Lauds - Imitation Life

[Repost from De Krenten Uit De Pop; by  Erwin Zijleman, January 25, 2023]

Er verschijnen deze week flink wat prima gitaarplaten, maar het debuutalbum van de Amerikaanse band Lauds springt er met veelkleurig gitaarwerk en heerlijk nostalgische songs voor mij uit

Imitation Life, het debuutalbum van de Amerikaanse band Lauds, is direct vanaf de eerste noten een feest van herkenning. De band uit North Carolina laadt zich inspireren door de crème de la crème van de Britse new wave en postpunk en gooit er nog wat invloeden uit de Amerikaanse janglepop en uit de dreampop en shoegaze overheen. Het levert een wat nostalgisch klinkend album op, maar het is ook een album waarvan je alleen maar heel erg vrolijk kan worden. Lauds strooit driftig met even aanstekelijke als mooie gitaarakkoorden, maar ook de postpunk ritmesectie en de dromerige zang dragen nadrukkelijk bij aan het fraaie eindresultaat. Wat een heerlijk album.

Ik weet niet heel veel over de Amerikaanse band Lauds. Wat ik weet is dat de band vanuit Wilmington, North Carolina, opereert en dat het deze week verschenen Imitation Life het debuutalbum van de band is. Het is een debuutalbum waar ik direct bij eerste beluistering smoorverliefd op werd en mijn liefde voor het album is sindsdien alleen maar gegroeid. 

De platenmaatschappij van de band komt op de proppen met een imposante waslijst aan vergelijkingsmateriaal en het is een lijst waarop namen prijken van grote bands die met name de jaren 80 en 90 kleur gaven. Ik hoor niet alle genoemde namen terug bij beluistering van Imitation Life, maar met een mix van postpunk, jangle pop, American Underground, indierock, shoegaze en dreampop maakt Lauds inderdaad muziek die uitnodigt tot het noemen van namen. Het zijn namen die opduiken en vervolgens weer vervliegen, waardoor uiteindelijk vooral de naam van Lauds blijft hangen. 

Het debuutalbum van de Amerikaanse band is vooral een geweldige gitaarplaat. De geniale gitaarloopjes buitelen over elkaar heen in de tien songs op het album, maar het gitaarwerk van Lauds is ook verrassend veelkleurig. De band uit North Carolina heeft goed geluisterd naar het gitaarwerk van Johnny Marr bij The Smiths, maar kan ook uit de voeten met de onweerstaanbare gitaarloopjes uit de Amerikaanse janglepop. Hiernaast hoor je op Imitation Life ook nog de bedwelmende gitaarakkoorden uit de dreampop en worden af en toe voorzichtig shoegaze achtige gitaarmuren opgebouwd. Het wordt gecombineerd met diepe postpunkbassen en atmosferisch klinkende synths die zo lijken weggelopen uit de jaren 80. 

In muzikaal opzicht klinkt alles op Imitation Life even lekker, maar ook de zang op het debuutalbum van Lauds is niet te versmaden. Het is van die wat dromerige zang die zoveel jaren 80 albums typeert, waardoor Imitation Life wat nostalgisch kan klinken, maar de muziek van de Amerikaanse band is vooral heerlijk melodieus. 

De platenmaatschappij noemt zoals gezegd een heleboel namen van vooral Britse bands, maar de muziek van Lauds klinkt ook absoluut Amerikaans. Als ik zelf namen moet noemen kom ik met The Lotus Eaters, China Crisis, The Dream Academy en Lloyd Cole & The Commotions en ui de VS misschien The Feelies, maar net als alle andere genoemde namen gaan ze maar even mee, al is het maar omdat de songs van Lauds ook bijna altijd een postpunk vibe hebben. 

Imitation Life van Lauds is een album vol invloeden, maar het is boven alles een album om heel vrolijk van te worden. Direct vanaf de eerste noten vult de Amerikaanse band de ruimte met zonnestralen, waarna een flinke nostalgie en een beetje melancholie de feelgood luistertrip van Imitation Life compleet maken. 

Eerlijkheid gebiedt me te zeggen dat de eenvormigheid na een track of acht wel wat begint toe te slaan, maar dan zit het album er bijna op. Bij de volgende luisterbeurt klinkt het gelukkig weer net zo onweerstaanbaar als bij de allereerste beluistering, wat iets zegt over de kwaliteit van het debuutalbum van Lauds. Het is een debuutalbum dat verschijnt in een week met behoorlijk wat nieuwe releases, waaronder opvallend veel goede gitaarplaten, maar het debuut van de band uit North Carolina houdt zich verrassend makkelijk staande. Of Lauds de wereld gaat veroveren durf ik niet te voorspellen, maar met dit heerlijke album kan de band absoluut vooruit. Erwin Zijleman

De muziek van Lauds is ook verkrijgbaar via de bandcamp pagina van de platenmaatschappij van de Amerikaanse band: https://fortlowell.bandcamp.com/album/imitation-life.

