Stereogum Premieres Talk Normal "Bad Date" Video
Sophomore Album Sunshine Out October 23 On Joyful Noise
Talk Normal will release their sophomore LP Sunshine on October 23 via Joyful Noise Recordings. Stereogum is running a video premiere for "Bad Date" from Sunshine. Shot at the former Market Hotel, a once gritty yet veritable DIY show space in Brooklyn, NY, the video was directed by Pastor Alvarado and
features Talk Normal along with Vanessa Roworth on saxophone. Andrya
Ambro of Talk Normal says "Bad Date" was written in the fall of 2010,
and that the New Zealand band Tall Dwarfs was a direct
inspiration on the lyrics and melody - "conceptually the song is about
forcing yourself to go on dates and doing your damndest to convince
yourself that you should like that person. Its sentiment was not from a
specific occurrence but rather a collection of feelings on many
experiences, be them a date or other. That said, it can mean many
things to its listener."
After
years of friendship, Sarah Register and Andrya Ambro's Talk Normal
first emerged on the NYC music scene in 2007, initially releasing
demos, cassettes and their Secret Cog vinyl EP. Following the 2009 release of their debut album Sugarland on Rare Book Room Records (recorded and mixed by Nicolas Vernhes), Talk Normal released a handful of 7"s (including a split 7" with Thurston Moore on Nathan Howdeshell from The Gossip's Fast Weapons Records) and shared the stage with the likes of Sonic Youth, Wire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Zola Jesus.
In the three years since Sugarland, Talk Normal have refined their noisy vigor into the diverse batch of songs found on Sunshine. Tracks
like "Bad Date", "Cover", and "Hurricane" carry almost a meditative
emotional energy, where others like "Sunshine" and "Shot This Time" err
on the side of explosive driving rock. Plus dance-y "XO", narrative
noisers "Lone General" and "Baby, Your Heart's Too Big", and standout
vocal harmonies on "Hot Water Burns". Produced by the band, Sunshine
was recorded in 2011 by Christina Files at Vacation Island
Studios in Brooklyn NY and Echo Canyon West in Hoboken NJ (Files also
contributed to production). Allen Farmello mixed at The Snow Farm in
Brooklyn NY.
Unlike traditional noisy-rock, Talk Normal's Sunshine is
steeped in melody, albeit unconventional melody. Sweet-sounding female
vocals are present throughout, sometimes as sung lyrics and sometimes
as instruments themselves. Ambro & Register's combined voices often
volley back and forth, each providing equal contributions to vocals,
lyrics, and instrumentation - meticulously orchestrating not only the
arrangements, but also the tonality of each collected sound. As Pitchfork describes: "(their) vocals can handle both desperate screech and matter-of-fact detachment somewhere between Karen O and Kim Gordon."
Combined with Register's flowing, nearly-drony riffs and Ambro's finely
choreographed beats, the end result is a natural sonic cohesion. Maybe
not the sunshine you're used to, but rays within which you'll want to
bask.
Upcoming Shows:
August 30 - New York, NY @ The Bowery Ballroom w/ Xiu Xiu
For more info, please visit:
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