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Kick Me Records exists to embrace, embolden, and elevate artists who don’t fit the mold — and don’t want to. Visit kickmerecords.com for more. Logo by @dante.lupiccini #kickmerecords #makeyourownsounds

We made an animated video for Laughing Plastic Atom Bombs by hand, using sliding mechanisms, rotating elements, and pivoting pieces to add movement to @jpep_xcreative ’s incredible paintings. Nothing but paper, paint, tape, and a little bit of thread. It was one of the more challenging creative projects we’ve done, and turned out even better than I thought it would.

NEW RELEASE: Feigned Love - @asherdarlingmusic The second single from his upcoming EP, Feigned Love is probably the record’s most ambitious song in terms of its arrangement. Feel changes, key changes, starts, stops, and a freak-out noise section, it was an ambitious song to begin with that seemingly got more and more strange the longer we worked on it. Drums were played by @bigdrumsbighair , percussion and—fitting with this oddball production—half the accordion was played by @schultzzz1 . I played all the guitars, and Asher everything else. It was mastered by @jjaknunas , and the multimedia cover art was shot and painted by @jpep_xcreative , styled by @latenightvintageco .

Laughing Plastic Atom Bombs By @desertislandbigband Concept and artwork by @jpep_xcreative Engineering and video edit by @kickmerecords

NEW RELEASE: Laughing Plastic Atom Bombs - @desertislandbigband The second single from the Elaborate Dogs LP coming later this year. Producing this song almost killed the whole record, the way it stalled the songwriting process. It felt like a thesis statement on the vibe I wanted to curate for this record, and, unfortunately for my timeline, it became a new standard I held the songwriting to. It’s nothing but fun, infectious, and with just the right dose of nasty. I really can’t say much about how this one came to be because it fell together so quickly and easily. Of course the drums needed to be doubled, and panned hard left and right. Of course it needed a jangly, rickety, noisy percussion section. Of course the guitar needed to be doubled with a Wurly. Of course it needed a fizzy, fuzzy, oddball guitar solo. Of course the lyrics needed to be pulled from a Kurt Vonnegut book. From start to finish, this song changed the least from its demo, because it immediately became what it needed to be. Produced, tracked, and mixed by Stefan Jurewicz Right side drums by @bigdrumsbighair Guiro by @schultzzz1 Mastered by @jjaknunas Artwork by @sarah._.evangelista Styling and custom work by @latenightvintageco Set design, custom work, and mask by @jpep_xcreative

I’m very excited to announce the release of Elaborate Dogs—the album—coming this September. Elaborate Dogs is a concept record. It takes place in the Fourth Leg—the metaphysical realm our consciousness travels to when we sleep, and where the past, present, and future exist at the same point in time. These songs were written largely by using a combination of William S Burroughs cut-up method and David Byrne’s philosophy of prioritizing the way a phrase sounds over its meaning. In short, it’s nonsense. The whole thing is nonsense. But it’s the most fun nonsense you’ll ever have. I’ll be putting out singles throughout the summer, with the full LP releasing in September, on my 33 1/3rd birthday. If you get the joke you’re my people. Talk soon. Photos by @sarah._.evangelista

“Elaborate Dogs” by @jpep_xcreative

NEW RELEASE: Effigy - @asherdarlingmusic You’re going to hear me gush about this record for the next while, and for good reason. I met Asher a couple years ago as a fellow hired gun for @emmmaoh ’s band and we hit it off quickly, sending demos back and forth, working together in a more “session musician” type capacity, etc (I eventually stole him for my own band too—sorry Emma) until the time came to work on his own material. For Effigy, I wanted a John Densmore inspired drum part, and brought in @bigdrumsbighair not only for his drumming prowess, but because he knows more about drums than anyone I’ve met and was able to lock down exactly what I wanted in a very short time. The percussion, played by @schultzzz1 , is integral to the groove, particularly in the choruses. The congas, tambourine, and shakers all add so much life to Dan’s drumming those two elements alone are enough to make you want to dance. The guitars, played by me, were somewhat of a happy accident. My main rig was in need of repair, so I reached for the only other amp I had on hand at the time—a cheap, weird Riviera with an enormous 18” speaker in it. I was pleasantly surprised by how perfect it sounded with my Hagstrom Viking and ended up using it on the whole record. Asher played a beautiful Boston grand piano at @10_000_hours , graciously offered to us despite booking a cheaper room, and lay down the bass at my home studio using my go-to setup at the time—DI’d through a @hiwattofficial @wemamps Copicat boost. For vocals we started with a monstrous 5-mic shootout, and—long story short—stumbled onto a setup that I’ve used as a starting point for every vocal session since. Effigy is the perfect blend of ability and willingness to experiment, and never fails to get the feet moving. Check it out, and keep your eyes and ears open for more soon! Mastered by @jjaknunas Artwork by @jpep_xcreative Styled by @latenightvintageco

NEW RELEASE: Elaborate Dogs - @desertislandbigband A departure from the typical DIBB style. Written around the same time as Don’t Try, Elaborate Dogs was a direct rejection of the ultra-organic method of making that record. The first version of the production included no live instrumentation and was written 100% in the box, which is why the phrasing of the main guitar line is the way it is (it was written on a MIDI grid for an entirely different instrument). The drums, performed by @bigdrumsbighair , were a last minute addition after working together on @asherdarlingmusic ’s EP and hearing how much better those drums sounded than the ultra-processed loop I’d cobbled together (I kept those drums for the bridge). The vocals were written using a take on William S Burroughs’ “cut up method,” taking words and phrases from a book opened at random, and following David Byrne’s process of letting the sound of things take precedence over their meaning. This was also the first DIBB track to be played live before the recording was finished, allowing the song time to grow and change in front of an audience before folding those ideas back into the recorded version. DIBB has always been a vehicle for experimentation, but the flavour of experimentation felt markedly different this time around. Of the live instrumentation, I tracked everything myself, except for the live drums, and the group vocals, performed by @asherdarlingmusic , @pettispaghetti , @schultzzz1 , and @graybirdmusic . The song was mastered by @jjaknunas . Artwork by @sarah._.evangelista . Mask by @jpep_xcreative . Collar and jacket by @latenightvintageco .

RUNNING is out everywhere now. This is one with pretty personal lyrics; it’s about reflecting on the life you’ve lived and where to go from here. I’m so proud of this track and knew as soon as I wrote it that it was one I couldn’t wait to share with all of you. Life is a weird crazy journey and it’s not over till it’s over. Happy Friday and see you soon, xoxo (link in bio) mastered by Stefan at @kickmerecords cover photo by @null_jones #newmusic #indierock #emo #canadianmusic

“WHY AM I SURPRISED” is out everywhere now. this song is about getting old and the existential crisis that sometimes comes with that. writing this song made me feel a lot better, and if u can relate then i hope it makes u feel better too! check it out and let me know what u think, i truly do want to hear from you. thanks for being here and have a great weekend! mastered by Stef at @kickmerecords cover art photography by @null_jones #newmusic #midwestemo #indierock #pinegrove