Join Fort Lowell Records at Satellite Bar & Lounge for Valentine's Day for the 'sweet jams'!

Lauds: 24

[Repost from Destroy // Exist; January 24, 2023]

Lauds, a new band from Wilmington, North Carolina, have just released their debut album, Imitation Life, presented alongside the lead single, 24. The song, which is about conquering self-doubt and anxiety, is  a moody shoegaze number which features a menacing keyboard line that carries on for most of its duration.

"I wrote it in grad school a few weeks before my 25th birthday and now looking back on the lyrics at 27 I hear myself expressing frustration about trying to break free from the vices that kept pulling me down at the time," explains Holt, the band's lead guitarist.

"Musically 24 features jangly interwoven guitar melodies and a pulsing rhythm section characteristic of the Lauds sound. 

"My inspiration for the track was to sound like New Order covering Boys of Summer by Don Henley. I'm not sure we got there but I'm proud of where we ended up."

Over the past three years, Lauds, a mainstay of the Port City live music scene, has released three singles and two EPs. Their first full-length album finds them expanding their horizons and honing their dreampop sound.

Fort Lowell Records at Satellite Bar & Lounge in Wilmington NC

EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT, spinnin' our favorite music from 6:00-8:30pm!

Guitar-driven and dreamy: Lauds prepare debut LP show Saturday (Feb 4)

[Repost from Port City Daily; by Shea Carver, February 3, 2023]

WILMINGTON — It had been a morning mostly spent surfing, but by the afternoon J. Holt Evans III and James McKay Glasgow were on a couch noodling around on guitars and writing lyrics to a song that would eventually become “CeeDee Lamb.”

It’s one of 10 tracks from their band Lauds’ new LP, “Imitation Life,” released at the end of January. Evans and Glasgow’s four-piece, also consisting of Boyce Evans (keyboards, drums) and Gavin Campbell (bass), will perform Saturday night at Waterline as part of its official debut. 

“CeeDee Lamb” came together seamlessly, Evans said on a video call with Glasgow earlier this week. The chord progression fell into place, with a bassline pulsating under lead guitars that cascade the song like a waterfall of sound.

Lauds’ brand of music blends pop and rock, but also has a heavy new wave vibe, conjuring sounds of The Cure, Sonic Youth or Sousixie and the Banshees — all credited as Lauds’ influences.

The band’s music has been described as “dream pop” and “shoegaze post punk,” labels Glasgow and Evans don’t eschew.

“We’re not trying to be derivative, but everyone’s looking for inspiration,” Glasgow said. 

Instead, Lauds focuses on appealing to music lovers, not just listeners who subscribe their tastes to a streaming box of “jangle pop or shoegaze playlists.” 

“We consider ourselves a guitar band, really,” Evans said, one that leans into noise rock. “I’m obsessed with textures.”

And there are plenty to be heard on “Imitation Life”: raw, elongated and echoed riffs, ethereal chimes, clanking percussive elements, with hypnotic vocals backed by driving rhythms.

The song “CeeDee Lamb” was created in one day. It starts off with a chill mien before escalating into loud reverb guitar riffs like waves crashing on the surf.

“I don’t think we had any kind of preconceived ideas going into writing that song — it just happened quickly and was super fun,” Evans said.

It was a nice change of pace: to be in the same room, playing together. Lauds has been a long-distance endeavor mostly since its founding in 2019. Evans was finishing college at UNC-Chapel, and is now a pre-med student, while Glasgow lived in Wilmington, also working in the health field as a counselor for teens and playing music on weekends.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Evans moved back to the Port City for a longer period of time, helping implement data collections for Eden Village, a neighborhood that provides residences for chronically homeless individuals. It also gave him an opportunity to partake in playing more with Glasgow.

“So we were able to really lock in and work on stuff — you know, the rubber meets the road, so to speak,” Evans said. “I think of McKay as my older brother in a lot of respects.”

The two met when Glasgow was recording 2018’s “Little Yellow House” with the local band Tumbleweed. The Americana three-piece worked with Evans’ father, Holt “Frank” Evans II, in his home studio, Plugpoint. 

