Lake Ruth prep new 7" for Slumberland 30 singles series (listen), opening for Luna
Quintessential US indiepop label Slumberland Records, which has been home to Black Tambourine, Aislers Set, Lorelei, Lilys, Henry’s Dress, Crystal Stilts, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Boyracer and more, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year by going back to its roots and celebrating the 7″ single. The SLR30 subscription single series has been sending out a pair of exclusive 7″s every three months this year and has already seen releases by Wildhoney, Rat Columns and more. You can still subscribe.
Up next is Lake Ruth, the band featuring members of Holy Fuck, The New Lines, and The Eighteenth Day of May and who channel krautrock, baroque psych, ’60s/’70s Italian soundtracks, post-punk and more. The a-side to their SLR30 7″ (due out 11/1) is “Extended Leave.” Opening with a thick analog synth bassline, the song soon adds groovy drums, a Peter Hook-style wandering bassline, swirling keyboards and Alison Brice’s ethereal vocals. If you ever wanted a collaboration between New Order and Broadcast, listen up. Lake Ruth also take inspiration, lyrically, from a wide variety of sources, some historical, some literary, some esoteric, but “Extended Leave” was inspired by Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul. Alison fills us in:
As longtime Slumberland fans, we’re just thrilled to be a part of the SLR30 series. Our 7″ A – Extended Leave / AA – Strange interiors is a look both forward and back into our sound. The A side “Extended Leave” emerged from the Birds of America sessions circa 2017. The song was initially inspired by the character of Chuck McGill (incredibly played by actor Michael McKean) from the TV show Better Call Saul. A formerly successful law partner, Chuck becomes reclusive when he develops hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields. He’s often seen retreating into the calming comfort of his foil blankets – after venturing outside and becoming ill and disturbed by the energies around him. Somehow, elements of his story spoke to ideas of the elation / freedom + panic / dread involved in the avoidance of heavy responsibilities. That knife-edge between the conflicting emotional states – feeling so liberated, but you know it’s short lived, and a reckoning is on the way.
“Extended Leave” premieres in this post and you can stream it, along with some of the other 7″s in the SLR30 series, below.
Speaking of TV shows on AMC, you may have also heard Lake Ruth in Season 2 of series Lodge 49 (which has one of the most unique soundtracks on TV now), and you can see them live in NYC when they open for Luna at Elsewhere Hall on October 18. Luna are performing their debut album, Lunapark, in full and tickets are still available.
