September 28, 2024

Skylight Webzine

Online since 2000

YOUR 33 BLACK ANGELS release a new video

NYC-based outfit YOUR 33 BLACK ANGELS unveiled their new video for ‘Dead New Romantics’. This just premiered in Louder Than War, who write: “with a riff and style that is reminiscent of Radiohead in their Kid A and Amnesiac period, but vocalist Josh Westfal’s vocals enter and in come flashbacks to Antidotes-era Foals with a timbre and vocal quiver reminiscent of Mercury Rev and MGMT. Impressive and captivating. Point blank.”

Your 33 Black Angels (a.k.a. Y33BA) release their new album ‘Eternities I’ on May 7. This is seventh long-play to date. Ahead of that and on the trail of lead track ‘Hott Funn’, the band has revealed the new video for ‘Dead New Romantics’, shot and edited by WinnieCheung and Helena Sasseron based on the band’s live performance at Maverick Studios with John Epperly behind the board.

Recorded over three years and more than 60 studio days with endless mixes in the making, ‘Eternities I’ is 13 tracks that are built to stand as the culmination of Y33BA’s labors.

Y33BA are Dan Rosato, Josh Westfal, Daniel Bombach and D.A. Stern. Together they are a long-running New York City-based noisepop freakshow. This genre-defying project has its own stamp of dark pop, electro-paisley new wave space rock, with a dose of crunk bass and rhythm. They produce elegant vibrant melodies with strange, novel sounds. This is the New Age underground for the End Times.

“This song started with a repeating guitar pattern. Soon after, a set of nonsense lyrics spray painted onto the side of a diner appeared in a dream. Throw in some off-kilter rhythms and a swarm of bees, then set it all off with an explosion of improvised noise and you’ve got some good gravy,” says Dan Rosato.  

“What it’s really about is anyone’s guess and we prefer it that way. Have a listen – pay close attention to the words or luxuriate in a web of guitars and robo-groove – if it’s not clear it’s ok, there are more important things to worry about in this life”.

How does a group that has danced around sensibilities and sounds refresh the template?  More cutting-edge instruments and more risky, avant garde pop songs than ever.  Imagine Madchester, and imagine dreampop meets Aphex Twin. Imagine the bastard child of Arthur Russell, Rain Parade and Rza and add original 21st century sound design and guitar webs.

This is a radical, angry, watermark record. Designed to embrace and rattle against the times. Combining haute popcraft with touches of the undercurrents of our lives–acid house, Paisley Underground, synth wave, field recordings, minimal electronica and epic RAWK.

The Y33BA wordsmiths have always been equal part poetry fans as lyricists, so the Poesia Concreta of Augusto de Campos or Guillaume Apollonaire may have as much an influence as wonderful lyricists like Neil Hannon, Bjork or Serge Gainsbourg. Breaking rhythms and broken meter match the polarized sounds from start to finish.

Formed in 2003, Y33BA debuted with the album ‘Lonely Street’ in 2007, which was a vinyl-only limited edition. Once the initial pressings sold out, Y33BA released the album on CD and digitally. They followed up with ‘Tales of my Pop-Rock Love Life’ (2008), ‘Pagan Princess’(2009), ‘Songs from the Near Bleak Future’(Optical Sounds, 2010), ‘Moon and Morning Star’ ( Optical Sounds, 2012) and ‘Glamour’ (2015).

In that time, they have played over 500 shows across Europe and North America, sharing the stage with some rather fine acts during recent tours.  The Monochrome Set selected Y33BA as direct support act for its first New York City show in 30 years. La Femme, The Veldt and Dyr Faser have toured or shared many nights with the group.  The band has also played with King Tuff, Blitzen Trapper, Suuns, Six Organs of Admittance, Blonde Elvis, B-17 and We Melt Chocolate.

As of May 7, Y33BA ‘Eternities I’ will be available across digital stores and streaming platforms, and can also be ordered via BandcampThe band’s album release show will take place on May 10 at Alphaville in Brooklyn with support from My Favourite Things, Activity and Haunted Horses NYC.

TRACK LIST
1. Dirty Europa Forever
2. Hott Funn
3. Title
4. Consolação Vignette
5. Endless Gaze
6. Viva Dirty Europa
7. Habibi
8. Dead New Romantics
9. Britpop Reveries
10. Microwave Mistral
11. Disgrace
12. Loathe
13. Dark G

CREDITS  
Recorded at Big Coin Studio, New York (2016-18) and Big Mazel, L.A. (2017)
Recorded by Dan Rosato
Produced by Dan Rosato and Josh Westfal
Dan Rosato (vocal, guitar, synth, percussion)
Josh Westfal (vocal, guitar, synth, percussion)
Daniel Bombach (bass)
D.A. Stern (drums)

TOUR DATES
May 9  Saratoga Springs, NY – Desperate Annie’s
May 10  Brooklyn, NY – Alphaville Brooklyn *** album release party
    (with Haunted Horses NYC, Activity, My Favourite Things)
May 27  Toronto, ON – Baby G
May 28  Ottawa, ON – Bar Robo
June 20 Lowell, MA – Uncharted (with New Aura, The Abyssmals, Love Strangers)
June 21 Boston, MA – Dorchester Art Project (with New Aura)
June 22 Albany, NY – The Low Beat (with New Aura, The Abyssmals)
June 23 Brooklyn, NY – Sunnyvale (with Heavy Birds, New Aura and The Abyssmals)

‘Dead New Romantics’https://vimeo.com/ 329818410/e5403555eb
‘Hott Funn’https://youtu.be/ZWuUmZtuyG4
Soundcloudhttps://soundcloud.com/user-403154569/hott-funn/s-8UxcW
Bandcamphttp://y33ba.bandcamp.com/album/eternities-i
‘Glamour’ (2016) https://youtu.be/nTMI0TSphB8

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