We Owe Shares “Illogical Thinking” Single + Video via EARMILK
Major Inconvenience LP
Out December 1 via Mothland
We Owe — the solo project of Brooklyn-based musician Christopher Pravdica (Swans, Xiu Xiu, The Gunga Din, etc) — recently returned with the announcement of his sophomore LP, Major Inconvenience, due December 1 via Mothland.
Following the recent release of the LP’s first single, “Time Suck“, Pravdica shares the record’s second cut, “Illogical Thinking“, a psychedelic ballad about mentally processing phenomenons for which there is no rational explanation. Also introducing elements from dream pop and chamber pop, the song sets in motion a soothing array of melodic counterpoints – whether provided by vocals, choirs, synthesizers, the piano or the guitar – sustained by a steady stream of groovy percussion…perhaps, the perfect soundtrack for therapeutic make-believe.
On the track’s origins, Pravdica wrote: “So, for a few months, I got a bit obsessed with the concept of Bigfoot. ‘Illogical Thinking’ is about the mental process I went through in regards to that obsession.”
Video director Jim Larsen continued,
“The famous computer scientist Alan Perlis said: ‘A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God,’ and for a song called ‘Illogical Thinking,’ I thought it would be interesting to have a bunch of AI-generated imagery of people in churches worshipping.
The song is really pretty but also kind of sinister, much like a lot of the Bible Belt where I live in North Carolina. You’ll be driving through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and then, suddenly, see a cross with ‘Blood Redemption Secured’ painted on it with arrows pointing down a dirt road to an old church. So, I filmed some of those landscapes with a drone to give a bird/God’s eye view, then dropped in some AI animations with unique prompts like ‘Bikini Baptism’ and that was that!”
Major Inconvenience is aptly described by sole-member Christopher Pravdica (Swans, Xiu Xiu, The Gunga Din, etc.) as “post-alternative.” Informed by industrial, experimental music and avant-garde pop, this sophomore release from the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is genre-bending, musically elusive and lyrically confounding; an inventive strand of electronic music bordering anti-pop, synthpunk and post-rock.
Over 11 tracks à géométrie variable, Pravdica devises musical mazes where synthesizers abound, the line between drum machine and acoustic percussion is blurred, and guitar riffing is usually the affair of bulkier four-string models commonly referred to as bass guitars. Whether endorsing the act of wasting time, providing ludicrous dream interpretations or musing about a couple from Pompeii having sex at the base of an erupting volcano, the Brooklynite manages to induce complex emotions ranging from a perplexed frown all the way to a collusive grin.
We Owe’s Major Inconvenience is self-produced, but also features timely contributions from longtime friends: Thor Harris (Swans, Xiu Xiu),Phil Puelo (Swans), and TRZTN. The full-length drops on December 1st, 2023 via Montréal boutique label Mothland, and should please fans of Nine Inch Nails, Throbbing Gristle, or Björk.
As Pravdica wrote of the forthcoming full-length project:
“I don’t believe in inspiration as much as I believe in determination. My mind is full of crap, and any number of random thoughts lead to ideas. What remains is just the determination to see them through. So basically, it’s my entire life, and everything I’ve ever heard or seen or imagined, captured in one moment of determination.
When writing for We Owe, I use the bass guitar a lot, usually many tracks at the same time. I mix drum samples and real percussion. I use synths up the wazoo, a smattering of guitar, and other instruments depending on the song.
As for collaborators, Thor [Harris] is my old pal. He and I have made a lot of music together, and traveled the world together in Swans and Xiu Xiu. TRZTN is my even older pal, with whom I’ve also made a lot of music, including with Services and Flux Information Sciences. We have also traveled the world together. My pal Phil [Puelo] is from the band Cop Shoot Cop, and we both played in Human Impact together, as well as with Swans.”
Major Inconvenience – TRACKLISTING:
01. Time Suck
02. Illogical Thinking
03. Only One (feat. Thor Harris & TRZTN)
04. Slight Inconvenience (feat. Phil Puleo)
05. Pyramid (feat. Thor Harris)
06. Get That Felt Feeling
07. What’s This for Funny
08. Forthwith
09. Immured
10. Wet Nurse
11. I Wanna Die
WE OWE LINKS
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