An anesthesiologist who used to play in the Wilmington band The Hungry Mind Review in the early aughts, Evans II produced numerous records for local musicians, including Astro Boy and most recently The Paper Stars’ “Far Away.”

“I’m trying to be like him when I grow up,” Evans said of his dad. “He’s always been really encouraging.”

Evans and Glasgow kept in touch after Tumbleweed’s studio sessions, sharing music notes, building a friendship and an eventual musical partnership.

“I had this backlog of jangly indie and pop songs I’d been working on since college,” Evans said. 

So they started laying down the tracks, along with Evans brother, Boyce, on drums. Having access to Plugpoint at all times often came with endless hours behind a mixing board. The band’s first single,

“Don’t Mind,” was a drawn-out process to record compared to new songs on “Imitation Life,” Glasgow said.

“Lots of guitar tags, throwing everything at it — but it was a good learning experience,” he said. 

They would record multiple guitar tracks of mystical sounds and noise rock, to the point it got confusing when it came time to edit a song.

“One thing that we decided was, when we came to the studio [for the new record], we weren’t going to throw out 20 ideas,” Glasgow said.

Lauds’ first two EPs, “Lauds” and “II” each featuring four songs, were recorded in Pugpoint. The first was lo-fi, “a smaller listening experience,” Evans described, while the second showcased the band in a more expansive approach, with the addition of Ross Page on drums.

In 2020, they also released “Don’t Mind,” on Fort Lowell Records’ “GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter.”

Whereas before they would stack the songs with four or five guitar parts, they’ve narrowed it down on “Imitation Life.” There are still plenty of abrasive textures, lots of keyboards and jaunty high-hats in the new songs. It took roughly six months to record; the band remastered five songs from its former EPs to flesh out the record.

“I feel like we’ve gotten way better at knocking parts out,” Glasgow said. “We spent a third of the time on these five new songs as we did our old ones. There’d be 30 tracks on the early songs. This time, it was much cleaner”

“I think that came from having unfettered access to a really awesome studio,” Evans added. “It’s almost like a double-edged sword.”

Evans II guided the group on what worked during production. Glasgow said he would nudge them to simplify something here or make an octave change there. 

“I think that that’s one of the things he does on purpose: He’s not going to do the work for us, but he’ll let us know, ‘Hey, that vocal melody does not work — there’s no click in that chorus,’” Glasgow described.

They brought in other musicians on the record, too, such as Jeff Corkery on guitars to include a surf rock solo on “Distant Images.”

Evans’ dad played keyboards on “Distant Images,” as well “Wasted Hours” and “Parallel.”

As the nuts and bolts of production were tightened, the camaraderie and songwriting connection between Evans and Glasgow also strengthened. Like “CeeDee Lamb,” other new songs were mostly written in a day, including “Somehow.” 

Evans said it speaks to the musicians’ personal tastes, as folk and pop awash in atmospheric echoes and layered riffs. 

“It has every element of stuff that excites us,” Evans said of “Somehow.” “It’s a pop song with really upfront vocals and noisy guitars, just kind of wailing and howling in the end. But it’s still really melodic.”

Both musicians contribute to songwriting equally and can’t decipher where one part originated and the other was edited on most tracks. Sonically, they’re entwined to create a sedative vibe and “crystallize” the best working parts of their four-year partnership.

“I do a lot of structuring of songs, Holt always has good leads,” Glasgow said. “But there’s definitely more cowriting going on even more on this record.”

The band’s most popular song, “Weekend,” appears on the EP “II.” It didn’t make it onto “Imitation Life.” 

“I did think if there was one song that we would have switched, it might have been that one,” Glasgow said. 

At the end of the day, they chose tracks that would provide cohesion, while also boosting the listenability of “Imitation Life.”

Some of their favorite bands, including Ride and Slowdive, have taken a similar approach: putting released singles or tracks from EPs on a finished LP. 

Lauds only perform a few times a year, but getting on stage is the payoff for the hard work in the studio.

“It’s the ultimate,” Evans said. “You want to see the music connect with people.”

“We’re not a touring band,” Glasgow said. “We’ve really tried to market ourselves to be a recording band that doesn’t play a ton of shows. The writing is the principal fun thing for me, but we would like to get some bigger shows and see what doors open up. Right now, we are playing with bands that we really like.”

The Lauds’ performance Saturday night will be a shared bill with Jenny Besetz out of Greensboro — a heavy, mood-rock five-piece. Evans said he’s been listening to them since high school.

