SATURDAY MAR 03, 2018
529 Presents:
529 & Irrelevant Music Present:
Deep State
Low Valley Hearts
Giving Up | Curt Castle (7" Release Party!) | + Free After-Party w/ DJ Mannequin Lover!
Deep State
Deep State was formed in 2014 in Athens, GA.
They ask for help from those who came before them and the ones who will come afterward. The transmissions are self-conscious nonsense (globules, lumps, etc.) funneled through the only sonic structures they can afford. Flipping hot dogs became guitar wails. A pint became a chorus. They make zippy, electric songs.
Though Deep State may stumble, they are doing the best they can in your city.
The group is made of Taylor Chmura, Christian DeRoeck, Michael Gonzalez, and Brandon Page.
If you were to ride a train from LA to Capistrano, the train would eventually accelerate to top speed. You would see back alleys belonging to nameless warehouses. Deep State is the orange-vested man who looks up from lunch and waves to you.
Deep State was formed in 2014 in Athens, GA.
They ask for help from those who came before them and the ones who will come afterward. The transmissions are self-conscious nonsense (globules, lumps, etc.) funneled through the only sonic structures they can afford. Flipping hot dogs became guitar wails. A pint became a chorus. They make zippy, electric songs.
Though Deep State may stumble, they are doing the best they can in your city.
The group is made of Taylor Chmura, Christian DeRoeck, Michael Gonzalez, and Brandon Page.
If you were to ride a train from LA to Capistrano, the train would eventually accelerate to top speed. You would see back alleys belonging to nameless warehouses. Deep State is the orange-vested man who looks up from lunch and waves to you.
Low Valley Hearts
"In big-budget film franchises and formulaic sci-fis, transit in outer space seems like a glamorous commodity. The captain of the ship knows exactly which buttons to press and what levers to thrust forward, and whoosh, in a neatly animated instant, the sleek vessel jets off through the stars to its destination. Consequently, in movies that follow other formulas, mingling among friends also seems easy and painless. No one has to push any buttons or levers, because everyone is laughing, and smiling, and trading quips about relevant plot details. In those simple flicks, not once do we doubt the dashboard finesse of the space captain, or the fellowship between those mingling teens/young adults on the screen. As it turns out, reality wrinkles the cozy fantasies of both space travel and social shindigs—and while more nuanced movies and films often deconstruct one or the other, local cosmonauts Low Valley Hearts have managed to dissect both with “Taking Us Down.” At once, the spectral organs and cosmic harmonies from Evgenia Leshchinskaia (synth, piano, vocals) and Zalika Yavlinskiy (synth, vocals) invoke an ancient grandeur, like the vast Promethean ramblings of Procul Harum; however, rather than hurtling forward, the drums lock us into a trance. Meanwhile, in the video filmed by Jack (Uniq), four adults sit and smile awkwardly at one other as the scenery shifts and scrambles behind them. No matter what surreal backdrop drapes their huddled mass, each person stares blankly at the screen, as if they’d rather be somewhere else. Guitarist Rossilini Politi—who, like drummer Sean Zearfoss, also plays in nerve pop vets Small Reactions—explains that both the song and the scenes reflect the isolation that wells up and stymies individuals. In deep space, he tells Immersive over email, that loneliness manifests into hallucination and psychosis. On earth, the same psychedelic interference crops up as anxious individuals try to slot into social groups, “living vicariously through fantasy in order to feel a bond to someone.” And just like that—whoosh!—Low Valley Hearts prove that your friends and acquaintances can be just as impossible to traverse as the cosmos. And that’s only the start of the mind-bending powers that this band can and will wield, both on present stages and in future broadcasts. “Taking Us Down” is the latest single and video from Low Valley Hearts’ forthcoming debut LP, Pictures of Your Mind, out Feb. 16."
