DOWNLOAD: Waters - "For The One" (from Out in the Light)

Waters is the new project from ex-Port O'Brien front man Van Pierszalowski. Following the demise of that band last year, he took a break from making music and ended up living in Oslo, Norway. After some time off, he began writing again, then traveled most of the next year to Alaska, California, and Brooklyn, NY, before returning to Oslo to record the album with a band he put together.

The new album, Out in the Light (out Sept. 20th on TBD Records), has a louder, fuller, more aggressive and raw sound than anything he's written before. Out in the Light was recorded during a focused ten day session in Dallas with John Congleton (St. Vincent, Explosions In The Sky, The Walkmen) who captured the raw intimacy and intensity of both the band’s noise pop and stripped-down numbers.

Musically, Out in the Light sounds like something from the early 90’s as there are elements of Matthew Sweet style fuzzed-out Byrdsian power-pop (“Abridge My Love”, “San Francisco”), Sonic Youth style grunge (“For the One”, “Back To You”) and lo-fi, alt-rock sing-alongs (“Take Us Out to the Coast”). Breaking from this comparison though are a couple Neil Young style stripped-down numbers (“Ones You Had Before”, “Mickey Mantle”).



This seems to have been a cleansing album for Van as his lyrics focus around tales of loss, regret and heartbreak. Beneath the heartbreak though, there seems to be new energy as upbeat portions of the disc bristle with blustery energy. While this record seems to be an introspective look back, Van said: "[t]he record is about waking up. It is about getting out of a situation that seems endless, and realizing you're not too old to make dramatic and sudden changes in your life. It is about starting over.”

Waters will head out on a quick run of west coast headlining shows next week. Next month, the band - who toured with The Joy Formidable, Vetiver, and Mister Heavenly in August - will head to the east coast for a handful of shows beginning October 16th at the Northstar Bar in Philadelphia, PA. A current itinerary is below and more shows will be announced shortly.

Waters Tour Dates:
SEPT. 20 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- ORIGAMI VINYL (free in-store)
SEPT. 21 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- THE SATELLITE
SEPT. 23 -- SANTA BARBARA, CA -- MUDDY WATERS
SEPT. 24 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- THE INDEPENDENT
SEPT. 25 -- SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA -- SLO BREWING COMPANY
OCT. 16 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA -- NORTHSTAR BAR
OCT. 18 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- RED PALACE
OCT. 19 -- NEW YORK, NY -- CMJ
OCT. 20 -- NEW YORK, NY -- CMJ
OCT. 21 -- NEW YORK, NY -- CMJ
OCT. 22 -- BOSTON, MA -- GREAT SCOTT

Links:
Waters