Brother Moses Releases New Album DESPERATION POP

Indie rock band, Brother Moses, has released the new album, Desperation Pop, the follow up to their debut LP, 2018's Magnolia. Recorded over the course of a year, in four trips to Memphis, TN, to record with producer and engineer Calvin Lauber (Julien Baker, It Looks Sad, The Band Camino), Desperation Pop connects the band's favorite indie-rock records from growing up in the 00s to their love of pop production, resulting in a record that is clean, lush, urgent and strange all at once.

Calling the album "a living, breathing document, a collage of everything that's permeated our collective consciousness over the past year," the band tucked in snippets of distorted dialogue from Cheers and Groundhog Day, as well as bits and pieces of recordings of public spaces around New York City, and even a shoutout from Jeff Goldblum. The songs framing the album, "Sam & Diane" and "How Many Years?" represent the edges of Desperation Pop. "Sam & Diane" takes a look at fear of commitment through the lens of the titular characters on Cheers, while "How Many Years?" is metaphor-less - a direct confession of the gripping fear that comes with a long-distance relationship. In the journey from the former to the latter, the songs continue to swing back and forth between cynicism and honesty - from an admission of needing help with your mental health ("Love Will Set You Free.") to a sarcastic tribute to the "grind" of New York life ("What Does it Take?").

Formed in Fayetteville, Arkansas when childhood friends James Lockhart (lead vocals) and Moses Gomez (guitar) joined forces with John-Lewis Anderson (guitar) and Corey Dill (drums), Brother Moses started out playing house parties while attending the University of Arkansas. Their first EP, Legends, showcased their live spirit, filled with relentlessly catchy hooks and the shimmering guitar work that would become the band's signature. Produced and recorded by Raymond Richards (Local Natives, LCD Soundsystem), the record quickly turned the house parties into sold-out shows and the group of friends into a creative unit that sought to make something uniquely their own. In 2018, they released Magnolia, which amassed over a million streams on Spotify. Soon after the release of Magnolia, Brother Moses relocated from Arkansas to New York City. They spent much of 2019 on the road, both as a headliner and an opener for artists such as Knox Hamilton and Michigander. In between tour dates, they traveled to Memphis, TN, to record Desperation Pop.

Desperation Pop is out now, and Brother Moses is currently touring in support. (Dates: brothermoses.org/tour)

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