"In big-budget film franchises and formulaic sci-fis, transit in outer space seems like a glamorous commodity. The captain of the ship knows exactly which buttons to press and what levers to thrust forward, and whoosh, in a neatly animated instant, the sleek vessel jets off through the stars to its destination. Consequently, in movies that follow other formulas, mingling among friends also seems easy and painless. No one has to push any buttons or levers, because everyone is laughing, and smiling, and trading quips about relevant plot details. In those simple flicks, not once do we doubt the dashboard finesse of the space captain, or the fellowship between those mingling teens/young adults on the screen. As it turns out, reality wrinkles the cozy fantasies of both space travel and social shindigs—and while more nuanced movies and films often deconstruct one or the other, local cosmonauts Low Valley Hearts have managed to dissect both with “Taking Us Down.” At once, the spectral organs and cosmic harmonies from Evgenia Leshchinskaia (synth, piano, vocals) and Zalika Yavlinskiy (synth, vocals) invoke an ancient grandeur, like the vast Promethean ramblings of Procul Harum; however, rather than hurtling forward, the drums lock us into a trance. Meanwhile, in the video filmed by Jack (Uniq), four adults sit and smile awkwardly at one other as the scenery shifts and scrambles behind them. No matter what surreal backdrop drapes their huddled mass, each person stares blankly at the screen, as if they’d rather be somewhere else. Guitarist Rossilini Politi—who, like drummer Sean Zearfoss, also plays in nerve pop vets Small Reactions—explains that both the song and the scenes reflect the isolation that wells up and stymies individuals. In deep space, he tells Immersive over email, that loneliness manifests into hallucination and psychosis. On earth, the same psychedelic interference crops up as anxious individuals try to slot into social groups, “living vicariously through fantasy in order to feel a bond to someone.” And just like that—whoosh!—Low Valley Hearts prove that your friends and acquaintances can be just as impossible to traverse as the cosmos. And that’s only the start of the mind-bending powers that this band can and will wield, both on present stages and in future broadcasts. “Taking Us Down” is the latest single and video from Low Valley Hearts’ forthcoming debut LP, Pictures of Your Mind, out Feb. 16."
Giving Up
"Iowa's Giving Up (with members in both Minnesota and Kentucky) like to play it loose. It's kind of their gift. On the band's sophomore album, Garner Cardinals, due out February 16th via Sophomore Lounge, the band's ramshackle punk is, intentionally, coming apart at the seems, and it's exactly what makes them a great band. Developing their sound over the past decade, it's tightly wound slop-perfection, an intimate look into trash-pop that wriggles with a twitchy disposition and enough charm to choke us all. Opening with the propulsive and punchy "Body," the record unfolds with layers like an onion. It's not always pleasant, but it's essential for flavor. The more you listen, the better it gets. Led by Mikie Poland and Jenny Rose, the band's harmonies tighten around simple progressions, expanding what often seems askew ("April Showers") into something poetic. Contorting Americana vibes, math rock undertones, and jangly pop into their own innocent bliss, Giving Up balance raw ("Hairdo"), ultra-catchy ("Big Muscles"), and the simply stunning ("Guts")... and they keep it weird all the while. Garner Cardinals is a deceptive record though. If there are moments that have you wondering just what they might be up to, it's all by design. This record is fully realized, warts and all, a brilliant fusion of personality and intelligent punk structures. As the album concludes with Rose shouting about "Tupac is on Letterman AGAIN tonight!" it's been a strange journey, but we're all better for it. Garner Cardinals is a good time for all."
"Iowa's Giving Up (with members in both Minnesota and Kentucky) like to play it loose. It's kind of their gift. On the band's sophomore album, Garner Cardinals, due out February 16th via Sophomore Lounge, the band's ramshackle punk is, intentionally, coming apart at the seems, and it's exactly what makes them a great band. Developing their sound over the past decade, it's tightly wound slop-perfection, an intimate look into trash-pop that wriggles with a twitchy disposition and enough charm to choke us all. Opening with the propulsive and punchy "Body," the record unfolds with layers like an onion. It's not always pleasant, but it's essential for flavor. The more you listen, the better it gets. Led by Mikie Poland and Jenny Rose, the band's harmonies tighten around simple progressions, expanding what often seems askew ("April Showers") into something poetic. Contorting Americana vibes, math rock undertones, and jangly pop into their own innocent bliss, Giving Up balance raw ("Hairdo"), ultra-catchy ("Big Muscles"), and the simply stunning ("Guts")... and they keep it weird all the while. Garner Cardinals is a deceptive record though. If there are moments that have you wondering just what they might be up to, it's all by design. This record is fully realized, warts and all, a brilliant fusion of personality and intelligent punk structures. As the album concludes with Rose shouting about "Tupac is on Letterman AGAIN tonight!" it's been a strange journey, but we're all better for it. Garner Cardinals is a good time for all."
