Loma – 7th Level Music

Cross Record’s new single, “PYSOL My Castle,” is a lovely meditation.

“What is your wish? What do you expect?” begins Cross Record’s self-titled album, due August 2nd via Ba Da Bing! Throughout, Emily Cross attempts to answer these questions as she guides the listener, delivering a textured soundscape of meditative curiosity. The album is primarily anchored by Cross’s singing, as she pushes her range and engages with a multitude of different approaches, detuning her voice and obstructing its clarity in specific moments. Cross Record presents the lead single, “PYSOL My Castle,” and an accompanying, self-directed video.

Since the release of Cross Record’s last album, 2016’s Wabi Sabi, the Austin, TX-based Cross has divorced, quit drinking, become a death doula, started the observational podcast “What I’m Looking At,” and toured and recorded with Sub Pop’s Loma, the trio she formed with Dan Duszynski and Jonathan Meiburg (Shearwater). Having recorded Wabi Sabi at home between work and sleep hours, Cross did the opposite for Cross Record, writing the album while living on a secluded part of Mexico’s coast. The album was recorded with musician Andrew Hulett and co-producer Theo Karon, and the songs realized their ultimate forms at Hotel Earth, Karon’s studio in Los Angeles. The collaborative atmosphere of Loma challenged Cross to experiment with her sound, leading to a collection of fully-developed songs with percussion, string arrangements, and an expanded production. Though her voice is always central, the instrumentation is equally nuanced and experimental.

In her songs, Cross reconciles her present state of being with her experiences of the past few years. Themes of departure and separation were inspired by her new role as a death doula, which helps clients navigate decisions and hardships at the end of life. Cross’s work in helping others face their greatest fears inhabits the same space as her art, which has always explored the metaphysical in the everyday. Across the album, she looks inward and observes the transcendental – framing death as a spiritual departure and considering the fragility and resilience of the mind. The eerie experience of listening to Cross Record and the unsettling sense of songs slipping from coherent grasp share these same sensibilities.

Lead single “PYSOL My Castle” is immediate proof of Cross’s introspection. Inspired by a visit to an overstimulating Mexican street market, the track describes her search for an unencumbered mindspace: “Walking through the plaza in a dream // All these people reaching out // touching me. I cannot take what you are giving // You cannot break the bubble I’m living in.”

Watch the Video for “PYSOL My Castle” – https://youtu.be/5s4-B4h6ANQ

Pre-order Cross Record – https://bit.ly/30MqQjK Cross Record Tracklist: 1.What Is Your Wish? 2. Licorice 3. Face Smashed, Drooling 4. PYSOL My Castle 5. I Release You 6. The Fly 7. Hollow Garden 8. Y/o Dragon 9. An Angel, a Dove 10. Sing the Song 11. I Am Painting

Keep your mind open.

[Put your shoes on and walk over to the subscription box while you’re here.]

Loma release “Joy” from upcoming album due February 16th.

LOMA SHARE NEW SINGLE, “JOY”

https://youtu.be/IMUApFRVfRw

SELF-TITLED, DEBUT ALBUM OUT FEBRUARY 16TH ON SUB POP

(photo credit – Bryan C. Parker)

Loma, the new project comprised of Jonathan Meiburg, best known as the singer of Shearwater, and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record, will release their self-titled debut album on February 16th via Sub Pop, with their first North American and overseas tour to follow and more dates to be announced. After presenting singles “Black Willow” and “Relay Runner,” Loma shares the first song the trio wrote and recorded together, “Joy,” a song about the giddy, terrifying experience of falling in love, especially against your better judgment. Of that initial session, Meiburg noted “There was something special about the combination of the three of us, and very different from either of our bands. But I think we were afraid to say so out loud, for fear of jinxing it. I remember the hairs on the back of my neck standing up when Emily hit that high, screaming note on the clarinet on ‘Joy’; it sounded like a human voice.” That sense of discovery, stoked by the album’s urgent and searching lyrical themes, is felt throughout the entirety of Loma and extends to the listener.

