Philadelphia psychedelic, dream-pop outfit Weekender has shared a video for their new single, "Modern Daydream", prior to its release tomorrow, announcing their third EP of the same name, will be arriving September 20 via PaperCup Music.. Weekender will celebrate with performances September 13 in Philadelphia at Johnny Brenda's and in New York City, September 21 at Berlin.
Modern Daydream is the long-awaited follow up to Weekender's 2016 record, Floaty Feeling, Blue, the third EP from founding member and principle songwriter Derek Sheehan over the past six years - balancing work in the solar industry with indie rock. During that time, Weekender has garnered praise from Interview, Consequence of Sound, the Village Voice, making Reddit's 2013 "Best of..." list, supporting a list of who's who, including Future Islands, The Growlers, Nothing, Surfer Blood, Besnard Lakes, Quilt, Israel Nash, Peace, and Field Report, while building their own strong live following.
Watch the video here:
After supporting Floaty Feeling, Blue, Sheehan began writing new material, and sharing it with the band to try a more collaborative songwriting approach, including synth player, Daniel Mudd, quickly finding a musical chemistry between the two. Mudd's background in electronic music and hip-hop production added a new flavor to Sheehan's hazy psych pop sensibility. "I had about twenty demos to sift through, and Dan had a few as well. We would get together, and explore the songs in a super open way avoiding being precious," says Sheehan, "everything was on the table. We would basically take fully fleshed out demos and remix them. The result was usually super cool. I think that is where you often find the best elements of a song, stepping out of your comfort zone, and pushing your personal creative boundaries."
"Modern Daydream" was the first song Sheehan and Mudd wrote together for the EP. "We were in my basement, and I started playing the main synth arpeggio and bass line, and Dan started playing the verse chords. The structure of that song came together pretty easily," Sheehan remarks. "I first wrote the vocal melody and lyrics for the chorus which inspired the theme of the song. I don't typically write lyrics with an intentional theme from the onset - I usually let the words flow out, and a line or phrase will start to mold the motif. 'Modern Daydream' is a reflection of feeling stagnant and looking for the next phase of life. It speaks to chasing something that we are programmed to chase, and the desire to break out of that cycle - make a ton of money, buy a lot of stuff, make your life look awesome on the internet. In some ways, I think we are all trying to wake up from the modern daydream."
Live Weekender will be joined by A Sunny Day In Glasgow drummer Adam Herdnon for September's Philadelphia and New York shows, with additional fall dates in the works.
