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Stranger to the Pain

by Pllush

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Bone (limited to 300)
    Comes with a full color, double sided lyric sheet & digital download card

    Includes unlimited streaming of Stranger to the Pain via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $22 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $7 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    6 panel digipak

    Includes unlimited streaming of Stranger to the Pain via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD or more 

     

  • Bone / Oxblood Split 12" Vinyl
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Bone & Oxblood Half & Half (limited to 300)
    Comes with a full color, double sided lyric sheet & digital download card

    Includes unlimited streaming of Stranger to the Pain via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
Elliot 01:55
Oh Elliot, why’d you have to rush away? I know we disconnected, We went our separate ways In tune in most ways, I could never frown around you Now most nights I drown in a memory of you And in my head I said, “I only recall you being happy” And in the end I said Only a fraction Mead St. & Texas, I saw you cry Don’t ask, don’t answer Now I know why
2.
Syrup 02:57
3.
Ortega 02:58
They're all coming over and I'm feeding like a dog It's a few blocks on the corner but it won't take very long I think someone should tell you that your shoes are wearing thing It's a fucked up situation that we somehow all got in But it's a true word Under a harsh light And it's a new world Clenching my hands tight Colin's coming over and he says he quit his job I'm crying in the bathroom at the New Year's that went wrong They're pacing on the hardwood and I swear it's wearing thin Pushing back at someone and somehow you let them in But it's a true word Under a harsh light And it's a new world Clenching my hands tight Getting my head straight Setting my mind right Slipping into sheets Soon as the sunrise
4.
Big Train 03:51
My eyes are bigger than my brain Lately every day’s the same Feeling like derailing a big train And waking up with growing pains You’ve never even been here before, How do you know to gauge what’s right from wrong? Who’s gonna love me more When I’m crying in the middle of the night? Lately I’m feeling torn Cuz nothing ever comes out right Who’s gonna love me more When I’m crying in the middle of the night? Lately I’m feeling bored Thought that being alone could shed some light You’ve never even been here before, How do you know to gauge what’s right from wrong? Who’s gonna love me more When I’m crying in the middle of the night? Lately I’m feeling torn Cuz nothing ever comes out right Who’s gonna love me more When I’m crying in the middle of the night? Lately I’m feeling bored Thought that being alone could shed some light I don’t eat right, I don’t sleep tight Pretending that I don’t need you tonight
5.
Fallout 03:18
6.
3:45 04:37
7.
Restart 02:30
The night’s heavy, It tears me apart It’s not so bad to restart And if I ever try again, I know what I’ll find When I restart
8.
Sleeper Cab 02:02
9.
Stuck to You 02:21
If I could stand up straight, Then I’d close my mind and I’d refrain We’ll figure it out And clean up the mess that’s in my brain If I could make it last, Leave everything else in the past Well what would it do If it’s all the same to you? I don’t ever wanna feel stuck to you It’s not like I’ll ever get the chance to
10.
Okay 01:58
11.
Shannon 03:47
Let it in, Shannon On the righteous path to getting old Wearing thin with Shannon We won’t give this a rest until it’s done You ask me if I’ve ever felt this way, Well I don’t know I’m hoping everything might fall into place, Well I don’t know, but I won’t... Let you in, Shannon Wait around until our days are done Won’t give in to Shannon And won’t give this a rest while we’re still young You ask me if I’ve ever felt this way, Well I don’t know I’m hoping everything might fall into place, Well I don’t know, but I won’t... Let you in, Shannon Don’t give it a rest until it’s done
12.
Blue Room 04:58
I don’t like when it’s the same as yesterday Even when I am okay It’s not like you to say exactly what you mean But from my eyes it’s not as hard as it seems In a daydream can’t get my thoughts to resume With Alicia in your blue room I don’t hate you like I thought that I did You’re a freeze frame, I laugh like I’m still a kid We don’t have to change And though you did, you’re still the same We don’t have to pretend, And though you do, it’s atill the end

about

When first arriving on the Bay Area music scene in late 2014, Pllush made a dent with a powerful set of tracks that fit nicely within the rising wave of shoegaze/dream pop revival bands at the time. However, due to an undeniable songwriting prowess that extends far beyond convoluted pedal-board setups or louder amps, Pllush had elevated themselves into a league of sonic mastery, not dissimilar from obvious touchstone influences (i.e. Mazzy Star, Slowdive, Portishead). The quartet’s second batch of songs, Please, furthered their growing following and replaced their initial gravitation towards maxed-out guitars and splashed cymbals with an eerie, groove-filled bent, channeling Drop Nineteens at their most tender, and imbuing Grass Widow-esque layers of harmony into songs already dense with melody.

As the world around the band has changed in the interim between releases, they have followed suit- they added an “L” to the name, and undergone the whirlwinds of personal flux that naturally occur in such extended periods of time. But rest assured: the only dynamic of the band that has changed is by each member doubling down into the personal qualities that made this group so special in the first place. Which brings us to the year 2018, and the release of Pllush’s debut LP, Stranger to the Pain.

Whereas on earlier releases, singer/guitarist Karli Helm merely teased her abilities as a singer, here she fully embraces her natural pop-tinged mastery of the human voice, now sounding far more like a contemporary of Kate Bush and Alicia Keys on standouts like “Restart”, pushing the boundaries of the Rock and Roll genre while layering dizzying harmonies over an instrumental track that Built to Spill would kick themselves for not thinking of first. Meanwhile, Eva Treadway provides a perfect foil with an effortlessly cool approach to laying her sometimes light-hearted (“Ortega”) and frequently heartbreaking (“Fallout”) lyrics over her more driving style of guitar playing, as indebted to Slanted and Enchanted era Pavement as it is to the best work of The Donnas, seamlessly working clanging guitar abrasion into pop gems. Dylan Lockey and Sinclair Riley fill out the rhythm section on drums and bass, respectively, with Lockey’s snap-tight precision guiding the mood and tempo of the record (i.e. highlights such as “3:45”), and Riley’s complex bass work constructing a rich and deeply melodic backbone for Helm and Treadway to build upon. Stranger to the Pain is the kind of record that reintroduces a band whose previous catalog stands assuredly on its own as a new and fresh face- and like a conversation with an old friend, once it’s over, you will want to restart.

credits

released June 8, 2018

Recorded and mixed by Grace Coleman at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco. Mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering. Produced by Pllush and Grace Coleman. Album artwork by Ryan Whelan. Album layout by Sinclair Riley. Band photo by Chloe Ginnever. Additional vocals on “Big Train” by Hannah Valente and Max Freeland. Addition vocals on “3:45” by Hannah Valente.

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Pllush San Francisco, California

Stan
E
Karl
Dyl
pllushmusicsf@gmail.com

north american booking: matt@beeswaxbooking.com

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