This Friday, West Philadelphia’s folk/slowcore project ther (T͟Hər) release their new album, a horrid whisper echoes in a palace of endless joy. The band is helmed by mastering and recording engineer Heather Jones, as well as members of indie rock band Sadurn and West Philly duo Crooks & Nannies.
Among Jones’ recent mix and engineering credits is Deer Scout’s highly acclaimed Carpark Records debut album Woodpecker (reviewed here). In her own songwriting, Jones writes about baseball, communism, the expansiveness of love, the possibilities of a better future through working-class solidarity, and the power of community – elements of which are reflected in “big papi lassos the moon”, named after the baseball player David Ortiz.
Speaking to “big papi lassos the moon”, Jones says; “I wrote ‘big papi’ shortly after David Ortiz was shot in the Dominican Republic. I was thinking a lot about how the american empire and other forces of global capitalism make us unwitting participants in their schemes, against the interests of ourselves and our communities. Since I was a kid we watched ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ every christmas, and I think about how even George Bailey has a moment where he shares a cigar with Potter, and how we are all comprised of both naive kids dreaming of the moon, and desperate people tempted by evil to secure our individual futures. The song title is a convoluted metaphor.“
‘big papi lassos the moon’ is also our Song of the Day.
a horrid whisper echoes in a palace of endless joy is being released on 14 April 2023.
Pre-order via Bandcamp (also available as a Limited Edition Cassette Release)