Listen to Loma’s “Joy” –
https://youtu.be/IMUApFRVfRw

Watch:
“Black Willow” Video – https://youtu.be/u4yA8zM0ifY
“Relay Runner” Video – https://youtu.be/GAIeORh7TLs

Pre-order Loma –
http://smarturl.it/loma

Loma Tour Dates:
Fri. Apr. 6 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Sun. Apr. 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bootleg
Wed. Apr. 11 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Fri. Apr. 13 – Portland, OR @ MS Studios
Sat. Apr. 14 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
Tue. Apr. 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Thu. April 19 – Taos, NM @ Taos Mesa Brewing
Sat. Apr. 21 – Austin, TX @ North Door
Thu. April 26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Fri. April 27 – Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
Sat. April 28 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room
Tue. May 1 – Charlottesville, NC @ The Southern
Wed. May 2 – Washington, DC @ DC9
Fri. May 4 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Sat. May 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Sun. May 6 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott
Tue. May 8 – Montreal, QC @ L’Esco
Wed. May 9 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
Thu. May 10 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx
Fri. May 11 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Fri. May 25 – Kortrijk, BE @ De Kreun
Sat. May 26 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso (London Calling)
Sun. May 27 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
Wed. May 30 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope
Thu. May 31 – London, UK @ Lexington
Fri. June 1 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
Sun. June 3 – Manchester, UK @ Gullivers
Mon. June 4 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House
Tue. June 5 – Glasgow, UK @ Hug and Pint
Thu. June 7 – Dublin, IE @ Whelan’s
Fri. June 8 – Liverpool, UK @ Buyers Club

Download hi-res press images and album art –
www.pitchperfectpr.com/loma/

Loma release new single, “Relay Runner,” from upcoming album.

LOMA, NEW PROJECT BY SHEARWATER’S JONATHAN MEIBURG
AND CROSS RECORD, SHARE NEW SINGLE, “RELAY RUNNER,”
AND ANNOUNCE WEST COAST/SOUTHWEST TOUR

https://youtu.be/Rd2n_0m5xgI

SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM OUT FEBRUARY 16TH VIA SUB POP

Photo Credit: Bryan C. Parker
“‘Black Willow’ is a painting with darker contours than anything on [Cross Records’] Wabi-Sabi or Shearwaters’ most recent album Jet Plane and Oxbow, while retaining the depth and confidence of each.” — NPR Music

“the group graces us with some beautifully mystical vibes in the form of the devastating, ASMR-inducing [‘Black Willow’]” — Gorilla vs. Bear

“’Black Willow’ is a sinewy and chilly track that feels expansive as Emily Cross and Meiburg’s vocals intertwine.” — Stereogum

Loma, the new project comprised of Jonathan Meiburg, best known as the singer of Shearwater, and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record, will release their self-titled debut album on February 16th via Sub Pop. A product of a joint pilgrimage around the globe by fellow touring musicians, it’s a beautifully detailed and emotionally rich album that reveals a band obsessed with songs as sound. After presenting the lead single, “Black Willow,” the trio now shares “Relay Runner.” As Meiburg describes it, “’Relay Runner’ was the happiest accident on the record. We discovered it when we wired up a tremolo pedal the wrong way, and got this funny, stuttering loop – and then we built a whole song around that sound. The last thing we did in the mix was erase the loop, which had gone from inspiring the song to ruining it! But it made sense that what was left underneath was a song about how to escape from a sealed room.”

In creating Loma, the trio convened in a house in the Texas hill country over a few months during a strangely charged time. When they began recording, Cross and Duszynski were a married couple, but their relationship ended during the sessions—an atmosphere Meiburg found both challenging and inspiring—and the isolated house became the album’s muse. Dogs wandered by the microphones; the sounds of birds and wind in junipers and live oaks hovered at the borders of the songs. A close listen to new single “Relay Runner” even reveals cicadas and frogs from a nearby stream. Except for Cross’s translucent voice in the foreground, there were no assigned roles on the album; each member of the trio played every instrument as needed. This feeling of freedom let buried energies find expression. Cross wrung catharsis from Meiburg’s lyrics and melodies, while Duszynski immersed himself in the engineering and mixing.