Curt Castle (7" Release Party!)
Curt Castle’s years-long relationship came to an end just as the two bands he had spent his life playing with came grinding to a halt. He was left struggling with a question: How do we redefine ourselves when the foundations of our lives disappear?
Without those once integral pieces of his life and his identity, Curt set out to figure out the who that remained within. If I’m Here At All began as he started to reform himself, to reassemble the pieces left behind in the void. An uninhibited examination of his past, of his fears, of his loss and of his hopes for the future, Curt Castle’s debut album is starkly vulnerable and honest, and fundamentally human. To him, that’s the way it has to be, if it’s going to be worth doing at all.
Curt took a trip, driving across the country, his only company the thoughts in his head. These songs materialized out of that time being alone, singing (and sometimes, shouting) thoughts into the air around him. Out on the other side of the country, he recorded the songs with friends, spending the days sharing his songs with them, and the nights recording in their garage studio (Heavy Meadow Studios).
Returning home to Georgia, holding an early, rough and cathartic version of If I’m Here At All, Curt reached out to producer / engineer Drew Vandenberg (of Montreal, Mothers, Kishi Bashi) at Athens, GA recording studio Chase Park Transduction. Together, they crafted a sonic landscape built on dynamic arrangements inspired by Harry Nilsson, soaked in synthetic sound reminiscent of Thomas Dolby's production work, and occasionally interspersed with electric guitarmony. The main engine of the songs though are the emotion of the lyrics and the catchy melodies they ride on.
Those lyrics are woven from the cycles of hope and despair that pass over all of us. “Chances,” the first track on the record, is a piercing look at a relationship on the verge of falling apart. “All the Love in the World” looks at living with grief where each breath feels like an act of survival and triumph. And “Across State Lines (Supernova)” finds cautious hope in a new love.
Now, Curt Castle has built up a high energy live show honed while opening around the country for headliners like GIVERS, Dent May, Roadkill Ghost Choir and many others. There’s a full band bringing the songs to life. In these live environments, If I’m Here At All’s songs about loneliness create an atmosphere of togetherness.
Curt Castle’s years-long relationship came to an end just as the two bands he had spent his life playing with came grinding to a halt. He was left struggling with a question: How do we redefine ourselves when the foundations of our lives disappear?
Without those once integral pieces of his life and his identity, Curt set out to figure out the who that remained within. If I’m Here At All began as he started to reform himself, to reassemble the pieces left behind in the void. An uninhibited examination of his past, of his fears, of his loss and of his hopes for the future, Curt Castle’s debut album is starkly vulnerable and honest, and fundamentally human. To him, that’s the way it has to be, if it’s going to be worth doing at all.
Curt took a trip, driving across the country, his only company the thoughts in his head. These songs materialized out of that time being alone, singing (and sometimes, shouting) thoughts into the air around him. Out on the other side of the country, he recorded the songs with friends, spending the days sharing his songs with them, and the nights recording in their garage studio (Heavy Meadow Studios).
Returning home to Georgia, holding an early, rough and cathartic version of If I’m Here At All, Curt reached out to producer / engineer Drew Vandenberg (of Montreal, Mothers, Kishi Bashi) at Athens, GA recording studio Chase Park Transduction. Together, they crafted a sonic landscape built on dynamic arrangements inspired by Harry Nilsson, soaked in synthetic sound reminiscent of Thomas Dolby's production work, and occasionally interspersed with electric guitarmony. The main engine of the songs though are the emotion of the lyrics and the catchy melodies they ride on.
Those lyrics are woven from the cycles of hope and despair that pass over all of us. “Chances,” the first track on the record, is a piercing look at a relationship on the verge of falling apart. “All the Love in the World” looks at living with grief where each breath feels like an act of survival and triumph. And “Across State Lines (Supernova)” finds cautious hope in a new love.
Now, Curt Castle has built up a high energy live show honed while opening around the country for headliners like GIVERS, Dent May, Roadkill Ghost Choir and many others. There’s a full band bringing the songs to life. In these live environments, If I’m Here At All’s songs about loneliness create an atmosphere of togetherness.