levitation

Quite a few fun things to get to, number one being the next DZ release by the illustrious Half Waif, project of the incredibly talented Nandi Rose Plunkett. A lover of synthesizers and pop tunes, her music features richly layered compositions of various origins. Placeless, and yet the product of many places: the imaginative wilds of Northern Massachusetts; Ohio's stark fields; Brooklyn buzzing at night; and ancestral homes across the ocean. The resulting work brims over with sounds: underwater echoes of Celtic melodies; mossy, blinking electronic soundscapes; and the ultra-sad chord changes of 19th-century art music. A carefully crafted glass menagerie of song.

Three singles have premiered in the lead up to the album's release on May 6, check them out below c/o Stereogum, The Line Of Best Fit, and Brightest Young Things:

"one of the more inventive indie acts rising up... a deceptively huge sound" - The Line Of Best Fit

"[a] bewitching Brooklyn-based trio that blend fluttery, glitchy beats with classical textures... 'Nest' blends strings and electronics together in a way akin to Bjork’s “Hyperballad” or some of Aphex Twin’s more lush tracks. Plunkett places a disarming level of emphasis on different syllables, as if she’s pressing buttons with her voice. She warps, twists and wraps her vocals around electronic instrumentation like it’s trapped deep in machinery, and the whole track seems to teeter between serene and hyper-robotic tones." - Stereogum 

"every so often, a song comes along that completely knocks the wind out of me because it just sounds really cool. Half Waif’s 'Nest' is one of those songs; it initiates with this slow, plodding beat, a single, crystalline voice. That sound continues to grow and multiply, until it becomes an orchestral, beat-inflicted but synth-driven song that’s atmospheric without fading into the background. There’s a universe inside of “Nest,” one that’s crafted out of small sounds made to look huge when they’re all pieced together. It’s the kind of single that I can listen to ten times over before I even think about its lyrics, the kind of song that makes me want to watch Half Waif’s creative process in action." - Stereogum

In addition to the kind words above, "Nest" was named one of Stereogum's 5 Best Songs Of The Week, "Overthrown" was track of the day on Elevtrtrax, and Nandi was featured in an interview segment on Alt-Philanthropy.

The release will be celebrated with a gig on May 12 at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn w/ Zula, Tigue, and twig twig, and more tour dates for the east coast and midwest can be found below:

~

Just down I-95 in the District, a couple great shows are lined up for the next few weeks:

Thursday, April 28 at Black Cat

Hemlines w/ Shellshag, Teenage Halloween, and Foster Carrots

(click here to RSVP)

Wednesday, May 4 at The Lilly Trotter Tea Lounge

Hellier Ulysses, Go Cozy, Time Toss, and Tall Friend

(click flyer to RSVP)

Friday, May 6 at Above The Bayou

Mal Devisa and Romantic States w/ Cold Foamers and Baby Bry Bry & The Apologists

(click here to RSVP)

Saturday, May 7 at Above The Bayou (R.I.P.)

Big Hush w/ LVL UP, Furnsss, and Paperhaus

(click here to RSVP)

Sunday, May 8 at Hole In The Sky

Escape From DC Brunch XIII: Pregnant, The UVF Rays, and Suffer Dragon

(click here to RSVP)

Previously on Escape From DC Brunch we hosted Philadelphia Collins, Snail Mail, and Dove Lady and our resident photographer Bang snapped some solid pics, check some of the choice cuts below:

Philadelphia Collins

Snail Mail

Dove Lady

Elsewhere around the DMV, number one stunnas Big Hush were featured on NPR Music's "All Songs Considered" for their cover of Nirvana's "Sifting" for the third tribute compilation by Robotic Empire celebrating the godfathers of grunge.

Stream the track below and take a listen to the rest of the album featuring covers by Thou, Beach Slang, Basement, Mean Jeans, Daughters, and more:


Big Hush were also given a little shout-out alongside Flasher, Priests, Bless, and more on the Bandcamp blog in a piece on DC's punk scene that's definitely worth the quick read, as is the kind write-up of "Who's Smoking Your Spirit?" by Sonic Masala.

Up in Baltimore Romantic States put on a show at the Mobtown Studios which you can see and hear in the video below:

And lastly, today I'll begin my road trip down to Levitation in Austin, TX. Can't wait to catch up with friends at stops in Atlanta and New Orleans, and beyond excited to see some incredible acts including Brian Wilson (performing Pet Sounds), Animal Collective, Flying Lotus, Shabazz Palaces, Oneohtrix Point Never, Ty Segall & The Muggers, Ween, Courtney Barnett, Parquet Courts, Heron Oblivion, Boris, Royal Trux, and many more... if you'll be there feel free to hit me up~

frnds nd fmly

The finishing touches are being put on DZ13 in preparation for its release on June 21, but this month has already seen some great work being released from a few friends of the label.

Pregnant has composed personalized songs for over 65 people at this point, and the choice cuts are finally being released on cassette by staring at the ceiling. Check out the complete 'Your Song' compilation below, featuring songs written especially for some nice folks including the gang from Decoder Magazine, FMLY and yours truly (which just so happens to be track #1):



It Is Rain In My Face. has just released another brilliant folktronic set of songs on the 'Stolen Days' EP:



Adam Torres continues to add a new track to his 'Golden Children' demos each Monday. Check out the entire set on his bandcamp, and while you circle the bases on your home run trot take a listen to this week's little number "Moonshot":



Terror Bird is kicking off her European tour this week in support of her new release 'Clubs' on SVN SNS RECORDS:



The seasonal solstice is almost upon us, and very soon the next DZ release will see the light of day, albeit shrouded in haze, but until then I hope you enjoy the new music above as you soak up the summer sun, wade in the warm ocean water and work up your base tan. ☼

Seabright in the summer sun

While Justin Morales has been revamping his Seabright set around northern California this summer, DZ10 has just started to make the rounds on cassette decks around the world. All orders are now up to date, and the pastel pink beauties should soon be arriving to all you great tape-heads across the globe. Thanks for all the support and enjoy cranking this one up with the top down during this wonderful warm weather.

Check out some of the nice things folks have been saying about the new album below, and tune in to Justin's radio show "The Mystic Brewery Radio Show" on San Jose's KSCU every Saturday night from 8-10pm PST.

"Tomorrow is a woozy shuffle through refracted sunrays, VHS tapes of soaring seagulls and lakeside imaginings, perpetual sunsets and eyelids at half-mast. Seabright seems intent on wash[ing] his sonic palette in shimmering pastels, a swathe of echoed reminisces and liberal doses of liberation." - Sonic Masala 

"a distinctly sunny brand of shoegaze pop" - The Bay Bridged 

"an interesting fusion of chillwave, shoegaze and beach-pop....Tomorrow is easily one of his most accessible albums to date, a truly eclectic sound" - SanJose.com

Our label friend Pregnant has been making fan-inspired songs for the past few months and just put this little number up for me. If you want Daniel to make a song about you, you can buy one here.

Tomorrow's Harvest

Happy Boards Of Canada Day, Earthlings.

The eerily enigmatic electronic duo's first full-length release since 2005, "Tomorrow's Harvest", is out today on Warp Records, and it was well worth the wait. Check out the video for "Reach For The Dead" below:



In DZ news, the DYVNZMBR2 mixtape will be out one week from today, so to celebrate, here's a second set of tracks for your listening pleasure: