciding to sing that part instead of playing it on guitar—which felt so fun and fresh and took the song in a whole new direction,” Friedman recalls. “I Want You (Fever),” with its frenetic textures and hypnotic chorus, soon evolved into a fantastically loopy portrait of forbidden love. “When we were recording that song I felt such an intense joy that I couldn’t stop smiling,” says Weingarten. “It felt completely authentic to Momma, but also like stepping into a whole new era.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMainly recorded live with the full band at Studio G in Brooklyn, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWelcome to My Blue Sky \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003etakes its title from a gorgeous, sprawling track embodying a far more wistful mood, where Momma’s tender introspection is adorned with bittersweet strings and graceful acoustic-guitar work. “We were on tour and stopped at a gas station and saw a sign that said ‘Welcome to My Blue Sky,’ which hit me as really poetic—although it turned out to be an ad for an oil company,” Weingarten explains. “We got to the venue and wrote that song so quickly, and it ended up being about the experience of going on tour and leaving people behind, and all the unknowns as far as what the future holds for us.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReferring to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWelcome to My Blue Sky\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e as “an open letter to those who have come in and out of our lives,” across the album Momma explores the full spectrum of their emotional experience during that summer 2022 tour. On “Ohio All The Time,” the band slips into a lovely nostalgia as they reminisce about a fleeting moment Friedman likens to “living in our own little dream world,” imbuing the track with all the punchy effervescence of early-aughts alt-pop.  “Rodeo” is written from the perspective of their former romantic partners, offering up a heavy-hearted anthem channeling both frustration and longing—a tension perfectly echoed in its pummeling riffs, staccato drum beats, and indelibly sweet vocal delivery. “There was a lot of infidelity that happened on that tour, and we wrote ‘Rodeo’ as a way to process that and own up to how we might have made other people feel,” Friedman points out. Meanwhile, on “Bottle Blonde,” Momma brings moody breakbeats and lush synth loops to an intimate meditation on the complexities of their friendship. “That song is partly us talking to our younger selves and telling them everything’s going to be okay, but it’s also us talking to each other right now,” says Weingarten. “It’s saying that even if our relationship ebbs and flows, we know that we’ll always be each other’s anchors no matter what we go through.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor the bookends to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWelcome to My Blue Sky\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Momma selected two songs that took them far beyond their comfort zone: the album-opening “Sincerely” (a free-flowing, acoustic-guitar-driven piece conceived as a farewell to their former lives) and fuzzed-out closing track “My Old Street” (a brutally honest look back at their childhoods). “I’m still really nervous for certain people in my life to hear these songs; they all have a level of vulnerability that feels pretty scary,” says Weingarten in reflecting on the latter. But in their dedication to, in Friedman’s words, “learning how to confess the hard things,” Momma hopes to inspire others to make peace with the messiest and most uncomfortable truths of their personal experience—and, in turn, head into the wild unknown of their own blue sky with confidence, curiosity, and self-compassion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eEtta Friedman - Guitar, vocals, lyrics, additional instrumentation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eAllegra Weingarten - Guitar, vocals, lyrics, additional instrumentation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eAron Kobayashi Ritch - Produced, mixed, head-engineered, co-written, bass, additional instrumentation, sampling\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003ePreston Fulks - Drums, percussion\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eHayden Ticehurst - Assistant engineer at Studio G\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eSebastian Jones - Assistant engineer at Wasatch studios, double bass on Sincerely \u0026amp; Take Me With You, piano on Welcome to My Blue Sky \u0026amp; My Old Street\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eDorothy Carlos - Cello on Welcome to My Blue Sky \u0026amp; How to Breathe\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eCover art photo by Daria Kobayashi Ritch\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eCover art design by Etta Friedman\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eMastered by Matt Colton\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eRecorded at Studio G and Nighthawk Studios in Brooklyn\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eCross Your Heart\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eWritten by Allegra Weingarten, Etta Friedman, Aron Kobayashi Ritch\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eGuitar, vocals and lyrics by Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eBass and additional instrumentation by Aron Kobayashi Ritch \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eDrums and percussion by Preston Fulks\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eProduced, mixed, and engineered by Aron Kobayashi Ritch\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eAssistant engineer Hayden Ticehurst\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eMastered by Matt Colton\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eNot Sacred\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eWritten by Allegra Weingarten, Etta Friedman, and Aron Kobayashi Ritch\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eGuitar, vocals and lyrics by Etta Friedman, Allegra Weingarten\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eBass and additional instrumentation by Aron Kobayashi Ritch\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eDrums and percussion by Preston Fulks\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eProduced, mixed, and engineered by Aron Kobayashi Ritch\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eAssistant engineer Hayden Ticehurst\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eMastered by Matt Colton\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eSunrise\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eWritten \u0026amp; performed by Etta Friedman\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eLyrics And guitar by Etta Friedman\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eAdditional instrumentation by Aron Kobayashi Ritch\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eProduced, mixed, and engineered by Aron Kobayashi Ritch \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eMastered by Matt Colton\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eSeattle\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eWritten \u0026amp; performed by Allegra Weingarten\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eLyrics and guitar by Allegra Weingarten\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eAdditional instrumentation by Aron Kobayashi Ritch \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eProduced, mixed, and engineered by Aron Kobayashi Ritch\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eMastered by Matt 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