For fans of : Talking Heads, The Cars, Cold War Kids, The Walkmen, The Black Keys, Television, The Strokes
BROOKLYN, NY // April 19, 2016: Three piece Barkhouse are set to release their newest record Neverdays on Friday, May 13th. Following the success of their previous release Wolves At The Wall on Wreckroom Records Neverdays is the band’s moodiest most evocative offering yet. Order it on iTunes presale and catch Barkhouse live at the release show on May 15th at Mercury Lounge.
iTunes Presale – LINK
The boys will be celebrating with an EP release show at Mercury Lounge, in Manhattan, NY on Sunday, May 15th along side The Glazzies, Weakend Friends and Fruit and Flowers. Details and tix [HERE] !
A Few Words from SwitchBitch Noise: We just received a pre-release preview of Barkhouse’s latest effort Neverdays and holy hell are we happy campers (as opposed to crappy hampers)! On an almost every-day-basis, my ears are filled with tons of lifeless cookie cutter recordings that live and die in our trash bin, but not today. I don’t know how Barkhouse managed to be so versatile in just four short tracks, yet remain coherent and aesthetically fitting, but they sure did it, and did it gracefully and seamlessly! We start the EP off with the title track:
- Neverdays rips this EP open with a crunch vibe-y rhythm section featuring an upbeat guitar riff pairing with simple yet heavy drums and bass. As the intro enters the verse, the dynamics drop as vocalist/guitarist Will de Zengotita enters with some wacky eerie inflections reminiscent of what could be the hell child of Captain Beefheart and O’death. This track although frequently flowing from both loud to soft, remains pulsing and kept my head bobbing the entire listen.
- Salinas : A complete 180 from “Neverdays”, “Salinas” drops down in tempo to some chill island-like jams. Reverb and slap back is bumped on the guitars as vocals are taken down a notch with an almost lazy and endearing out of tune performance. The different parts of this track are glued together with a very Karma Police type Wurlitzer lick. Even the bridge’s guitar solo is super mellow and lazy as if Will isn’t particularly in search of the right notes, but more-so whatever his fingers feel like doing.
- Calendar : Lets get those funky dance shoes out and dance our way through the 80’s as that driving kick and bass forces your body to move. Did Timothy Schmit of The Eagles come in, hog tie Barkhouse bassist, Jay Mort, and lay down these bass lines? Very memorable, captivating and groovy as fuck!
- The Fever : What a closing to Neverdays. “The Fever” is a brilliant track with one of the catchiest chorus’ I’ve heard in a long time. Although somber, it still makes me want to stand up, pump my fist and chant with the boys “oh, oh, common, pack your things and go – oh, oh, the cars waiting outside…” However, I would have liked to hear the chorus once more before the track ended, but luckily the outro is extended and could almost be a chorus all in itself.
Cheers to these boys for putting together a solid EP. Everything from the songwriting to the performances is perfect! If I were to give any criticisms, I would say that the way the music was chopped and edited out around the “woo” in track 1 “Neverdays”, I would have done without. Aesthetically the entire recording has a very raw yet polished production approach, but that one thing really stood out to me in a jarring and overproduced way, but hey, it’s just my opinion, and who the fuck am I? Definitely grab this EP when it drops on May 13th, these kids deserve to be huge. Lets get em there team!
Thanks for sending this along,
Michael Abiuso
Exclusively Stream ‘Neverdays’ below:
Biography: At first Barkhouse was an event, a one-night show designed by Will de Zengotita, to showcase some long hidden material. Will was joined by several musicians that night, including old companions Jay Mort and Olmo Tighe. Ignited by the “Barkhouse” show these three would go on to form a new band of the same name. Even as the writing became a shared endeavor, their songs have continued with the same sincerity and intensity that characterized those first offerings. Now well established in the Brooklyn music scene Barkhouse are set to release Neverdays on May 13, 2016, this is their moodiest and most evocative offering yet. Barkhouse has drawn comparisons to older acts like The Cars and Talking Heads as well as newer bands like Cold War Kids or The Walkmen but hopefully you’ll enjoy finding out for yourself
Connect with Barkhouse:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud | Bandcamp | YouTube
What the Press is Saying:
“Sometimes a song is so fast-paced and gnarly, it makes you feel like you’re a superhuman badass, and Brooklyn band Barkhouse’s new tune, ‘Oh No!’ does just that.” – VICE’s Noisey
“‘Wolves At The Wall’ is a bluesy concoction of rock and soul that will have you thinking of Cold War Kids and Steely Dan.” – All Things Go
“This five-track EP has us grinning from ear-to-ear and wondering how in the hell they aren’t bigger yet. Regardless of whatever reason that may be, it won’t be long.” – The Music Ninja
“Holy shit, this is good! ‘Wolves At The Wall’ is the perfect blend of blues, rock and soul recorded with grit and determination that rings through the music. This EP is just fantastic!” – Rock and Roll Guru
“It’s been a long long time since the outer-boros of New York City have produced an ensemble of talented song-crafters such as the band Barkhouse.” – Jimmy Lloyd (NBC)“Cool, talented, smart” – Adrian Grenier“Will de Zengotita always threatened to be an amazing singer. Now he’s made good on that promise with vocals that are every bit as arresting as soul greats like Gary U.S. Bonds or white rock icons like Joe Strummer” – Michael Clark (Instrumentali Musicali)
