"I don't want to be like her"
Brenda Years by The Skating Party, the recording project / moniker of Philadelphia multi-instrumentalist Gregory James is a super dreamy affair steeped in the shoegaze haze that pushes not only retro buttons but the sense that you are stepping into, onto a fantasy island of sorts where nothing is real except the deep wealth of feelings your are feeling. When I heard Brenda Years for the first time, I immediately thought of David Dean Burkhart, a fantastic curator of songs that have this similar aesthetic. And what is that aesthetic?? It is kind of hard to describe clearly, there is this "I know it when I hear it" thing, but it can be called divergent pop, dream pop, nostalgic pop. It is usually steeped in a wash of sounds or an overall wash of reverb that almost feels hypnotic in the way it pulls you into a combination of the song and your own memories of your life or other art or a whole host of things. It can be transformative and addicting really because as opposed to commercially pop forward songs that specifically tell you what is going on "hey baby when you shake your hips (blah, blah, blah)", I think dream pop aesthetics make you start thinking and appropriating your own feelings to the art. Brenda Years by The Skating Party feels a bit off kilter and askew, maybe those foreign films you couldn't understand in your youth but that makes it all the more interesting.
-Robb Donker Curtius
This year, Hidden Gem Records decided to pursue a 2nd compilation with the usual suspects, “the Skating Party,” “the Death of Pop,” and “the Arctic Flow,” as well as Philly locals, “Telyscopes,” and “Panophonic,” each contributing an original song to the 10 track cassette release, titled, “Colorwheel Volume 2,” available early Spring. “The Skating Party,” has put a live set together with a 2 piece band, and a laptop handling the bass guitar to promote the latest releases from the Hidden Gem collective.
www.hiddengemrecords.com
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
The Skating Party is the recording project and moniker of Philadelphia multi-instrumentalist, “Gregory James.” What started as a bedroom recording project has eventually led to several releases on all multiple mediums from digital to cassettes, CDs, and vinyl.
The early Skating Party records leaned heavily on Prince-esque synths, LinnDrum programming, and hook-laden guitars in the like of the Cure meets the Cocteau Twins. In more recent years, the songwriting became more atmospheric, emphasizing reverb-soaked vocal melodies, dreamier guitar lines, and more live drumming than the past records.
After originally releasing 2 albums and a compilation on Philly imprint label, Hidden Gem Records, “the Skating Party,” was regularly invited to contribute to compilations with “the Blog that Celebrates itself Records,” “Fadeawayradiate Records,” “Shiny Happy Records,” and more.
In June of 2018, the Skating Party released their 4th record, titled “Been Caught Feeling,” which is a sonic blend of dreampop/shoegaze with Gregory at the helm for all instrumentation just like previous releases. It is the most consistent record to date as was voted #1 of the 1st Semester of Shoegaze/Dreampop releases of 2019 by Shoegaze Alive 9 blogspot.
www.hiddengemrecords.com
www.bandcamp.theskatingparty.com
Quotes from the internet:
“Patetico Recordings recently released a charitable compilation, Rock Back: Stronger Than the Storm, aimed to support victims of Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria. “Strangled By Stars,” the new single from The Skating Party, a.k.a. Gregory James, is one of 50 songs included on the collection. Reverberating guitar provides an electrical storm to the head that lingers in a cloudy daydream haze, while the ascending vocals demonstrate a hopeful resilience.” ~ the Deli Mag Philadelphia
“Their song “Twin Polar “ will appeal to lovers of jangly/ twee and neatly fits in with like-minded dreampop bands like Radio Dept., Arctic Flow, Cherry Coals and Death of Pop. It contains delightful layered harmonies, shimmering jangly guitars and melancholic lyrics : “Something about you changed but I don’t know”.~ Fadeawayradiate
“And Greg's treasures came to his fourth studio album, "Been Caught Feeling," released on the first day of June, and even more deliciously addictive, Greg, condenses on the album, all his inspirations, whether gazers, dreamers, or little gems of the pure twee, Greg synthesizes the best The Skating Party has, the melodies."Been Caught Feeling" is harmonically perfect, and as said at the beginning a true "hidden gem" that the TBTCI made a point of asking its creator dissects it song the song, thus unveiling its mysteries and flavors.” ~the Blog that Celebrates itself
Hidden Gem Records have just released this ridiculously beautiful split lathe 7″ from The Skating Party and the Death of Pop. The Skating Party tune is marvelous, sounding like a less electronic version of Radio Dept, brimming with an undercurrent of pop sensation that’s inescapable. ~Austin Town Hall
“The Skating Party's lucid and buoyant pastiche strikes me as an intoxicating amalgam of New Order and Pains of Being Pure at Heart Check out their Drowning the Electric Boy ep while you're at it for six more songs cut from the same enticing cloth.”~Wilfully Obscure Blog
“Philadelphia band THE SKATING PARTY have a select feel to their sound that invests a subtle appreciation for developing the flow of the music. As such there is a darling temperament working behind the scenes each time”
~Unsigned & Independent Magazine
No comments:
Post a Comment