New Wes Sounds II
Bossy // Eloise Seda
Since our last piece, Wesleyan students have been in Red Feather, WESU, (and beyond) to make some new tunes. If you're looking for spring jams, take a listen to the compiled list below. And if you want to record your own thing, hit up Red Feather.
Rui Barbosa has dropped their first full recorded project, An EP Named Steve. The EP represents everything Rui is about - from the mustatched icon of Rui Barbosa (the Brazillian polymath), to the quirk that is the title (@Steve). Of course, the music doesn't disappoint - at its core, the ridiculous musicality and fun songs are of course familiar and expected, but the production value of the album is a nice surprise. Get ready for horns, organs, and a big sound that will blow your socks off.
Bram Wollowitz has put out a new song under a new moniker, "bailey blu." You may know them as the drummer from the good lonely, but this is an entirely new solo project (featuring a few guests). It's a cool electronic, Ariel Pink-esque tune - we're looking forward to hearing more!
Girltype Behaviors have released their first project, Live at WESU 88.1FM, recorded live at Wesleyan's own radio station. With song titles like "She Drinks Human Blood!" and "Baby with an iPad," the tape is a fun, irreverant set of self-described "snack punk." The highlight of the release is "Mystery Father," whose yelped singing, cryptic lyrics and catchy songwriting are reminiscent of the Pixies.
Flaccid Ashbacks have released their first album Try The Soup, recorded at Red Feather Studios. The album is packed with tracks that will make you want to dance and sing along. Make sure to check out the song "Tie My Shoes," which Jefferson Randall ('20, guitar, vocals) describes as "a love song...about when romantic love fails and folks are there to hold you up, to make sure you don't fall flat on your face." They recently played a show with Skidmore band Disco Cream and the infamous rock duo JEFF the Brotherhood, and have more performances lined up for the spring. Don't miss them live!
Umami Goddess™ is Rick Hong Manayan's experimental electro-dream project. They recently released their first EP, idk, and it's full of synth-y fun. AW is looking forward to more releases and live performances from this wonderfully self-described taurus with dead inside eyes.
Bossy’s record Earl/Growing Pains , released before last semester's end, was Bossy’s first studio output, and the two-song appetizer manages to offer a sweeping picture of the explosive/intimate dichotomy of the bands presence. Opener “Earl” waltzes in with the gentle brushes of an electric guitar, inaugurating the ambling indie-pop. The single is propped up by a spacious rhythm section. The instruments lay down a pillow for the melancholic lyrics about breakfast tea, wesshop encounters and hazy yearning for a romance that may or not be doomed. The second track on the album, live showstopper “Growing Pains”, tones down the raw energy of Bossy’s live performances, but in doing so highlights the lock-step precision of each members songwriting. The track is rounded out with a head-bobbing bass-line, a brief synth solo, and a restrained chorus that leads to the inevitable explosion of a jubilant outro. “OhhhHH, I’m Feeling FINE!” Same tho, this record is awesome.
As part of their senior project, Gaby Giangola is releasing an EP filled with experimental lofi and electronic songs. Varying from ambient to glitchy, each demo has it's own personality that ties well into what will become a standout EP.
Under the moniker Bizarre Love Triangle, sophomores Beth Townsend (Bossy) and Chris Reed (MEG), smush their musical brains together. The first single of the new lo-fi project, "Void," boasts ethereal vocals and a clever synth build-up. Drums chug along, carrying the song through to its quiet and satisfying end. "Void" has us excited for the moody things to come.
