Listen: Writer - "IE"

Garage pop duo Writer may have just released their debut album Brotherface this past October but that's certainly not going to stop them from releasing new music it seems. The Brothers Ralph have a new 7" "I Make Neon" out August 6th and have offered up a preview in the form of cacophonous rabblerousing jam "IE". Despite the ever present clatter, Writer still manage to convey a sense of laid back cool as the track plows forward at walking tempo. There's a moment of sudden unexpected clarity that happens and the Ralphs engage in a bit of harmonic interplay. It's pretty nifty and goes an long way in establishing that this track isn't a long lost Brotherface cut. 

Writer's "I Make Neon" 7" in out August 6th on digital and August 31st on a limited edition clear vinyl via Nineteen98. You can preorder the 7" now. 

Writer - Brotherface (2012)

At last the day is upon us. After discovering garage pop brother duo Writer earlier this year, I've been eagerly awaiting the day when their tunes could be mine. And they been pretty helpful on that front releasing 7" singles that you could download on their Bandcamp. But even as I listened to single after single (only three but you get my point), I couldn't help but wonder what a full length from The Brothers Ralph would sound like. Well wonder no more, Writer's debut full length Brotherface is out today.

If you've followed Writer's career at all i.e. downloaded any of their 7"s, the album's tracklist won't be that much of a surprise to you. In fact more than half of it consists of tracks you'd find on the 7"s and singles they've put out so far. And yet that shouldn't dissuade you at all. As I listened to Brotherface, I was shocked by how well it all fit together despite the fact that many of the songs weren't recorded or even written at the same time. But here we are, with Brotherface crashing along with an almost odd cohesiveness. Writer make you work for the newer tracks, lumping them all together at the end of the album instead of dispersing them among the more familiar previously released tracks. Which turns out to work pretty well. And while Writer more or less barrels forward, they're not noisily plodding to the finish line; there's instrumental track "Yamaha Trip" as well as slower moving "North Park Fairies" as well as "Swamp Fire Lake".

Brotherface consists of songs you'd pretty much expect to hear from Writer. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's an enjoyable set of tracks that work surprisingly well together as a whole. If you were a fan of the earlier releases you're more or less getting more of the same. Where the same happens to be gold old fashioned home-made multi-layered clatter-filled rock with a ear for melody. Brotherface follows the "If it ain't broke" style of music-making and does it quite well. It isn't out to challenge and impress you but it's more than just another release under Writer's belt. It's Writer's strengths all laid right out for you: their songs may be short but they're memorable, they're boisterous but never annoyingly so. And that's good enough for me, for now. A likeable record completely free of missteps? A up and coming band can only be so lucky.

Brotherface is out now digitally and available in a very limited edition vinyl run on the UK's 3 Syllable Records here. Writer will also have a handful of records available for purchase on their upcoming east coast but don't sleep on it if you want it. Writer's releases tend to run out fairly quickly.

 You can listen to the album via Writer's visual stream on Youtube (don't worry, individual tracks also available):

Pitstop: Dull Edges

Despite the veritable onslaught of artful arrangement-heavy music with its nice clean melodies, pristine harmonies, and all around evocative qualities, I'm also a fan of rock grit. It's what draws me to the live shows of ARMS, Conveyor, and Sondre Lerche or why I was so head over heels for Writer when I first saw them. Because despite how clean-cut they might sound on their studio recordings, their live sets are filled with wild, free-flying guitar pyrotechnics and raw, uncontrived roars. That appreciation of the noisy, the imperfect, is exactly what drew me to Brooklyn garage rock trio Dull Edges.

Starting last year as a two piece with guitarist/vocalist Patrick Lane and bassist R Smith before drafting Ben Kaplan on drums, the rather newly minted trio already has a strong release under its belt in Half Shattered. The 5 song EP  is a set of purring rip-roaring guitar rock at its finest. While tracks like "Washed Out" and "Screens" are cacophonous, while "Big T", "Space Jam", "Holed" are righteously slow-burning psychedelic jams in the vein of Secret Mountains sans powerhouse vocals or Youth without the sunny beach vibes.  

Half Shattered, in all of its tragic shortness, reveals a rather versatile band well-versed in its influences and strong in its delivery. There's no hiccups as the EP transitions from its rocky clatter to its more down tempo airy plod, rather it's smooth and still manages to maintain the forward momentum of the more fast-paced predecessors. Dull Edges can be noisy when they want to be and when they are it's deliberate, not the fault of a band that's terribly out of leagues or remarkably out of practice. But the Brooklyn rockers also clean up quite nicely as evidenced in the second more drone-inspired half of Half Shattered.  

Dull Edges is releasing "Screens" and "Big T" on a 7" next month so stay tuned for that. Until then, you can listen to Half Shattered on Bandcamp:

Watch: Writer - "Hot Days"

When I discovered recent San Francisco to Brooklyn transplants Writer (brothers Andy and James Ralph) at the far beginning of this year, I was eager to get anything resembling new music from them and while they've partially satiated that need with a couple 7" singles released sporadically throughout this year, it seems like next month I'll truly get my wish. You see, Writer are dropping a debut full length. Entitled Brotherface and streeting October 30th, it will no doubt featuring more of the Brothers Ralph's clamorous two-man garage rock and that's something to get excited about. There's no news yet on what we may find on there but it seems like "Hot Days" (from the duo's Barefoot Art 7" they released two years ago) has made the cut.

And they're ringing in the occasion with a brand new video. "Hot Days" takes a bit of a literal approach to its title taking place in the Mojave Desert. The band plays in various parts Joshua Tree National Park along with pretty choice visual effects and the result is pretty damn great. And gets me all riled up and fiending for Writer's debut full length so well played, Writer. Well played, indeed.



Writer's debut full length Brotherface is out October 30th so mark those calendars. It's going to be a rocking good time.

Writer - "Family Dinner"

The loudest duo in rock are back. No, I'm not talking about Sleigh Bells. San Fransisco transplants Writer are releasing a brand new 7" next month for sonic rabble-rouser "Family Dinner". Since seeing the duo open up for ARMS and Wintersleep last month, I've been looking forward to new music from them and the new track certainly doesn't disappoint - brimming with the same hyperactive energy and deluge of sound that made them instant favorites when I saw them live. Check out the new track here and if you like it, make sure to preorder the 7" while supplies last.

Pistop: Writer

Ever since catching Wildlife last Friday at Mercury Lounge, I've been in an uncharacteristic mood for loud, gritty rock music - a mood that has been properly satiated by Bay Area transplants Writer. As I watched them open up from ARMS at their recent Glasslands show one thing was abundantly clear: the brother duo make an astonishing amount of noise for two people. Each member impressively wielding a tambourine alongside drums or synthesizer, the brothers Andy and James Ralph play with an infectiously high energy and polished skill I was completely not expecting from an opening band. A pleasant start to what turned out to be an absolutely stacked display of talent. Writer's tunes feature a percussion-heavy focus filtered through a garage rock fuzz and adorned with ear-catching melodies - it's music that grips you tightly and jostles you around a bit from start to finish.

Writer "family dinner" from TERROREYES.TV on Vimeo.

New Yorkers are lucky to have the newly relocated San Diego band and those unfortunate enough to miss them at Glasslands, can see them at Mercury Lounge February 9th. So make sure you do that if you want to have your socks rocked off.