#wax bodega

[pretendpopstar]

Why Would I Watch by Hot Mulligan

The packaging for this album looks so pretty with the pink vinyl.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Home Is Where Interview: We’re Already Here

Photo by Texas Smith

BY JORDAN MAINZER

“It’s a whale.” That’s how Home Is Where vocalist Brandon MacDonald answered to me, over email, my question, “What’s the story behind the cover art?” referring to the front of their incredible sophomore record the whaler (Wax Bodega). On the surface, given the amount of energy she poured into writing and recording the record--along with performing the songs on a nightly basis--I don’t blame her for the brevity. Dig deeper, and the whaler is riddled with simple verses, or at least direct statements chiding life’s paradoxes. They come sandwiched between comparatively complex verses likening the world to a self-eating organism, an animal or a human devouring its own entrails in an act of desperation. In its 35-minute runtime, the whaler journeys through cultural and sociopolitical history, from 9/11 to the death of Dale Earnhardt (Florida’s 9/11, as MacDonald says). It’s an emo concept record whose concept isn’t that far-fetched: We live in a world where we’re getting used to every day life getting more horrifying.

You can understand why the whaler is a mere reflection of real life for the Palm Coast, Florida quartet. It’s been an emotionally trying few years for MacDonald, who suffered a nervous breakdown in 2021. As the band released their debut album i became birds to critical acclaim, rendering them the unofficial ambassadors of fifth-wave emo, MacDonald transitioned. But as a result of horrific anti-trans legislation passed earlier this year in Florida, both she and guitarist Tilley Komorny, also trans, left the home state they loved in order to protect themselves. With this added context, the emotional outpour of the whaler becomes all the more powerful. MacDonald describes it on opener “skin meadow” as “spilling guts to the gutless;” “Forgive me for giving a shit!” she barks, on a song that contrasts Komorny’s gorgeous, twinkling Midwest emo guitar arpeggios with warbling singing saw, horns, and gang vocals scream-chanting the title. In general, the instrumentation and composition on the whaler thrillingly wavers between emo/hardcore and Americana, sometimes within the same song, emphasizing the band’s influences, and something that’s actually a positive cultural output from this godforsaken country.

The narrator on the whaler--whether that’s MacDonald herself, a character, or a collection of characters--concerns themselves with how we interact with both other individuals and society as a whole. On “lily pad pupils”, the titular whaler kills whales because, simply, it’s what they do. “I am the whaler,” MacDonald repeats as if to give the narrator’s life meaning, over Komorny’s banjo and Dan Pot’s pedal steel. A hangman brings flowers to an execution. Everyone is trying to extract beauty from an ugly situation. On the flipside, the loveless couple at the altar on “yes! yes! a thousand times yes!” are lying to themselves and each other, faking normalcy, getting eaten up by mosquitos as the song transforms from disco beat to hardcore blast, their camouflage wearing off. “9/12″ consists of twinkly piano, a sample of children speaking, and a single line: “And on September 12th, 2001, everyone went back to work.” It recalls the oft-memed picture of George W. Bush reading to a classroom, dumbfounded as he’s being told that planes have crashed into the Twin Towers. Everyone’s numb, and nobody knows how to react or move on. On a smaller scale, the twangy “daytona 500″ illustrates the cyclical aftermath of localized death: “Animal control came to collect last night’s roadkill form the roadside / Where fathers of drunk drivers plant a cross / For their loss when the wreck is hauled off,” MacDonald sings. Her sneer, knotty delivery, and imagery all recall Jeff Mangum, an admitted influence, from fever dreams of fluids and loose teeth to “lips knitted kissin' like pigeons shittin' on windshields.”

If there’s a line on the whaler that acts as the album’s thesis statement, it’s on “whaling for sport”. MacDonald knocks down the idea of a traditional higher being when she sings, “An all-knowing God doesn’t know what it’s like / To not know anything at all.” Twenty three years ago, Isaac Brock sang, “The universe is shaped exactly like the Earth / If you go straight long enough, you’ll end up where you were,” and MacDonald’s pearls of wisdom recall a similar idea. The folks uniquely positioned to comment on our hell-scape are not the usual talking heads--they’re the ones who on “chris farley” watch as a garden grows over a buried body, who on “floral organs” are “spitting teeth into each other's mouths back and forth until we make a smile.” The wheels of their racecars spin and spin, until they lurch into forward motion, even if they crash. the whaler ends on a tape loop, the same as the start of “skin meadow”. We wake up and do it all over again.

In the middle of their tour, MacDonald was nice enough to answer a few questions over email about the whaler, her writing style and mindset, and playing live. Read our exchange below, edited for length and clarity.

Photo credit: Texas Smith (Prairie Creek Productions)

Since I Left You: the whaler imagines a world where every day is 9/11 and we've become numb to tragedy. How close do you think we are to that world in reality?

Brandon MacDonald: Reality is subjective and easily manipulated. I wouldn't recognize it if you pointed it out. We’re already here. We've been here for a long time.

SILY: As sad as it is, some folks become numb to tragedy as a means of self-protection. Would you say that's the case for any of the characters on the record?

BM: I don't see it as self protection, I just see it as what happens after being inflicted with endless tragedy. The characters on the record are all different people, and at the same time, the same person. I don't feel protected by the numbness, just bored and afraid.

SILY: There's some tongue-in-cheek humor on the record, from Florida lore to a song named after Chris Farley. How important is humor to you as a coping mechanism, writing strategy, or both?

BM: My grandmother always says after something rough happens that, “If I didn’t laugh, I’d cry.” That's where some of the funny comes from. It’s hysterical and unnerving.

SILY: Despite the song "9/12", you've posited that 9/11 was the true turning point in our history, a before-and-after type event. Do you feel that way about any other world events or eras, even if not quite as impactful?

