After a long hiatus, Psychobuildings return with Tears, Vol. 1, transforming years of isolation and loss into something restless and alive.
When the pandemic hit New York City in 2020, a place once alive and electric fell into a period of stagnation, cut off from what it once was. The pandemic disrupted the city’s defining rhythm of togetherness and constant movement.
Frontman Peter LaBier experienced this same stillness in his Brooklyn home, where the quiet gave way to an unnerving emotional weight. Peter LaBier is an interdisciplinary artist who has worked within painting, drawing, video and performance. Peter LaBier notes, “I started work on this album in the first year of the pandemic, living in Brooklyn. Alone, feeling the effects of isolation… This album is a reflection of all of the grief, sadness, political turmoil, and growth both myself and many others experienced from 2020 until now.”
Formed in Brooklyn in 2010 by Peter LaBier and Juan Pieczanski, Psychobuildings return with Tears, Vol. 1, their first full-length release since 2020’s Blackout. Songs like “Outside” use funky synths and an undercurrent of emotional lyrics to bring to the forefront how isolation can create a deep sense of longing. Its lighthearted beats suggest that even within periods of darkness, there are still moments of introspective light. Reflecting on that period of change, LaBier notes, “In addition, during this time, new connections were made,” a sentiment that surfaces in tracks like “Outside.”
Naturalistic elements almost define the album, reflecting a renewed fixation on the outside world during the pandemic. Paired with its more mechanical, synthetic beats, listeners can feel the tension between organic escape and constructed isolation.
To explore more of Tears, Vol. 1 and stay connected to Psychobuildings’ evolving work, visit the band’s official site. The album is now available across streaming platforms and for purchase on vinyl.
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