New York, NY (Top40 Charts) EST EX (formerly Candy Hearts) are pleased to announce their signing to Alcopop! Records for the release of their new EP Ice
Cream Anti Social on 14th July 2017. Pre-orders are live now at www.BestExNJ.com
To celebrate the news you can stream new track 'Someday' here: https://soundcloud.com/bestexnj/someday-1
The six-track EP is the first to be released under the band's new moniker and new indie/pop-leaning direction, with a lengthy US tour from 25th June to 21st July (see below for dates) alongside The Promise of Redemption (ex-Valencia), Daisyhead (No Sleep Records), Baggage (ex-Swellers), and June Divided.
Written in an introspective kick after seeing her friend's band play a great show, making her think of the struggle they'd all been through to make something of themselves, singer-songwriter Mariel Loveland called the song "a sort of anthem to the most insecure parts of myself -- the parts that felt like the best I could do was never really good enough."
The chorus of "someday we're gonna get it / someday we're gonna get it right", with the group vocals, harmonies, and upbeat synths surging and swirling, makes this an anthem for anyone working on getting through all the frustrations of life, and does so with the perfect mix of lo-fi grit and polished glitter. Demonstrating open-book lyricism coupled with dance arrangements, Best Ex is very much a reflection of Mariel's coming into her own as both a person and musician.
Speaking about the new EP, Mariel says: "Ice
Cream Anti Social is sort of an ode to those moments where you're alone in your room and reflecting on your life. As a whole, it covers those sort of thoughts you can't kick when you're lying in bed about to fall asleep, or it's midnight and you're in your underwear, eating ice cream out of the carton, wondering what the heck happened to you.
"It wavers between that fine line where you aren't sure if you're actually killing it or a total mess. I don't know if this is a true fact about life or anything -- I'm sure those older than me will disagree -- but this EP was largely about coming to terms with the fact that no matter how many people are around you, you will always be sort of alone."
Ice
Cream Anti Social is a glistening artistic re-imagination for Mariel, who has taken the heartfelt lyricism and hooks from her previous punk leaning work and brought them into looser, poppier arrangements. 'Girlfriend', the first single released under Best Ex, was called a "synthpop jam" and "DIY pop charmer" by Billboard (where it premiered last month) and Substream said "the name change comes with a new sound that is downright impossible to resist."
Songs like 'February 4th' and 'See You Again' retain some of the more guitar-involved sound of past work, with the former a softer, string-backed ballad and the latter combining the more electronic-leaning sound of Best Ex with some of the rock influence that many associate with Mariel. The EP-closing track 'Jellyfish' fittingly features just Mariel singing over a ukelele, bringing a record that explores a lot of sound and emotion to a close with the most intimate spotlight on the words and music of the songwriter at the heart of it all.
Ice
Cream Anti Social is released 14th July via Alcopop! Records
2017 US Tour Dates:
June 25: Metro Gallery, Baltimore, MD
June 26: Canal Club, Richmond, VA
June 27: Milestone, Charlotte, NC
June 28: New Brookland Tavern, Columbia, SC
June 30: Inkwell Pub, Margate, FL
July 1: TBD, Orlando, FL
July 3: Dirty 30, Dallas, TX
July 4: Dirty Dog Bar, Austin, TX
July 6:
Rebel Lounge, Phoenix, AR.
July 7: Beauty Bar, Las Vegas, NV
July 8: The Holding Company, San Diego, CA
July 9: Viper Room, Los Angeles, CA
July 10: Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA
July 12: Loading Dock, Salt Lake City, UT
July 14: Vega, Lincoln, NE.
July 15: Subterranean,
Chicago IL
July 16: Mahall's, Cleveland, OH
July 17: Smiling Moose, Pittsburgh, PA
July 19:
Middle East Upstairs, Boston, MA
July 20: Studio at Webster, New York, NY
July 21: Foundry, Philadelphia, PA