“They’re incredible — super inspirational in terms of writing music and playing music, so it’s a crazy honor to be playing with them,” he said.

The concert is free and starts at 7 p.m. “Imitation Life” is available for purchase digitally here through Fort Lowell Records; there will be some vinyl releases of it for sale Saturday night as well.

Wilmington, North Carolina... Mark you calendars

The Wilmington Record Show returns Saturday, March 4th from 11:00am-5:00pm at Waterline Brewing!

13 fun things to do in Wilmington for a music-filled Groundhog Day weekend

[Repost from StarNews; by John Staton, February 1, 2023]

At Waterline Brewing: On Jan. 20, the stellar Wilmington dream-pop outfit Lauds put out its first full-length album. Released on Wilmington-based indie label Fort Lowell Records, "Imitation Life" comes off like a lost classic from the early days of shoegaze, with driving beats, ethereal vocals, interlocking lead guitars and the occasional swirling synth.

Led by guitarists McKay Glasgow (who also sings) and J. Holt Evans, standout tracks include "24," "Don't Mind" and "Wasted Hours," all of which feature infectious melodies that beg for repeat listens. Opening act for Saturday night's release concert is longtime Triangle indie pop act Jenny Besetz. The album's initial vinyl release on Fort Lowell sold out, but I'm told some copies might be available at the show. 7 p.m. Feb. 4, free.

OUT NOW: infinitikiss "or the minty jade of ginkos" [Digital Single]

The second track from the new album – ambient music – by Albuquerque, New Mexico's experimental artist – infinitikiss – is officially out today on all digital music platforms.  The release date for ambient music is set for March 3, 2023 and you can reserve your copy of the album now.

• "Warm and sunny, evoking hammocking on back porches and laying in summery fields." ~ Independent Clauses
• "A soothing 75-minute listen that lends itself to meditation and creative thought" ~ Extra Chill

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER VINYL RECORD

Artist Interview: Color Temperature

[Repost from The Alternative; by Zac Djamoos, January 23, 2023]

Ross Page is a sort of wunderkind. He juggles five different projects, including his solo endeavor Color Temperature, and double as many styles of music between them all. As Color Temperature he’s just released his fourth full-length, Me Talk Pretty, as well as an experimental single titled “The River” for Fort Lowell Record’s This Water Is Life split series. Me Talk Pretty is the apex of Page’s work to this point, an indie kaleidoscope that takes in elements of Americana, heartland rock, folk, and dream pop and spits out something entirely unique. We sat down with Page to discuss his latest record.

How’d you start writing and playing music in the first place?

I’ve been writing ever since maybe eighth grade. I never did it seriously until college, but I’ve always played in bands. After I got into it a little more near the end of college I just couldn’t stop. I moved to California for a bit after college and was lucky enough to have a whole room to set up my drums and it was this online music blog that did this ‘make an album in a month challenge.’ I’d never done anything cohesive or real, but I did that and I thought it was sweet.

You’re in Seeking Madras, Lauds, and Azza on top of Color Temperature.

There’s an indie folk band called Tumbleweed I play with too.

How did you get involved with all of them, and how do you balance all these bands?

I play drums in all of them, which really helps. I don’t have to learn all these chord progressions. But it’s neat discipline myself to just play that one genre. I’ll try to play intentionally–and sometimes even take parts of my set out of the equation. For Tumbleweed I play with a smaller kit. It’s a fun challenge, and it helps that I play other instruments, so I can hear where drums need to lay back more. A lot of the bands have shared members too.

Each of these bands has a different vibe. Tumbleweed is folk, Azza is post-punk, Lauds is dream pop, and Color Temperature’s sort of a little of all of that. Which project would you say is closest to what you listen to in your day-to-day?

I go through seasons of it, but there’s a couple I come back to. I listen to Kurt Vile a lot, especially lately. Probably mostly I listen to indie rock stuff, Alex G, that kinda stuff. I’ve been into egg punk lately. [laughs]

What is egg punk?

I didn’t know it had a name. It’s like this newer subgenre of punk that’s kinda goofy with a lot of chorus on the guitars. If you know the band Prison Affair. They’re all short songs. I love a sub-two-minute song.

I wanted to talk a bit about that Azza EP–how’d that band start? Most of the other bands you’re in have been around for a while. 

