"A sultry night of pop / Then the poet's walk of shame / I promise it was not my fault..."
While the cross genre'd, cross generational, sort of otherworldly, sort of late 70's proto punkian "Rooting For Judas" by the wonderfully odd and artfully divergent Pastel Hell, the project name / band of experimental pop singer-songwriter, musician, DIY producer Alex Fox Tschan, might have you gleefully scratching your head and suddenly crave black nail polish, it is but a mere appetizing foray into Tschan's mind and Pastel Hell's full length, "Ruthie". If you enjoy the revolving door of "Rooting For Judas", the percolating, half step shapes, broad vocal theatricality and puzzle piece aesthetic, you will surely find the other eleven songs intriguing.
You will surely be entranced by the flamboyant bullfight sashay of "Brutal Page" or the new wave inside out Roxy Music flair of "Leo Without Lions" or the Goth pop glam drenched "Tryst and Shout" or the collision of the T-Rex and Sparks wrapped in velveteen cinema of "Don't You Untie Me Now". On these and other songs, you get the impression that Tschan possesses the ability to channel dadaistic ghosts of the past and brilliantly patch them into these grand artful creations. You can feel a vast sweep and knowledge of musical motifs from the late 60's and onward.
I get the sense that Tschan / Pastel Hell embodies his artful life fully, sonically and visually. I can imagine that many things in his everyday life inspire his art in wonderful ways.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://pastelhell.bandcamp.com/track/rooting-for-judas
https://soundcloud.com/pastelhell/1_rfj
https://open.spotify.com/track/6CMqkcy6cmm7YURPKseUBE
https://pastelhell.com/
https://www.instagram.com/alexpastelhell/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/alexpastelhell
Pastel Hell is an experimental pop band led by songwriter Alex Fox Tschan. Their sound may conjure images of Robert Smith in a bucket hat, or David Bowie in wide-leg Dickies. No need to be alarmed if a brawl breaks out 25 years ago—much dexterity is accessible within the righteous denim legs of our Jnco’s (left leg Tears, right leg Fears). Big influences surely come from the UK crooners of yore (Edywn Collins u up?), but also contemporary lyric-centric songsmiths like Destroyer, Weyes Blood, King Krule, & Father John Misty. All spiced with a lyrical perspective of someone coming of age in the 90s & early 2000s.
Tschan is from Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay where he first started writing songs at age 14, largely because of seeing SLC Punk! & Good Will Hunting. A few years later at 17, having saved up enough money from his construction job, he bought the Gibson SG you hear all over Ruthie. It has been his one & only axe for nearly two decades. From Elliott Smith to Robert Fripp, Tschan has accumulated a number of guitar idols over the years, culminating in his inventive style.
In 2009, Tschan moved from Blacksburg, VA (where he attended college) to Brooklyn with his band The House Floor. After having garnered a little national buzz from their lone epic album, Warship, they disbanded in 2011. Tschan continued writing & recording different projects until finding creative solace as Pastel Hell in 2015.
This new 12-song collection of work was written & recorded entirely at Tschan’s home studio in Brooklyn between October 2020-October 2021. Ruthie is often confessional, drawing upon addiction, godlessness, inspired romantic hope, infatuation, searing loss, internal hypocrisy, & coping through the majesty of dark comedy. We hope you enjoy.
I get the sense that Tschan / Pastel Hell embodies his artful life fully, sonically and visually. I can imagine that many things in his everyday life inspire his art in wonderful ways.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://pastelhell.bandcamp.com/track/rooting-for-judas
https://soundcloud.com/pastelhell/1_rfj
https://open.spotify.com/track/6CMqkcy6cmm7YURPKseUBE
https://pastelhell.com/
https://www.instagram.com/alexpastelhell/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/alexpastelhell
Pastel Hell is an experimental pop band led by songwriter Alex Fox Tschan. Their sound may conjure images of Robert Smith in a bucket hat, or David Bowie in wide-leg Dickies. No need to be alarmed if a brawl breaks out 25 years ago—much dexterity is accessible within the righteous denim legs of our Jnco’s (left leg Tears, right leg Fears). Big influences surely come from the UK crooners of yore (Edywn Collins u up?), but also contemporary lyric-centric songsmiths like Destroyer, Weyes Blood, King Krule, & Father John Misty. All spiced with a lyrical perspective of someone coming of age in the 90s & early 2000s.
Tschan is from Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay where he first started writing songs at age 14, largely because of seeing SLC Punk! & Good Will Hunting. A few years later at 17, having saved up enough money from his construction job, he bought the Gibson SG you hear all over Ruthie. It has been his one & only axe for nearly two decades. From Elliott Smith to Robert Fripp, Tschan has accumulated a number of guitar idols over the years, culminating in his inventive style.
In 2009, Tschan moved from Blacksburg, VA (where he attended college) to Brooklyn with his band The House Floor. After having garnered a little national buzz from their lone epic album, Warship, they disbanded in 2011. Tschan continued writing & recording different projects until finding creative solace as Pastel Hell in 2015.
This new 12-song collection of work was written & recorded entirely at Tschan’s home studio in Brooklyn between October 2020-October 2021. Ruthie is often confessional, drawing upon addiction, godlessness, inspired romantic hope, infatuation, searing loss, internal hypocrisy, & coping through the majesty of dark comedy. We hope you enjoy.
Pastel Hell, Lo-fi Rock, Indie Rock, alt rock, nostalgic, art punk, "Rooting For Judas", new album "Ruthie", evocative vocals, 90's goth pop, late 70's proto punk,
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