NYC’s rock & roll outfit The Electric Mess are coming at ya with a vibey, dark psych-pop single and accompanying music video titled Last Call, off their upcoming fifth full-length The Electric Mess V (Soundflat Records) due out April 17th.
Formed in 2007, husband and wife Dan and Esther Crow founded The Electric Mess with bassist Derek Davidson. The Electric Mess defy a singular genre, blending 60s British psych, surf punk, 70s punk, and a helping of CBGB-era new wave…a “fizzy bacchanal,” jokes songwriter Dan Crow.
Vocalist Esther Crow still lives in the UWS apartment where she grew up, now taking care of her mother and raising a young family with Dan. Her musical inspirations manifested right outside the door, when the neighborhood was more culturally diverse.
“I have distinct memories of the soundtrack of Dominican music swelling with every step eastward,” she reminisces. “With the advent of hip hop in the late 70’s/early 80’s, groups of teens carrying boom boxes would also pepper these streets. Those beats definitely left an imprint in my musical psyche. I welcomed those New Wave sounds with open arms. Lots of swirling synths and a parade of bombastic costumes. I loved the pomp pageantry of it all.”
The band’s sound later evolved into more punk and proto-punk influences, but after three European tours, their sound blossomed into a more psychedelic phase. Lead vocals are now shared between keyboardist Oweinama Biu and Esther Crow. With a sound straight out of the playbook of the 13th Floor Elevators, the Stooges, and The Damned, the dark, poppy Last Call reflects on the outcomes and consequences of choices, lost friends, and what’s left at the end of the day, asking “what are you going to do now?”
The Electric Mess has shared the stage with the likes of ? and the Mysterians, The Plimsouls, The Fleshtones, The Schizophonics, and Paul Collins Beat. They have also been featured on Nights With Alice Cooper. The band’s plans for a fourth European tour were unfortunately derailed by the pandemic, but plans to release the album and five accompanying videos will go on as scheduled.
“We’re trying to stay Zen while hoping that everyone can safely weather the public health crisis, especially our fellow musicians, the clubs and their employees and everyone in the entertainment industry,” says Dan Crow.
They hope to expand their audience through social media and Spotify playlists as NYC nightlife (indeed, the world) remains shuttered.
Their fifth full-length album The Electric Mess V is due out later this spring on April 17, 2020 via Soundflat Records. Last Call is available now on all major digital retailers, including Spotify, Bandcamp, and Apple Music. Their upcoming album will be released on digital, CD, and vinyl through Soundflat Records.
The video for Last Call was heavily inspired by 80’s style MTV music videos, the band utilized local spots throughout New York City for a DIY approach.
Find out more about The Electric Mess:
http://www.theelectricmess.com/
Cover Photo: Jolie Clifford
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