Expert Alterations stream debut ‘You Can’t Always Be Liked’, out this Friday on Kanine Records
Expert Alterations stream debut You Can’t Always Be Liked
out 10/30 on Kanine Records 2015 has proven to be a big year for
“So uncanny is Expert Alterations’ resemblance to C86-era UK indie rock, that it’s absolutely dumbfounding to learn the band hails from Baltimore. But give these kids a lot of credit, they nail that vintage sound immaculately—and make it their own in the process” Popmatters
Baltimore-based indie pop trio Expert Alterations stream You Can’t Always Be Liked in full this week with PopMatters. The shining debut that will see release this Friday, October 30th via Kanine Records!
You Can’t Always Be Liked
Alan, Patrick and Paul after their self-titled EP, which was originally self released on tape, grabbed the attention of the indiepop community at large armed with their single“Midnight Garden” premiered with love on Stereogum. In June the EP saw a proper release with Slumberland on a 12″ vinyl and Kanine on digital duty.
“Stream You Can’t Always Be Liked”
Following a summer of live dates including spots at NYC PopFest and Northside Festival, Expert Alterations then readied themselves for the full-length. In August they revealed “The Past and You” withSpin as the first offering from their debut and then hit the road with Literature for a handful of northeast dates.
In between touring, Expert Alterations then shared the record’s irresistible title track “You Can’t Always Be Like” with Self-Titled Magazine and then dove head first into a busy CMJ schedule. Expert Alterations have been touring since the festival and are currently working their way down from Boston to land back in Brooklyn, NY for their Record Release show at Rough Trade on Friday to celebrate a year of hard work and a job well done.
Expert Alterations upcoming live dates
10/26 Boston, MA – O’Briens
10/28 Annandale-On-Hudson, NY – Bard College – The Root Cellar
10/29 Purchase, NY – SUNY Purchase – The Stood
10/30 Brooklyn, NY – Rough Trade (FREE in-store 7pm)
On their forthcoming stellar debut album, Expert Alterations prove themselves to be keen observers of pop music both past and present. You Can’t Always Be Liked is a triumph for Baltimore’s premier indie pop trio are poised to become the new standard-bearers of whipsmart pop tunes. Expert Alterations consults the detailed map of their predecessors — groups like The Shop Assistants, The Pastels and Television Personalities — and uses it to chart a course to a musical utopia where sonic hooks are paramount and wry lyrics celebrated.
Alan (bass guitar), Patrick (vocals and guitar) and Paul (drums) formed the band in 2013 soon after they met at a pop show during Maryland Deathfest simply because they were the only three people in attendance. Paul saw Patrick’s Spacemen 3 shirt and they immediately drank the bar dry of cider. In the following days they started fleshing out some songs Patrick had been recording in his bedroom together and immediately it was clear that there was a shared ideal: simplicity. The trio bonded over their affinity for labels like Sarah Records and Creation, operations that developed and spawned their own scenes, seeing their impact as much more than just a means of record production.
Recorded with Miles Waltuck and Dan Frome at the historic Copycat building, the band settled in during a bleak February snowstorm to tackle their debut album. Having already been written and arranged before entering the studio, they limited themselves to one or two takes per song with the aim of capturing the energy of their live show. The album was recorded in just three days but truly took shape at the mixing desk of indie pop stalwart Archie Moore (Velocity Girl, Black Tambourine) over the following months.
You Can’t Always Be Liked features a sound that evokes Expert Alterations’ shared passions, while also giving tantalizing hints about what might be in store for their future as a band. The album is, in large part, about the transitional years between the late teens and early twenties, and most of the lyrics are rooted in the anxieties and experiences of those difficult times. Driving, melodic bass lines, jangly guitars and relentless drumming maintain a sense of ever-present energy throughout the record. Added instrumentation and vocals and the measured tension between pleasant, lively chords ad moody lyrics combine to form a rich and dynamic pop masterpiece. The songs work upwards towards relief, however, and words of cautious encouragement — “You can’t always be liked” — becoming a comforting mantra.
You Can’t Always Be Liked
Tracklisting:
1. You Can’t Always Be Liked
2. Psychic Surgery
3. Midnight Garden
4. Sort Out
5. Don’t Want To Go
6. The Past and You
7. Such a Stupid Fool
8. Buildings
9. Well Good For You
10. Nowhere Slowly
11. Alabaster
12. (untitled)
To attend a show or for a promotional copy of the LP please reply directly to this email.
Expert Alterations LINKS
kanine records
bandcamp
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