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Pete Astor of The Loft releasing new solo album made with James of Ultimate Painting, shares "My Right Hand"

by Bill Pearis

photo: Pete Astor w/ The Loft @ NYC Popfest 2015 (more by PSquared)
Pete Astor with The Loft

Pete Astor was in NYC earlier this year playing NYC Popfest with his old band The Loft. That band (and his other ’80s band, The Weather Prophets) worked in a jangly, post-VU style that still sounds good today. (They were really good at Popfest.) In the ’90s and on, he dabbled in jazz, electronics and other non-rock forms, but he returns to his roots on his new solo album, Spilt Milk, which will be out January 8 via Slumberland in the US and Fortuna Pop in the UK. For it he’s enlisted kindred spirit James Haore of Ultimate Painting (and Proper Ornaments and Veronica Falls) who certainly knows how to make records like this. Haore not only produced the album, he also played bass, guitar, drums and sang backing vocals. Pete says, “I’m back to being myself, bringing together sounds that I’ve used over time to make a record that sounds more like me than me!”

Also helping out on the album were members of Pete’s live band, including Pam Berry (Black Tambourine), Jack Hayter (Hefner) and others. If you like Ultimate Painting but have never heard Pete Astor, just know you’re gonna like this. If you liked The Loft or Weather Prophets, you will like this. If you don’t know either, you may still like this. You can stream “My Right Hand” from the album below.

spilt-milk

Pete Astor – Spilt Milk tracklist
01 Really Something
02 Mr Music
03 My Right Hand
04 Perfect Life
05 The Getting There
06 Very Good Lock
07 Good Enough
08 There It Goes
09 Sleeping Tiger
10 Oh You