I literally–probably mid-2020–was listening to a lot of punk, that Illuminati Hotties album Free I.H. I listened to it obsessively, four times a day. I was like, “I need heavier music. I’m over relaxing, I’m over Brian Eno and Aphex Twin.” I posted on Instagram like, “Who wants to form a punk band?” My buddy Jeff in Seeking Madras hit me up and said let’s do it, so when COVID calmed down we got a practice studio downtown. We both wanted to get someone on the mic to sing and write that had something to say. We write our own stuff but wanted to intentionally be political. I asked around and someone at the coffee shop I go to, Luna, told me to ask Janice. She joined and we tried it out. We immediately clicked. Janice’s husband, who’s in Nice Derek, is a really good guitar player, so we tried it out. He brought a weird Devo energy, Coneheads–oh, and they’re a really good egg punk band. The person who mixed it said it sounds like we’re all trying to be the lead instrument in a cool way.

You also just dropped your fourth Color Temperature full-length in June. I always appreciate that your stuff’s always got a consistent art direction from the albums to the singles. How’d you get the art for Me Talk Pretty?

I also do film photography, which is kinda where the name came from. Color temperature is a way to measure light–if you’re in a doctor’s office, the light’ll be blue and sterile, so that’s got a cold color temperature, but candles will have a warm one. It’s a way to portray mood in moviemaking and photography through lighting. The artwork–I do film photography, so all the photos for the record were photos I took, except for the drawing. The first two were random, but with Me Talk Pretty and the singles, I thought it had an overall theme. It’s mainly about a new relationship, and all the photos I used were taken without the intention of using them for a record. I cropped them to fit the songs.

The title is very striking too, and I’m curious why you chose to title the record Me Talk Pretty. What is it about that that captures this record?

That’s one of the two oldest songs on the record. “Me Talk Pretty” and “Your Math” are five years old, maybe. They’re from a different time but fit this positive theme of support for a loved one and viewing yourself in a positive light in a new relationship. Me Talk Pretty One Day is a collection by David Sedaris, and I listed that for the song when I wrote it, and then I shortened it and thought it made the song feel a little more present. This is the first album I’ve written that’s not super depressing. [laughs] I write therapeutically a lot, and the first three are sad. This one’s not. It felt fitting to repurpose something old and spin it positively.

How has the reception been to the record?

Pretty good, man. My manager and I, when I released the first single, were toying with the idea of shopping it around, but I got kinda antsy. All the songs are written in the moment, and I didn’t wanna get bored of them. I said, “I gotta get this out,” so we did it. I reached out to Small Albums on Twitter, who I’d been following online for years, because they just happened to say, “Who’s releasing music today?” They latched onto it.

That was “Open Carry,” right?

“Stunner” was the first single, and it’s one of my favorites. That kinda felt like a copout, though, because it’s a minute long, but I figured I’d put it out and that counts as doing something. It just synced up so well. I released a single every couple weeks, and they liked them. It’s the most successful my music’s been since I started doing it. That’s affirming, too, because it’s the best music I’ve written.

What others are some of your favorites?

I love singing “One Year Lease.” I think it’s one of my favorites to sing, even just me on my couch. “Open Carry” and “Long Fall” are two of my favorites I’ve written. I think the driving energy without being intense is what I’ve been pushing the project towards. I wanted to write songs that have the attitude of punk music but recorded really small. It works well with my voice singing quietly, so recording everything quietly just made sense. “Me Talk Pretty” was written to be a loud emo song. I was listening to a lot of Krill and Kal Marks when I wrote it. All the songs I wrote in that time were all geared towards that sound, but I didn’t like the demos. When I recorded it this way it clicked. I have a well of songs I wrote years ago that I can draw on if I think it fits thematically.

So we can get noise rock Color Temperature eventually. 

It’s a possibility. I have a new song that’s out, a concept song about the Cape Fear River, and it’s 13 minutes long. It’s a one-off–I don’t write songs above three minutes usually. But I’m excited about it.

24 by Lauds

[Repost from Darkenin Heart; January 24, 2023]

Noisy dreampop group Lauds from Wilmington, North Carolina, has just published their first full-length album, Imitation Life. The band's music has a dreamy quality to it that draws from the most refined aspects of shoegaze and post punk.

Band member J Holt Evans comments on the new single 24: "It's about overcoming anxiety and self-doubt and showcases a haunting keyboard line that chases along throughout the song. I wrote it in grad school a few weeks before my 25th birthday and now looking back on the lyrics at 27 I hear myself expressing frustration about trying to break free from the vices that kept pulling me down at the time. Musically '24' features jangly interwoven guitar melodies and a pulsing rhythm section characteristic of the Lauds sound. My inspiration for the track was to sound like New Order covering 'Boys of Summer' by Don Henley. I'm not sure we got there but I'm proud of where we ended up."

