Asbury Park based band Lowlight have announced the release of their 2nd full-length album, Endless Bummer, out September 13 via Telegraph Hill Records. Additionally, they have released their track "Horsefoot" via XS Noise.
"Though we set out to make the music in "Horsefoot" sound expansive, the lyrics are about feeling claustrophobic and restless, both physically and psychologically," explains vocalist/guitarist Renee Maskin. "It's a song about having a constant undercurrent of anxiety, to which I think a lot of people can relate these days. After years of writing alt-country and indie-rock songs, we decided to do a more exploratory record this time around. "Horsefoot" is
Lowlight trying our best to channel something of Fela Kuti into our music. "
Listen to "Horsefoot" here:
At the forefront of one of America's most resurgent music scenes in Asbury Park, New Jersey,
Lowlight is a female-fronted indie rock band that blends traditional Americana and roots rock with synth-driven new wave into a sound that is at once fist-pumpingly familiar and slyly experimental, a seamless combination of psychedelic grooves with country twang, screaming guitar riffs with lyrics that present surprisingly delicate and fractured narratives.
Although Renee Maskin (vocalist/guitarist) and Derril Sellars (guitarist) were acquaintances and college classmates, their musical paths didn't cross until years later when mutual friend and rock photographer, Mike Petzinger, brought Renee to Derril's studio to record an album of unapologetically dark, often yearning, sometimes hopeful songs she'd been performing solo. Renee's narratives of life at the edges and Sellers' lush sonic palette and ambitious full-band production instantly clicked - those sessions, which featured contributions from Colin Ryan (drums) and Dana Sellers (keyboards) formed the basis of the musical collaboration that would become Lowlight. Rey Rivera joined the band on Bass and MPC2000XL, completing the lineup that has brought
Lowlight to its distinctive modern-Americana aesthetic that places them in the company of genre-defying acts such as Sharon Van Etten, The National, and Timber Timbre.
Endless Bummer, which will be released by Telegraph Hill Records, is Lowlight's second full-length studio LP, and represents the realization of the promise of their earlier releases. The record is a departure for the band, in that most of the songs were written almost entirely while in the studio to focus even further on fostering a collaborative, democratic, and communal environment. The result of this experimentation expands on Lowlight's use of synthesized textures and intricate poly-rhythms, while remaining grounded in their country-inspired roots. "We tried recording these songs as they were being written," Derril says, "without putting them through the rigors of live performance first. We're confident enough to try these things now. I feel our songwriting has progressed. We're proud parents." Dana adds that, "for the first time with this release, we sound like who we were growing up to be all along."
Musically,
Endless Bummer sees Lowlight's restless sonic experimentation moving further into new territory, such as the incorporation of looped samples on "Horsefoot", stadium-sized rock on "Coastlines", and a Pet Sounds-style "more is more" approach to layering sound on tracks like "Every Time", which Colin describes as their most dynamic song yet, a massive sonic tapestry with "Five drum sets, countless synths, weirdo horns, a loon, it's all in there..."
Lowlight Tour Dates:
8/16:
Danny Clinch Transparent Gallery *Vinyl Pre-Release*
8/17: Metuchen, NJ - Old Franklin Schoolhouse
8/18: New Hope, PA - Triumph Brewery
8/22: NYC, NY - Rockwood Music Hall
8/22: Richmond, VA - Garden Grove Brewing
8/23: Carrboro, NC - 2nd Wind
8/24: Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
8/25: Raleigh, NC - SoFar Sounds
8/26: Arlington, VA - Galaxy Hut
9/7: Syracuse, NY - Funk 'n Waffles
9/14: Jersey City, NJ -
Hamilton Park BBQ
9/20-9/22: Asbury Park, NJ - Sea.Hear.Now Festival
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