In addition to being part of New York duo Genre is Death (whose debut full-length 'Talk' I has the honour of reviewing for Clean Sheets), running the Underbelly Horror Mag and Underbelly Rags clothing line respectively, as well as a flourishing solo career, its obvious Ty Varesi embraces Henry Rollins' relentless work ethic.
From what I could find on Bandcamp Varesi's debut was Psychonaut which came out in 2016 and incorporated Surf and Psych elements. This was followed up by the 2018 'Wait For You' single and 2022's sophomore full-length Skin. What we have in our possession here then with these demos, is according to Ty himself “a glimpse of my future album ‘East County Pregnancy’ that will be released in 2025”. He expands further by stating that all the tracks are self produced late night bedroom recordings that centre around a recurring theme in his solo work, childhood memories and feelings of growing up in rural Georgia. As to be expected from a collection of demos, the production will hardly be of Bob Rock standard which suits me right down to the ground as judging by Ty's previous work, I'm sure the music will more than make up for it.
'Cadaver' is not too far removed from Shoegaze artists such as Slowdive, sounding as it does almost like an outtake from that band's legendary Souvlaki album. It also curiously recalls The Stone Temple Pilots from around the time of their (in my opinion) best album Tiny Music...Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. This is especially true of tracks such as the understated 'And So I Know' and the late Scott Weiland's somewhat mournful Vocals that showcased a rare vulnerability rarely seen from him. A wonderful opener. 'Protect Me' has a Twin Peaks vibe, especially the contribution of the much missed Julee Cruise on tracks such as 'Falling' as well as Angelo Badalamenti's haunting score. As a huge fan of all things Lynch as well as that superb soundtrack, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the sheer cinematic beauty on offer here. A deeply moving piece and one that will totally tug at your heartstrings.
'Tonight' has a Velvet Underground influence albeit one filtered through the Slowcore, Dream-Pop loveliness of Cambridge, Massachusetts' Galaxie 500. Indie has become an unfortunate catch-all term for every two-bit hipster with a cool haircut, an unhealthy Smiths obsession and blandly generic tunes, thankfully that's not the case here. 'Nothing Forever and Always' appears to be a nod to Americana but handled with a deftness and experimental spirit reminiscent of Earth on 2005's Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method that saw frontman Dylan Carlson embracing Neil Young's Dead Man Soundtrack, Merle Haggard and Roy Buchanan. Its certainly a far cry from the Post-Punk, Noise-Rock, Garage-Punk and Noise of the aforementioned Genre is Death, so if you were expecting the sonic chaos of that band prepare to be disappointed. The Velvet Underground influences are even more pronounced on 'Day by Day', sharing as it does some startling similarities to 'Femme Fatale'. Much like the Velvets, Varesi deploys a deceptively simple yet brilliantly effective musical approach, albeit one with an eeriness that defies the track's otherwise whimsical nature. Pre-Mazzy Star outfit Opal can also be seen as a reference point, and a further reason why the track proves an ideal conclusion to the record.
I'm not usually partial to demo recordings, especially when there's access to properly recorded originals. However this collection proves an exception to the rule marking it as a brilliant primer for the album to come.
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