New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, Haunted Shed has released "Umami Bomb," the second single from the band's debut album Faltering Light (out April 2 via Strolling Bones Records). Accompanying the song is a kaleidoscopic music video featured this morning by
Magnet Magazine who praised it's "jittery new-wave appeal" saying "You don't have to be a culinary half-wit to appreciate 'Umami Bomb.'"
"At least half of my brain is devoted to food, cooking, and food culture so it's no surprise these lyrics spilled out as a kind of freestyle over a track that was kind of a homespun confection itself," says songwriter/singer Etienne de Rocher. "Close friend and obsessive cook Robert Ashley inspired the references to ice cream and tacos and he and his sons make some cameo appearances in the video."
Led by Etienne de Rocher, Haunted Shed features Athens, GA mainstays including guitarist Dan Nettles (Kenosha Kid), drummer Joe Rowe (The Glands) and bassist/cellist Jacob Morris (Vic Chesnutt, Patterson Hood). Faltering Light was co-produced by Etienne and Drew Vandenberg (Of Montreal, Toro Y Moi, Kishi Bashi). The band's first single "Old Joy" has been warmly received, appearing on NPR Music's "Viking's Choice" playlist as well as Pandora's official January "Pandora Picks" playlist. Athens' Flagpole said "The debut single is the super-strong and moving 'Old Joy,' which, led by a driving bass line, pulses and flows through straight-up power pop sections mixed with deliciously well-executed psychedelia."
Etienne got his start in the Bay Area's vibrant 1990's music scene, before relocating to Athens in 2008. His eponymous 2006 release garnered a cult following with songs that blended the avant-sonicity of indie rock with the elegance of 1960's baroque pop. For Haunted Shed, Etienne called upon the specters of Southern Gothic tomes, conjuring driving, hypnotic songs with surreal and poetic lyrics. He explains, "These themes are definitely a big part of how I saw the South growing up. And it was something I missed during my West Coast years. You can't escape it in Athens. It's steeped in the soil, trees, and buildings." This is handsomely contrasted with songwriting and compositional arrangements that enter an entirely advanced dimension, with ample help from some of Athens' most seasoned veterans.
While the elements of Haunted Shed radiate with the resonance of indie rock's heyday, this is not the now common sound of young musicians endearingly affecting the '90s. One need only listen to hear the experience that comes through in their musicianship. These guys lived through those years and have taken that sound to new heights with the innovative and carefully crafted album that is Faltering Light.
