LA band Harvey Trisdale releases their self-titled EP on July 20 via the Baby Blue label. The group‘s roots run back to a small Ohio village, Gambier, where Evan Rasch, Carl Lehman, and Tim Gruber attended college and took up long, luxurious jam sessions. What became a simple way to pass the time soon became a full-on band with Jeremy Stern joining the ranks. Fresh from the fertile musical fields of Connecticut, the fuzz-pop veteran helped cement the group’s musical fate as he took up writing duties with Rasch.
Informed by the likes of Wilco, Pinback, and Joe Pass, the quartet found their own sound, one informed by glimmering, clean guitar lines that cut through the mix to create memorable hooks (“Fit to Be Found”) and smart, understated lyrics (think David Bazan’s best work). Elsewhere, the four friends imagine a summit between Steely Dan and Weezer (“Van”), offer their bid for Perfect Pop Song of 2018 (“Forever”) and give guitar players (budding and otherwise) plenty to woodshed on in all the tunes, including the opening “Corners”. In sum, this is always smart, sometimes cynical music for a generation that needs loud voices to voice its particular brands of rage and heartache.
The band, with members now scattered between LA, Ohio and New York City had this to say about its debut: “Who is Harvey Trisdale? What does Harvey stand for? Do Harvey’s thoughts matter? They might not. In Harvey Trisdale’s debut EP, we dissect the mindset of a jealous, insecure person, all while fusing warm, heavy guitar timbres and soft, melodic vocals with hints of jazz and pop. We each took all of the parts of ourselves we struggle with and tried to make something of it. Harvey Trisdale paints a picture of someone who is hard to look at, but the picture’s honest as hell. Even if you don’t like it, you may see some parts of yourself in Harvey.”
TOUR DATES
07.20 – Silverlake Lounge – Los Angeles, CA
07.21 – The Factory – Los Angeles, CA