Distractions, the debut album from the Brooklyn-based Acidhead coming out on November 15, is a moving opening statement. It’s an honest delivery of feelings and emotions that are often the very essence of being distracted.
The brainchild of multi instrumentalist Patrick McGee, Acidhead doesn’t say outright that it’s about a breakup but the cues from Kanye West’s 808’s & Heartbreak combined with song titles like the opening narration “Everything Got So Distant” and the album’s single “Throw Away The Time” are obvious hints.
Throughout the album, distorted auto-tuned vocals and 808 beats put McGee’s influence on full display. The second single, “Love Has Me Keep On Dying,” is chock full of the aforementioned effects while the lyrical content drives the emotion forward – “Everyone’s lonely, hearing her voice late in the morning.”
While each track has strength in their own right, showcasing instrumental fluency and pulling from a variety of styles, the entire track list is cohesive and, ironically, not distracted at all. Each song sits just where it should and even as they are different in their composition, they feel like they all belong together on this album. On the fourth track, “Marciac Doney,” there’s a steadily building and lighthearted instrumental that crescendos into a hard-hitting drum and synth pad jam. Then, track five, “Hanover Rains,” features a straight up piano ballad. It’s nicely even-keeled
Lending a hand throughout the album are Andrew Forman of Goodfight, Lou Rogai of Lewis & Clarke, and the Rat Trap Pack, McGee’s avant-garde horn ensemble. The closing track “Wrongright” brings the set to it’s conclusion with a manic, guitar-duo-solo but settles down as if to say, “That was a whirlwind. I’m tired, Time to relax”
Key tracks: Hanover Rains, Throw Away The Time
You can catch Acidhead on tour in New York and Pennsylvania through mid-December. Be sure to check out Distractions when it drops on November 15.
11/22/19 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – Karl Hall – w/ Lou Rogai, Chukwu
11/27/19 – Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory w/ Jesse and Forever
11/30/19 – Easton, PA – Connexions Gallery w/Chukwu
12/7/19 – Beacon, NY – Quinn’s w Jesse and Forever
12/8/19 – Cambridge, MA -The Lilypad w/ Mario Fabrizio/Phillip Gollub, Wendy Eisenberg, Crylophone
12/14/19 – New York, NY – Con Artist Collective – w/Amani Fela
12/15/19 – Ruba Club – Philadelphia, PA w/ Flanafi, Cheeky
Comments are closed.