After hearing problems forced the end of his electronic pop project Casiotone for the Painfully Alone in 2010, Ashworth started making quieter music as Advance Base, releasing A Shut-In’s Prayer in 2012, Nephew In The Wild in 2015 and a slew of tapes and 7” EPs in between. After releasing a 2016 live album, In Bloomington, the prodigious songwriter shifted his focus to his label, Orindal Records, and put his efforts into helping other artists release their music.

This break from songwriting gave him time to explore not just how he makes music, but why he’s driven to do so. “I spent a lot of time thinking about why I write songs and what I get out of writing songs,” he said. “It took a while to get back to writing for myself, unselfconsciously.

“The reason I’ve always made music is because it’s therapeutic for me,” he said. “It’s a way of processing my feelings and understanding my subconscious. I love the ritual of writing a song and performing it over and over again until its meaning reveals itself. It’s the closest I get to meditation.”

The meditative nature of Ashworth’s new songwriting process can be heard in Animal Companionship’s spacious arrangements. Blissful drones and lush synthesizer textures envelop soft electric piano arpeggiations and spare drum programming, creating an almost hypnotic backdrop for Ashworth’s lyrical narratives. And the lyrics themselves have found a new focus: dogs.

“There was a while last year when a bunch of different friends of mine were having problems with their dogs,” said Ashworth, “and even though I don’t have a dog, suddenly I was giving all of this dog advice. I was just thinking and worrying about these friends and their dogs all of the time, and dogs just started showing up in my songs.

“When you explain the relationship you have with a pet, it can sound crazy. We all tend to anthropomorphize the animals we love, talking about them as if they’re children, siblings, even spouses,” said Ashworth. “I wrote these songs to help myself understand what pets mean to their owners, how those animal relationships affect our human relationships, and vice versa.”

Unlike the previous Advance Base albums, which were made at home on Ashworth’s trusty 4-track tape machine, Animal Companionship was mostly recorded at Palmetto Studios in Los Angeles with Ashworth’s old friend and former Casiotone for the Painfully Alone collaborator Jason Quever. Animal Companionship still sounds like Ashworth, but Quever’s production adds more depth and clarity than you’ve ever heard from an Advance Base or Casiotone album. The album opener, “True Love Death Dream,” is full of warm synthesizer textures and lush drum machine tones, the kind that sink deep into your soul and take root there. It shows how much time and consideration Ashworth put into Animal Companionship, and how Quever knew exactly how to capture it.

From the pedal steel atmospherics of “Dolores & Kimberly” to the densely layered oscillations of “Rabbits,” every movement beautifully frames each song’s narrative. Animal Companionship’s production is expansive but always deliberate, allowing Ashworth to speak volumes through subtle, emotional gestures.

Taken as a whole, Animal Companionship is not just a step forward for Advance Base—it’s the culmination of everything Ashworth has been building for the past two decades. It’s a record that’s gentle in approach and endearing in practice, the kind of thing that only Ashworth could create.

“Dolores & Kimberly” by Advance Base off the album Animal Companionship out September 21st, 2018 on Run For Cover Records

PETAL – ” Stardust “

Posted: June 7, 2018 in ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: Kiley Lotz, Magic Gone, Petal, Run For Cover Records As Kiley Lotz told Paste magazine, Magic Gone represents “finally starting to accept who I am… Instead of running away from the hard stuff, I’m starting to now sort of see the joy and pride you can take in owning your own shit in your life.” Petal’s final Magic Gone single is “Stardust,” a sparse and delicate rock ballad that showcases the raw-yet-concise power of Lotz’s voice.