24 introduces the group's sound in a most dreamlike and tuneful way, with a melodic perspective evocative of The Cure.

Imitation Life is out on Fort Lowell Records.

LET'S DANCE at The Opera Room in Wilmington NC - Sunday, February 12th

CLICK HERE FOR FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE

Lauds - 'Imitation Life' (Fort Lowell Records)

[Repost from DAGGER ZINE; by Tim Hinely, January 23, 2023]

This Wilmington, NC bunch began releasing singles in 2019, but I didn’t get hip to them until late last year with their 2nd EP, entitled II (the EP before that was S/T). Here comes the LP (of the 10 songs 4 are from the EPs but that’s ok, probably new to some of you, I’m guessing).

They have a really nice, dreamy, crystalline sound. I’m hearing The Cure at their poppiest as well as For Against and even bits of REM in those propulsive rhythms. Vocalist James McKay Glasgow has the smoothest, most inviting set of pipes this side of Martin Courtney and the guitarist(s) know how to weave splendor and mystery.

Cuts like “Parallel,” “24,” “Don’t Mind,” “Rust” and “Somehow” are just a few of the jewels on here. These guys are definitely on to something and who knows, maybe they’ll make a move to a bigger city or stay put in N.C. Time will tell, but Imitation Life is surely terrific.

www.fortlowell.bandcamp.com

Meet New Mexico Ambient Artist infinitikiss

[Repost from Blood Makes Noise; January 18, 2023]

Infinitikiss is an ever-evolving musical and visual recording project conceptualized by Nic Jenkins, featuring a revolving ensemble of curious and experimental artists, musicians, and performers. Jenkins latest album, titled ambient music, is due out on Fort Lowell Records March 3, 2023. The core material for ambient music came from live improvisations that were recorded to cassette tapes, which originally served as backing tracks for live solo performances and with rotating ensembles (circa 2015-2020), in and around Charleston + Columbia, SC. Since then, the tapes have since become a kind of sample library of colors & shapes that have served a variety of sound collage / design situations, as well as fodder for other strange + beautiful collaborations. 

How did the band form and what does the band name mean? 

INFINITIKISS formed sometime in the middle of 2014 & somewhere in-between bus rides from Charleston to Columbia, SC. I was interested in a relationship that led me to other relationships that extended from the nucleus of the art, film, & music community there. Soda City & CHS have very interconnected music scenes, actually! Around this time is when I crossed paths with BAND & THE BEAT for the first time, which was a lovely moment in that chapter of my life. I journaled a lot on road trips about ways to evolve as an artist, and some of that journaling included lists of concepts and potential monikers. I wanted to go with something slightly more ambiguous and a bit quirky, since performing as “Mr. Jenkins” felt strange after a while (and once I started to try assembling groups of friends to play together). Other names on the list suggested  imagery of palindromes, cyclical patterns, and even conveyor belts (of sound). 

I had reached a point in my musical journey (and a season of re-examining my relationship with my own ego) that made me reconsider introducing a band or ensemble as my name, basically. Deciding on “infinitikiss” as a new working title for this dimension of self-expression & exploration was a choice to welcome more newness & elasticity into my life, and to celebrate that more, and to also suggest timelessness & weightlessness… through song? 

Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music? 

I’m not sure of a fair way to condense this, but a short list of some important musical  projects I’ve been fortunate to work with are: Josh Martin (drums), Sabine Colleen  (percussion) 2 Slices (drums), Grace Joyner (drums), Falling Off A Building (bass  guitar), Asphalt Orchestra (bass drum), San Fermin (drums), Tracy Shedd (drums,  bass), BODYPARTS (drums), Future Wife (bass guitar, drums), Run Dan Run (drums),  Jack Of Knives (drums) Lindsay Holler (drums) … [ also credited as: Nick Jenkins ] 

I grew up in a religious family in a small town and my parents loved music, so there  was: church music, camp songs, MTV, marching & symphonic bands (through middle &  high school) as my introduction to music, which led to an early appreciation. My first  instrument was the drums. Guitar, bass, and piano followed a few years later. I am  almost 40 years old now! In 3rd grade, I might have almost been labeled a problem  child because of how much I tapped on the desk and was drawing all the time. The way  my parents saw me and nurtured that part of my passion was pivotal! 

I’m not sure where I would be if I had never heard ‘Songs From The Big Chair’ by Tears  For Fears. Thanks, Mom&Dad: your record collection has always been an inspiration. 

First concert that you ever went to?

