A.M. Boys Announce First LP and Premiere Single

Today, A.M. Boys (John Blonde and Chris Moore) announce their forthcoming debut album, Distance Decay (out June 3), and share its first single, "A.M. Theme."

Speaking on the single, John wrote:

"'A.M. Theme' is, for me, the elemental A.M. Boys track. It was the first song we ever wrote, at our first jam session, and also the first song we ever played live. It came to us as soon as we got together on the first day, like it was already orbiting around us and we just needed to plug in. It was an instant spark for the future. I think/hope you can hear us being excited by that sublime moment in the recording. Everything we are as a band is captured in this song.

The cheerleading chant of the 'A' and the 'M' repeating are meant to rouse support for what's to come, both for us and the listener. Musically, I think it has a representative A.M. Boys balance, between the evolving drums and percussion, the portamento on the synth melody over the drone, and the blissed-out vocal at the end.

The song was recorded at Glowmatic Sound, our studio in Brooklyn. The main melody is played on a 1979 Roland SH-2, the first synth I ever bought and, maybe, the only one I'll ever need."

Distance Decay, the shimmering debut album from American electronic duo A.M. Boys, focuses on an intimate and minimal approach to instrumentation. The album's ten original songs juxtapose rippling rhythms with melodic synth lines and ethereal vocals.

The album was written during darkly lit late night jam sessions with analog synthesizers, drum machines, space echo and voice. These sessions were influenced by post-punk and cold wave, along with the duo's revered trinity of Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, and Prince. (Sub one of these for Throbbing Gristle on a rainy night.)

The recording process was deliberately pared down to allow the duo to recreate the songs during live performances. This minimal approach yields an album that develops an emotional resonance with each listen. "We knew we didn't want to layer too much, we felt that the songs sounded stronger with less. A lot of modern music can be fussy and cluttered, we wanted to present the music simply, gaining a transparent power," Blonde explains.

Distance Decay was written and recorded by A.M. Boys at their studio, Glowmatic Sound, in Brooklyn. Moore mixed the album, additional vocal recording was done by Jeff Berner at Studio G, and Steve Fallone mastered the record at Sterling Sound. Blonde shot the cover photo and designed the group's logo.

"Distance decay" is a term describing the pattern of criminals committing less crime the further they travel from their homes. The duo can personally attest that this pattern exists.

A.M. Boys' Distance Decay Record Release Show is taking place at Trans Pecos in Brooklyn on June 9. They will be performing with Kristeen Young and Dream Prescription.

A.M. Boys Bio:

A.M. Boys combine the clean minimalism of the post-punk era with a contemporary approach to rhythm and arrangement. Multi-instrumentalist/producer Chris Moore (Light Vortex) and electronic musician/vocalist John Blonde (House of Blondes) create and perform using analog synths, drum machines, space echo, and voice.

After meeting at an Aphex Twin listening party in New York in 2014, the duo struck up an instant chemistry that resulted in an original batch of songs as early as 2018, leading to their first live performance: an opening slot for Suicide legend Martin Rev. They sent Rev's team one track, "Distance Decay," and were offered the slot the next day. This song became the title track of their forthcoming debut album, Distance Decay, which will be released on June 3, 2022.

Other live performances have included slots with Moon Diagrams (Deerhunter side project) and a memorable set for experimental venue Spectrum. The duo have also done DJ sets at Jupiter Disco, Troost, Sundown Bar, the Wythe Hotel, and other popular NYC venues. During the pandemic, the group holed up at their studio and recorded an entire second album, and are now working to incorporate some of these new songs into their live sets.

John Blonde is an electronic musician and songwriter who releases solo music as Muscle Club. He is also a principal member of NYC electronic band House of Blondes.

Chris Moore is a record producer, engineer, mixer, and electronic musician who releases solo music as Light Vortex and a variety of other aliases. As a producer and engineer, Moore has worked with TV on the Radio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Scarlett Johansson & David Bowie, Foals, and OSEES.

PRE-SAVE: A.M. Boys - Distance Decay Pre-Save
LISTEN & SHARE: A.M. Boys - "A.M. Theme" Stream

A.M. BOYS LINKS
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Photo Credits: Doug Young

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