“Stardust” by Petal from the upcoming album ‘Magic Gone’, out June 15th, 2018 on Run For Cover Records

PETAL – ” Tightrope “

Posted: May 26, 2018 in MUSIC
Tags: Kiley Lotz, Pennsylvania, Petal, Run For Cover Records, Scranton Petal, the indie pop project of Kiley Lotz, will release a new album, Magic Gone, on June 8th. Petal is an American rock band from Scranton, Pennsylvania, currently signed to Run For Cover Records. The band consists of only one permanent member, Kiley Lotz, with the rest of the band a rotating group of musicians from other bands such as Ben and Brianna of Tigers Jaw and members of Three Man Cannon, Halfling, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, and Captain, We’re Sinking.

Recorded over the course of a month at Studio 4 in Conshocken, PA, Magic Gone is a bitingly honest look at adulthood, accountability, responsibility, and mental health and the difficulties that go along with each of them. “There comes a moment where all the paranoia, anxiety and pain become too much and you realize the structure you built to survive is no longer is going to serve you,” says Lotz of the three year period that inspired the album. “I had to make some very big life changes to make sure I didn’t die. It was not easy taking that level control over my life after spending many years worrying about upsetting others and being the best and most successful person I could be.”

Lotz  songs include the themes of mental health, identity, and adulthood that inspired the record.

“Tightrope” by Petal from the upcoming album ‘Magic Gone’, out June 15th, 2018 on Run For Cover Records.

FIDDLEHEAD – ” Springtime and Blind “ LIFTED BELLS – ” Minor Tantrums “

Posted: February 15, 2018 in ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: Chicago, Illinois, Lifted Bells, Run For Cover Records Featuring members of Braid, Their / Coaster and Stay Ahead of The Weather This is the third EP from Lifted Bells, but rest assured, they won’t be releasing new music in bite-sized formats forever. “The EP will hopefully be a fresh introduction to the band and what we’re up to,” Nanna says. “We’re already over halfway done with a full length and are looking forward to getting out on the road. It’s going to be a fun, wild ride.”

Band Members
Bob Nanna / Matthew Frank / Matt Jordan / Kyle Geib / Seth Engel

TURNOVER – ” Super Natural “

Posted: December 28, 2017 in ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: Good Nature, Run For Cover Records, Turnover The cover of Good Nature, Turnover’s third album, depicts a utopian forest filled with animals. It’s based on reality, but doesn’t feel real itself. The same can be said of Good Nature itself – it sees and glistens in the same sunlight as us, but its sound drifts listeners away to somewhere beyond. It’s bathed in light, hazy on the horizon and gentle to the touch. The term “supernatural” has been used in every corner of music, from Santana to the Sugababes to last year’s Carly Rae Jepsen banger. Turnover, however, seem to incorporate it in an entirely new sense. Front man Austin Getz doesn’t blink when asked to sum up Turnover’s third full-length, Good Nature. “Learning,” he replies. “This whole record is about learning. Opening your eyes to new things, going outside of your comfort zone, and learning to grow into something new.”

Official Music Video for “Super Natural” by Turnover from the album Good Nature, out now on Run For Cover Records. CAMP COPE – ” How to Socialise & Make Friends “ Camp Cope the band:

gmaq – vocals/guitar
kelly- lead bass
thomo – drums

CAMP COPE – ” The Opener “ CRYING – ” Get Olde Second Wind “

Posted: November 16, 2017 in ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: Crying, Elaiza Santos, Get Olde Second Wind, New York, Run For Cover Records Crying began as a chiptune/power pop band who embraced their love for stadium rock to write infectiously melodic tunes on a massive scale. The new incarnation retains Elaiza Santos‘ personal, conversational vocal delivery put over progressive guitar riffs, spaced out synths and gargantuan, energizing production. Put your fear of change aside and enter into the new era of Crying. Band is awesome live too, I was introduced to this band when I listened to ‘Beyond the Fleeting Gales’ . That record is probably the best record I have heard this past decade! This band truly is magical and is now one of my favorite bands of all time!

Elaiza Santos – Vocals
Ryan Galloway – Guitar and Synth
Kynwyn Sterling – Drums

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