drag city
Cory Hanson delivers a rare combination: clever arrangements and emotional heft. ‘I Love People’ feels like a continuation of 2023’s Western Cum, conjuring up dusty roads and shimmering horizons with rolling country-rock and mature piano ballads. Nailing this many styles is tough, but Hanson’s surefooted songwriting weaves the disparate elements into a vivid, unapologetically American tapestry with an almost magical precision.
Electronic trio Bitchin Bajas announce their new album, Inland See, arriving September 26th on Drag City. Mostly written on the road and recorded live at Electrical Audio, the album captures the band’s raw, spacious sound. Watch the visualiser for their lead single, “Skylarking”. The band will support the release with an extensive North American tour, including dates with Stereolab.
Faun Fables’ Counterclockwise is a strange, beguiling musical world. Overall, the record is an exploration of time, not simply thematically, for it also shifts perspectives, delighting in the head-spinning effect these shifting sands can have on your senses. It is a deep and eccentric work, but ultimately a deeply satisfying experience, with so many recognisable elements that you cannot help but sense a welcome familiarity too.
Recorded during last year’s 4-night residency at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, Bill Callahan has released ‘What a Night!’, a live digital 12-track album. Accompanied by Jim White on drums, watch the live video for Cowboy, which is completely unlike the studio version on 2020’s ‘Gold Record’. Bill Callahan’s UK/EU Tour kicks off today.
Eiko Ishibashi and Jim O’Rourke have announced their fifth collaborative album, Pareidolia (August 29th, Drag City). Alongside the announcement, they have shared the title track and an accompanying video, directed by Mark Focus. The human tendency to perceive meaningful images in random patterns is known as pareidolia. It’s a concept that perfectly captures the essence of this new release.
Sharpie Smile, the reimagined duo of Dylan Hadley and Cole Berliner, unveil their debut album, The Staircase, on June 27th. Formerly Kamikaze Palm Tree, they’ve embraced a lush, contemporary pop sound. Showcased in their new video for “The Slide,” the album promises a dream-like expedition through “minimal/maximal electronic production and deep feels.” Get ready to ascend.
Taken from his new album, I Love People (July 25th, Drag City), Cory Hanson’s latest single turns to the “bard of the Big Rotten Apple”, Lou Reed. He sings – “You were a prince and a fighter / and you were a tai chi master,” to form a tender elegy for Reed, an artist known for his wit, laughter, and affection for humanity.
The ever-prolific trio of Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, and Andreas Werliin are completing their Ghosted trilogy. Out August 29th via Drag City, Ghosted III promises a looser, wilder evolution of their signature atmospheric groove. Lead single “Yek” showcases this newfound immediacy, a vibrant and jangling excursion that quickly elevates from a hypnotic roll into a transcendent jam, hinting at the expansive, genre-flirting energy of the full album.
Cory Hanson’s new single “Bird on a Swing” offers a more reflective, sepia-toned sound from past works. Featuring the same core band from Wand’s Vertigo album, the track blends ’70s singer-songwriter influences with lush, Hollywood’esque production. Along with it’s poignant lyrics (“I gave it all up to the empire”), it highlights a shift towards an “impartial view of life on the ground.”
Ty Segall’s new album, Possession, drops on Drag City tomorrow (May 30th). As previously shared, Ty enlisted his old friend and longtime collaborator, filmmaker Matt Yoka, to write with him. Shared today, Matt also directed, produced, and edited the video for ‘Buildings’, which was shot in Downtown Los Angeles and Porter Street Studio.