Previous Industries by Robyn Von Swank
Service Merchandise https://lnk.to/servicemerchandise
(June 28th, 2024) - Today, Previous Industries, the trio of Open Mike Eagle, STILL RIFT, and Video Dave, releases its debut album, Service Merchandise, via Merge Records. Unbeknownst to the world in 2022, the trio planted the seeds for their group with the Madlib-produced track “Circuit City” on Mike’s album a tape called component system with the auto reverse. On it, Mike was joined by Video Dave and STILL RIFT, showcasing their chemistry and mutual inspiration. “That wasn’t the first song we made together or anything,” says Mike, “but that was the one we decided to show people first. We had been in the lab for a minute, working together and figuring things out.” The product of that longevity arrives wholly formed as Service Merchandise.
The album invokes the triumphant return to the collective spirit of era-defining rap groups like A Tribe Called Quest or Souls of Mischief, with three longtime friends and collaborators writing and recording all of the songs together in the same physical space. The trio traded lines back and forth in real time while recording at Open Mike Eagle’s home studio in Los Angeles, mirroring their early experiences rapping live on street corners and open mics in Chicago, LA, Miami and New York City. The album's songs, like “Zayre,” “Pliers,” “Showbiz,” and “Braids” are named after retail chains of the past, with verses from Dave, RIFT, and Mike filled with references to a world now replaced by Amazon Fresh locations. It evokes nostalgia for those times and showcases a strong sense of self-expression, similar to the era of rap when stores like Montgomery Ward and K-B Toys thrived. The album also features guest verses by Queen Herawin of the Juggaknots and production from Grammy-nominated producer/rapper Quelle Chris, who produced two songs on the project, Child Actor and Smoke Bonito.
Stereogum noted that "the loose, affable on-record chemistry from these three rappers has long been evident," highlighting the dynamic shared by Previous Industries. This rapport comes from the trio’s long-standing friendship, evident in their past collaborations, such as Video Dave and STILL RIFT’s guest features on songs like “The Grand Prize Game on the Bozo Show” and “WFLD 32” from Open Mike Eagle’s 2023 LP Another Triumph of Ghetto Engineering.
Next month, Previous Industries will embark on a North American tour starting July 22nd. Kicking off in Nashville, Tennessee, they will perform along the East Coast with stops in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Boston before concluding at Los Angeles’s Lodge Room.
Check out Service Merchandise above, and find touring details below. | 
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