Public Figures and the art punk tantrum "Hanging Around The Back"

photo by Marcela Morales

The first time I heard the noisy, punchy tantrum "Hanging Around The Back" by D.C. based Public Figures I thought of two ten year olds creating a ruckus in the family room and I thought of The Beatles. That might seem odd but the song with the simple piano, exquisitely heavy sort of power pop on high guitar strikes and the rather 60's Brit pop melodies feel very Beatle-eee or maybe drunken Beatle-eee like a Paul McCartney who doesn't give a demonstrable shit about what John thinks but, instead, just wants to wail... wail and be caustic like, well, a ten year old. AND, I don't mean this in any sort of critical way. Those of you who are familiar with American Pancake know that I only write about sounds that I like, that inspire me in some way.

Public Figures are two D.C. musicians, artists, creators who have been collaborating for two decades and they both exclaim:

“When I’m playing music, I’m not really thinking about anything.”

[With Hillard on drums and McCall on bass, the duo was able to unlock a world that feels at once expansive and succinct. Their debut record "Year of Garuda" unfolds straight from the source, a riotous, fun, and sincere chapter in the artists’ decades-long journey.]

I have been trying to be myself basically my entire life with different degrees of success and tapping into your inner child might be the key. Maybe the key that Public Figures have cut and filed over time. I like the sound here and I like the fact that they record most everything entirely live in their basement studio that they affectionately call 'House of Decay'. Cool.

-Robb Donker Curtius

Public Figures · Hanging Around The Back

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“When I’m playing music, I’m not really thinking about anything.”

This is the sentiment echoed by both Chad McCall and Van Hillard, the D.C. musicians who make up the ardent two-piece that is Public Figures. This singular state of mind, however, signifies not an absence, but instead an acute presence that feels as honest as breathing. It is the presence born out of a deep comfort, a natural ease, and a 20 year history of musical collaboration that now, finally, allows McCall and Hillard the ability to create a language that feels entirely like their own.

When Public Figures was formed in the early days of the pandemic, McCall and Hillard had recently seen through the benign break-up of their latest project, Park Snakes, and were considering starting a new three-piece band. Instead, they stumbled upon a sound that needed nothing more than the two of them. With Hillard on drums and McCall on bass, the duo was able to unlock a world that feels at once expansive and succinct. Their debut record Year of Garuda unfolds straight from the source, a riotous, fun, and sincere chapter in the artists’ decades-long journey.

McCall and Hillard met in the late 90’s in Tallahassee, FL, and within years they were collaborating in various projects in the Tallahassee scene before making the decision to move to D.C., drawn to the underdog energy of the scene that inspired D.C. bands such as Jawbox, Shudder to Think, and the Dismemberment Plan, among others. They were quickly welcomed into the local punk scene and went on to play in several projects over the following two decades.

“Sometimes you find that some relationships just click better than others,” McCall says of the musical and personal connection that formed over the years.

Year of Garuda was recorded by McCall and Hillard in their basement studio - the affectionately titled House of Decay. The songs were tracked almost entirely live, creating a sound that promises to be fulfilled faithfully and with vigor when live shows return. The pair have played in various D.C. bands including Park Snakes and People Chasing People, which have shared the bill with a host of notable acts, such as French Vanilla, Priests, the Dismemberment Plan, Lithics, and more.

Public Figures, indie rock, post punk, divergent punk, art punk, rock, Washington D.C., Chad McCall, Van Hillard, "Hanging Around The Back", two decade collaboration, "Year of Garuda", House of Decay