My first official CONCERT was probably a Christian rock concert or good old Gospel  music extravaganza of some kind. I’m gonna go with Carmen (pop contemporary gospel  artist) at the North Charleston Coliseum. That would’ve been in the early ’90s. It was  definitely a national act production. There may have been pyrotechnics? I also have to  shout-out my mom’s community choir, The Colleton County Mass Choir, for encouraging  & welcoming the high school version of me to play bass with them in such early,  formative years. Before I started playing with them, I would have probably seen them  over a dozen times before. 

What's your writing process like? 

My process has gone through a few different phases. At first it was more of a lyrical based approach, and then grew more comfortable with my primary instrument (the  drums) and then more with guitars, which led to more of a compositional direction. After  that, computers & sample-based music threw me into a sound collage headspace.  Presently, I am allowing life to happen and I’m practicing being present as much as  possible. The arrangement and production of ’ambient music’ happened through a time based accumulation process of documentation & mediation. In a way, it was done  before I began to assemble the album. The music I’m starting to think about working on  now is more formulaic and song-based. Overall, the shortest answer is: the process is a  practice of using collectable sound collage fodder for the improvised assemblages of  songs. 

Even though this project is mostly a solo endeavor, there are sometimes lovely guest  collaborators in the performance and recording scenarios of the music, so there is a bit  of a revolving door of artists I trust to reimagine my music with me, and to make  something totally new. For that & to them I am grateful! 

The first piece of music I ever wrote for infinitikiss was called, “See The Other / Be The  Other / Free The Other”, which was made on GarageBand for iPod touch; composed for  an octet. Jazz has also influenced the way I interpret lots of musical concepts and  possibilities. 

What other artists or songs inspire your music? 

Aloha : one of my favorite bands of all time. Pretty much anything they’ve written and  released has been some perfect soundtrack to my life at that very moment. Their album  ‘Sugar’ found me at an especially tender moment in my life, and still brings tremendous  comfort when I hear it. If I had to pick one favorite song, it would be “Water Your Hands” from the album ‘Here Comes Everyone’ (Polyvinyl Records). 

Baxter (Quentin Baxter) was my drum instructor and mentor throughout college. His  knowledge of music is uncannily broad and He taught me a lot about how your life  practice influences how you practice with your instrument. Being genuine to one’s own  story was also a recurring theme during my studies with him. He is also a founding  member of Ranky Tanky, The Gradual Lean, and frequent collaborator of vocalist Rene  Marie. He was the first person to introduce me to the music of… 

Bjork! Bjork’s music has always been some kind of underlying subliminal poetry that I  consult when I want to imagine the terrifyingly motherly voice of the universe  personified. The mysteries of existence seem a little easier to understand when I listen  to Bjork. 

The music of Broadcast is timeless, is brilliant, is so many great things. _favorite album: ’The Future Crayon’ 

my friends & fam 

Sade – the album ‘Love Is Stronger Than Pride’ 

Hiroshi Yoshimura – the album ‘Green’ 

James Tritten of Fort Lowell Records created this Spotify Playlist that Blood Makes Noise readers may find of interest.  It highlights what they as a label feel are some of the most important works within the ambient genre, having come from a background in shoegaze indie rock:  

What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it  be it's own thing?

Infinitikiss “live” is close to what you’d expect walking into a living art exhibition to be  like. As with conveyor belts and things that are just “on” all the time (like espresso  machines or pilot lights), the sets are arranged to flow like the trajectory of a walkabout  or spirit quest. Live performances tend to start… and seamlessly float through songs  until “the end”. I try to make it easy for my collaborators to jump in with very minimal  preparation (with clear requests & parameters), which allow them to improvise in ways  that don’t require lots of rehearsal time. With the use of incorporating graphic scores  and experimental notation, there is more for the players to interpret and bring out of the  musical blueprints. The live experience of this music is also kind of like going to a  science fair and witnessing people explore the various colors & shapes of sounds.  Having songs are what keep things from being completely nebulous. I love when  concerts seem more alive than recordings. I find it rather refreshing to feel at least a  little disoriented when seeing something created in front of me and in real-time. 

Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows?  worst shows? 

