Snowball ii shares “Groan’s” via Buzz Bands LA & announces May residency at Silverlake Lounge
STREAM: “Groan’s” –
SoundCloud / Buzz Bands LA
Photo by Sienna Rose Moffitt
Los Angeles’ own chameleonic shoegaze, indie rock, and noise collective Snowball ii has announced the release of their third full-length album in the first year since the band’s formation. The album is titledFlashes of Quincy. Just as on the first two Snowball ii albums, band leader/producer Jackson Wargo took on nearly all instrumental responsibilities on these recordings; although, the album’s first single offers a very rare and special guest appearance by Kurt Heasley—founder and frontman of influential ‘90s shoegaze band Lilys. The first singles— “Anais & Me” and “Groan’s”—exemplifies yet another unpredictable stylistic departure from Snowball II’s dreamy and acoustic sophomore release Doughnut Holes—which itself was a drastic generic departure from their feedback drenched shoegaze debut album enigmatically entitled ?. Flashes of Quincy is slated for release mid-February 2017.
With this new album, Snowball ii has resurrected and revived both the musical spirit and the production vision of classic 1990s indie rock—one is apt to expect Flashes of Quincy to have been recorded not in 2016, but in 1996—when Wargo was a mere four years old. Keeping a DIY spirit, each of these songs was written, produced, performed, recorded, and mixed by Wargo himself at his personal studio in Southern California called The Doughnut Shop. Though Wargo has taken on each of the myriad of roles needed to make this unique album, the skill that stands out as strongest is his songwriting. Flashes of Quincy comprises ten exceptionally catchy songs that are filled with substantive lyrics that are as intricate as they are articulate.
In addition to producing three full-length albums in a single year, Snowball ii also wrote and recorded a song for Gavin Weisen’s film The Runaround (to be released 2017), performed a Daytrotter session, contributed two songs to a Lilys tribute album sponsored by The Blog That Celebrates Itself, and contributed a cover of Cloud’s song “Desperation Club” for Practice Room Records’ compilation Secret Admirer.
Snowball ii is forging their way into the sonic future with a pastiche of textures that have been both forgotten for decades and new sounds that make Flashes of Quincy a refreshingly memorable record that piques one’s curiosity to know just what this band will do next.
Tour Dates:
05/05 Los Angeles, CA – Silverlake Lounge
05/12 Los Angeles, CA – Silverlake Lounge
05/19 Los Angeles, CA – Silverlake Lounge
05/26 Los Angeles, CA – Silverlake Lounge
Snowball ii
Flashes of Quincy
(Independent/Doughnut Records)
Street Date: Feb. 10, 2017
Track List:
1. Anais & Me
2. Groan’s
3. Sear ‘Em!
4. CR-VUC
5. Resident of the United States (What Gives?)
6. Your Occasion
7. Appositive Stream
8. Meet Yr Dad
9. I Exist
10. Is All
SNOWBALL ii LINKS:
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