BM: When Dale Earnhardt died. That was Florida's 9/11. Praise Dale.

SILY: Were there any newfound musical influences on the record?

BM: Not really. We just stuck to what we like. Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Joan Of Arc, Hank Williams. things like that.

SILY: Do you pay attention to reviews of your music or what the general public says about it? Has your relationship to the record changed at all since it's come out?

BM: I see some--I don't really think about it too much. The record is complicated for me because the writing happened during a really dark period, but recording it and touring on it has been the most fun I've had. I like that some folks like it.

SILY: The record has such a wide array of instruments on it. How do you adapt these songs to a live performance?

BM: We have very different approaches to playing them live than in the studio. I want the songs live to be intimate and fun. In the studio, I can't help but want to add layers and mess around. Some of the more dense songs are strange to play at first, but folks don’t seem to mind the absence of certain instruments. Maybe we don’t need them at all?

SILY: You recently shared a tribute compilation for I Became Birds. Even if not part of the same "scene," how would you describe the kinship you feel with the bands that were included on there?

BM: I don't really know what the scene is. I just have some friends, and they make good music. I admire all the acts on the comp. We all owe a lot to Heccra for what all of us are doing with music, whether we know it or not. He's the first.

SILY: What's next for Home Is Where?

BM: LP3. DVD copy of Barnyard.

Home Is Where tour dates:

7/13/2023 Nashville, TN Drkmttr 7/14/2023 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade 7/15/2023 Orlando, FL Wills Pub 9/13/2023 Phoenix, AZ The Rebel Lounge 9/14/2023 Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room 9/15/2023 Los Angeles, CA Knitting Factory NoHo 9/16/2023 Berkeley, CA 924 Gilman 9/19/2023 Portland, OR Holocene 9/20/2023 Seattle, WA El Corazón 9/22/2023 Salt Lake City, UT The Beehive 9/23/2023 Colorado Springs, CO Vultures

[gbhbl]

EP Review: Knuckle Puck - Disposable Life (Wax Bodega)

Let the pop-punk flow through you, don’t fight it, join Knuckle Puck on this journey of thoughtful, self-reflecting and smile-inducing pop-punk.

Knuckle Puck, one of the aggressive pop-punk genre’s preeminent forces, will release their brand-new EP “Disposable Life” on the 4th of February 2022 on Wax Bodega. The five song EP is comprised of 4 original tracks and a cover of Blink 182’s ‘Here’s Your Letter’ from their 2003 self-titled release. Vocalist Joe Taylor describes the EP, which follows last year’s LP 2020, as a throwback to when…

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[beginagain--]

Knuckle Puck Announce EP 'Disposable Life' Out 4th February 2022 on Wax Bodega

Knuckle Puck Announce EP ‘Disposable Life’ Out 4th February 2022 on Wax Bodega

Knuckle Puck, one of the aggressive pop-punk genre’s preeminent forces have today announced a brand new EP “Disposable Life” (produced by Seth Henderson to be released 4th February 2022 on Wax Bodega. The record opens with “Gasoline,” which premieres today.  A mid-tempo pop punk thunder clap that hammers home the record’s thesis on its chorus and plans for a radical new reality: “With every day…

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[stevenvenn]

pronoun - I Wanna Die But I Can’t (Cuz I Gotta Keep Living) (from OMG I Made It) John played this tune again on the Morning Show on KEXP and it’s one of those singles that I keep hearing and finally thought “I need to know more about that.” Looking forward to her new album out on June 10th!

[bthenoise]

Listen Up: Here Are Hot Mulligan’s Four Favorite Records To Jam On 4/20

Today, we’re here to celebrate two things: Excellent music and marijuana. And with that, who better to help out than alt-emo shredders Hot Mulligan.

Fresh off the release of their boppy new single “Pop Shuvit (Hall Of Meat, Duh),” we asked the Michigan natives to list their goto records for today’s national hippie holiday, 4/20.    

To check out which artists they’ll be jamming out to today while possibly enjoying some laughing grass or devil's lettuce, be sure to look below. Afterward, make sure to pre-order Hot Mulligan’s new five-track EP I Won’t Reach Out To You before it hits stores May 28th via Wax Bodega.

Ryan “Spice” Malicsi:

My 4/20 album is Elevator Music for an Elevated Mood by Cory Wong. It has absolutely nothing to do with weed but it’s pretty much ‘Good Vibes: the Album.’ Get sautéed and shake your ass or stare into the wall and wonder how trombones work.

Nathan “Tades” Sanville:

Homey by CHON. I don’t smoke weed, this is just me generally saying CHON is good. It’s loud, chaotic, and pretty. It’s like the audio equivalent of a kaleidoscope.

Brandon Blakeley:

My weed album would have to be I Do Perceive by Owen. It’s so chill and they’re the perfect songs to let your brain float away to.

Chris Freeman:

My goto 4/20 album is Passive Me, Aggressive You by The Naked and Famous. It’s just great for the time of year when all the snow is gone for the first time and you’re listening to music in the car with the windows down. It’s good stoner music too if you want to get lost in the synths.

[t3hrecords]

Head on over to www.waxbodega.com to get a limited edition screen print from McCafferty AND see them live in-store on July 1st acoustic

[pleasantmag]

Shows in Cle: Summer Bummer

Looking for something to do this weekend? Head over to Mahalls / Wax Bodega to catch Summer Bummer this weekend in Cleveland presented by BravoArtist! There are so many great bands on this show such as local rockers McCafferty and Dead Leaves (first local show in months!) as well as touring act Born Without Bones (who put out one of the best records). Best part about this? The show is only $5!!! #gettothegig