The only touring that has happened has been around the Southeast, in a variety of  small rock clubs, indie film cinemas, contemporary art installations, dance company  collaborations, “happenings”, and special events. When it is a band/group/ensemble, it  isn’t a very conventional one, and because it is still a rather young project, it has yet to  really sprout wings in this way. Thanks to so, so many beautiful beings & generous  creatives in my life, the ensemble size has been anywhere from 2-8 players at once.  South Carolina has a very unique network of artists and musicians. There was this one  time I agreed to perform during a film festival curated by The Nickelodeon / Indie Grits in  Columbia, SC the same night I was playing percussion in a production of Animal Farm:  The Musical at USC. Unfortunately I couldn’t be present for both things, so what did I  do? I asked some friends to perform music written specifically FOR them (to improvise  with), but without me. Even though I double-booked myself, it somehow worked out? I  refer to that ensemble as INFINITIKISS XL, because it was a huge favor to ask. The  piece was called “Disco Limbo Vision”, which was named after a film in the same  programming that night. It was only my “worst” show because I wasn’t there, but also a  fun exercise in trusting others to bring a composition to life. 

The “best” show is probably one in Charleston, SC that has been documented and can  be found on the interwebs. 

Search: Lab Sessions / curated by Khari Lucas & HedHi Media / costumes by: Cara  Persona 

What’s up next for the band? 

There currently is not a band to plan for / with. However, I did just play in Santa Fe with  my friend an Albuquerque-based musician named Mark Nava (who also plays bass with  Sabine Colleen). Mark operated a tasty combo of guitar pedals while I sent audio from  cassette tapes (of ‘ambient music’ loops) and played synth bass / drum machine. It was  super mellow & a gentle kind of fun. I’ve been working on a “dark wave” solo set, which  is a minimal configuration of bass guitar, drum machine, & vocals. My next  compositional fixation will most likely be called ‘Jingle Jangle’ –– a more guitar-centric  batch of songs. 

We’ve been in NM for just over 2 years, and I hope that we continue to build community  and connections with people here to organically grow beautiful life moments, and even  some weird stuff.

Pre-order infinitikiss ambient music on translucent chartreuse green here: https://fortlowell.square.site/product/infinitikiss-ambient-music-/66 

The Alt Weekly Roundup

[Repost from The Alternative; by Zac Djamoos, January 23, 2023]

Lauds – Imitation Life

Imitation Life falls in a proud tradition of jangly indie rock bands letting their dream pop influence shine through—think Antisocialites, Days, Anak Ko. It’s a breezy, bright listen, one that conjures images of beaches at high tide and midday strolls through fields of wildflowers.

OUT NOW: Kicking Bird "Lauren" [Digital Single]

The first single from Wilmington, North Carolina's own Kicking Bird, titled "Lauren", from their debut album Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is available now on all music platforms. 

"It’s got everything anyone could possibly want all wrapped up in three minutes of boundless energy." ~ Music. Defined.

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER VINYL RECORD

Lauds

[Repost from 3Hive; by Todd Simmons, January 20, 2023]

After a few EPs and singles, North Carolina’s Lauds have finally released their debut long player, Imitation Life, and let me tell you, it is some solid jangle/dream pop gold. It’s packed with lush, jangly guitars dancing around echoed vocals and a driving rhythm section. Lauds has set the bar high for all albums released in 2023 with Imitation Life.

Check out album opener “Parallel” and “24” (below) for a taste.

Imitation Life is out now via Fort Lowell Records. Get your ears on this one. Enjoy.

Exclusive: Kicking Bird-“Lauren”

[Repost from Music. Defined., by Josh Terzino, January 17, 2023]

It is impossible to relay just how excited I am to be bringing you this exclusive listen to the first single from Kicking Bird’s debut album, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Years in the making, these eleven tracks will likely make up my entire vibe for the summer. After getting an early listen a while back, I instantly knew that “Lauren” would be the song to get people dancing in the streets. It’s got everything anyone could possibly want all wrapped up in three minutes of boundless energy.

Rarely does a song so easily intertwine diametrically opposed genres-“Lauren” goes from a pop confection one second to a punk anthem the next. It features a pristine combo of guitar and vocals, screaming harmonies, blistering drums, and enough dynamic shifts to make your head spin with delight. This tune acts as a perfect introduction to Kicking Bird and the kind of music you’ll find on the album.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO "LAUREN" EXCLUSIVELY ON MUSIC. DEFINED.

The band put together a Spotify playlist to give listeners an idea of where their inspiration comes from, and there are some great tracks included. Obvious stuff like Springsteen and Vampire Weekend, but also some surprises-Olivia Rodrigo? Howard Shore? In the end it all makes sense, even the Friday Night Lights theme song.

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack isn’t out until the spring, so you have plenty of time to get your vinyl pre-order sorted and pre-save on Spotify. Check out the band’s page to follow along and get updates on the next single and, who knows, maybe a tour sometime in the near future.

Kicking Bird