TICKETS AT THE DOOR! DOORS 7/MUSIC 8
Writhing Squares bring no disappointment, slump or stumble. The band is as restless and as ragged as ever on the new LP. Built from the embers of space rock and punk while chasing the same fevered hallucinations that haunted the ‘70s German Progressive set, Out Of The Ether imagines a less meditative method than the rhythmic wranglers that came before them. Storming through the halls of Hawkwind’s leather n’ lather vibes with whiffs of Amon Düül II piped in one speaker and The Contortions piped in the other, Writhing Squares aren’t here to get Kosmiche. - Raven Sings the Blues

Tendrils of atmospheric synths and hallucinatory textures draw the listener into Cultural Payout, the debut album from Brooklyn’s Gift Horse. Comprised of Jonathan Schenke (P.E., Eaters) and Matthew Hord (Pop. 1280, Fine Place), the duo dive deep into leftfield beats and hardware electronics across the span of six sprawling songs. Shadowy melodies, cracked rhythms, and nostalgic bliss swirl together, transporting their audience through potent memories and unfamiliar landscapes alike.

Schenke and Hord trace their connections back to the smoke-stained Chicago experimental scene (where Hord started the beloved band Running), and reconnected years later in Brooklyn. After repeatedly crossing paths both onstage and in the studio, the two decided to experiment writing together, setting up their synths and drum machines for an extended weekend in early 2022 at Schenke’s Studio Windows. That fruitful session laid the foundations for their debut, and – in between other projects, tours, and a debut sold out show at Union Pool – the duo wrote and refined the album over the course of the year. Cultural Payout is out this summer on Ryley Walker’s Husky Pants Records.


RIYL: Global Communication, early Autechre, Primitive Painter, CS + Kreme, psilocybin