Loma is now available for preorder from Sub Pop and select independent retailers http://smarturl.it/loma. North American preorders of the limited Loser edition will be available on clear vinyl with red and black swirlies (while supplies last). A new T-shirt design will also be available.
Stream Loma’s “Relay Runner” –

https://youtu.be/Rd2n_0m5xgI

Watch Loma’s “Black Willow” Video –

https://youtu.be/u4yA8zM0ifY

Pre-order Loma –

http://smarturl.it/loma

Keep your mind open.

[Run over to the subscription box and subscribe.]

Loma release haunting “Black Willow” from upcoming debut.

LOMA, NEW PROJECT BY SHEARWATER’S JONATHAN MEIBURG AND CROSS RECORD, ANNOUNCE SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM, OUT FEBRUARY 16TH ON SUB POP

WATCH VIDEO FOR LEAD SINGLE, “BLACK WILLOW”
https://youtu.be/u4yA8zM0ifY

Photo Credit: Bryan C. Parker
Loma, the new project comprised of Jonathan Meiburg, best known as the singer of Shearwater, and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record, will release their self-titled debut album on February 16th via Sub Pop. A product of a joint pilgrimage around the globe by fellow touring musicians, it’s a beautifully detailed and emotionally rich album that reveals a band obsessed with songs as sound. Today, the trio presents the video for the album’s final song and lead single, “Black Willow.”

Meiburg, Duszynski and Cross became friends when Cross Record, on their first-ever tour, supported Shearwater throughout America and Europe in 2016. “I couldn’t believe all that sound was coming out of two people,” Meiburg says. “They were mesmerizing.” In the van or at soundchecks, they shared their musical knowledge and love of nature and animals, and after an especially memorable show in Belgium, Meiburg approached Cross and Duszynski about working together. “I fell in love with their music,” he admits, “and I wanted to know how they did it.”

The trio convened in a house in the Texas hill country to see what would happen, and quickly realized an album was imminent. “There was something powerful about the combination of the three of us,” Meiburg says, “and very different from either of our bands. But I think we were afraid to say so out loud, for fear of jinxing it.” For the next few months, Loma met for two weeks at a time, shaping and revising new songs and casting others away.

It was also a strangely charged time. When the album began, Cross and Duszynski were a married couple, but their relationship ended during the sessions—an atmosphere Meiburg found both challenging and inspiring—and the isolated house became the album’s muse. Dogs wanderered by the microphones; the sounds of birds and wind in junipers and live oaks hovered at the borders of the songs, and a close listen reveals cicadas and frogs from a nearby stream. Except for Cross’s translucent voice in the foreground, there were no assigned roles on the album; each member of the trio played every instrument as needed.

This feeling of freedom let buried energies find expression. Cross wrung catharsis from Meiburg’s lyrics and melodies, while Duszynski immersed himself in the sonic details of engineering and mixing. In the end, the record became a document of an urgent and ephemeral place and time, and the strength that comes with letting go of something precious. It closes, fittingly, with the subtly defiant marching anthem of “Black Willow,” in which Cross’s voice, backed by a hypnotic bass and drums, offers a lesson in survival. “When I walk,” she sings, “I carry a diamond blade.” She means it.

Loma is now available for preorder from Sub Pop and select independent retailers [http://smarturl.it/loma]. North American preorders of the limited Loser edition will be available on clear vinyl with red and black swirlies (while supplies last). A new T-shirt design will also be available.
Watch Loma’s “Black Willow” Video –
https://youtu.be/u4yA8zM0ifY

Loma Tracklist:
1. Who Is Speaking?
2. Dark Oscillations
3. Joy
4. I Don’t Want Children
5. Relay Runner
6. White Glass
7. Sundogs
8. Jornada
9. Shadow Relief
10. Black Willow

Pre-order Loma –
http://smarturl.it/loma