User Error by sewingneedle

"There’s that certain feeling when the song fools you. That extra measure, those unexpected turns and twists that tilt your head mid-bang and force you to learn a new and satisfying rhythm. Those moments are all over 'user error' by sewingneedle – the salty and soused trio of tricksters from Chicago, IL. This isn’t sewingneedle’s first dance with Already Dead but it’s certainly their finest. Greg Norman helmed recording at Electrical Audio in Fall of 2016 with industry stalwart Carl Saff handling the mastering – their attention to detail is evident even in the closest of headphone listens.

The band themselves are firing on all cylinders on this record. Chugging, brooding rhythms lurk menacingly with anxious tension around any corner and songs turn heel on a dime. Brief gleaming sections of tongue-in-cheek pop juxtaposed with sludgy post-punk dissonance work so well with lyrics like “write songs for the fans man, who wants to be a band’s band?” on “feel good music.” The album is peppered with a slew of these sly, sardonic one-liners and wry (rye) musings on music and service industry trappings.

Vocally, Fredrickson and Cohen complement each other splendidly whether it’s sweetly crooned ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ or choruses chanted ceremoniously like mantras. With Jensen’s roundabout rhythms snaking around the others’ strings, the three cover a lot of sonic territory on this album. From restrained feedback over atmospheric percussion to full-on cacophony, they pull from throaty and knotty midwestern rock but with a definite East Coast/DC influence on their sound. All of this blends together into a truly satisfying listen from start to end - now pop in that tape and raise a pint to 'user error'!"

- Dillon Kelley, Already Dead Tapes, 2018

"You might agree that the mid-1990’s were the salad days of math rock, a time where the term ‘math rock’ was still a joke phrase and only just picking up traction from the zines and journos. There were bands like Chavez, Polvo, Shudder To Think that added rhythmic complexity to their combinations of grunge, slacker rock, post-punk, and post-hardcore. What made these bands so good is that their discordant frolicks were well-balanced with palatable hooks and sing-alongs.

Midwestern trio sewingneedle are one of the handful of great bands bringing us back to this math rock golden era, with its dissonant jangly guitar work and post-hardcore crossbreeding. The band is releasing the second album 'user error' on May 25, 2018, and today we are proudly premiering it right here on the site.

Recorded in 2016 by engineer/producer Greg Norman (Russian Circles, GY!BE), 'user error' was tracked at Electrical Audio across three days. The finished product comprises twangy guitar tones, abrasive bass hooks and punchy lyrics, which together make for an easy trip into your brain. Honestly, we’ve just had a fucking blast listening to this record, and we hope you do too."

- Mike Hunter, Fecking Bahamas, 2018

engineered by greg norman
at electrical audio in chicago, IL

mixed by greg norman
at studio greg studios ii in chicago, IL

mastered by carl saff
at saff mastering in chicago, IL

lacquers cut by carl saff
at saff mastering in chicago, IL

vinyl pressed by gotta groove records
in cleveland, OH

artwork by nick pyle

all songs by sewingneedle

danny cohen - bass, vocals
calvin fredrickson - guitar, vocals
drake jensen - drums, percussion

vinyl by aerial ballet records (catalog: AB021)
cassette tapes by already dead tapes & records (catalog: AD283)

You might agree that the mid-1990’s were the salad days of math rock, a time where the term ‘math rock’ was still a joke phrase and only just picking up traction from the zines and journos. There were bands like Chavez, Polvo, Shudder To Think that added rhythmic complexity to their combinations of grunge, slacker rock, post-punk, and post-hardcore. What made these bands so good is that their discordant frolicks were well-balanced with palatable hooks and sing-alongs.

Midwestern trio sewingneedle are one of the handful of great bands bringing us back to this math rock golden era, with its dissonant jangly guitar work and post-hardcore crossbreeding. The band is releasing the second album user error on May 25, 2018, and today we are proudly premiering it right here on the site.

Recorded in 2016 by engineer/producer Greg Norman (Russian Circles, GY!BE), user error was tracked at Electrical Audio across three days. The finished product comprises twangy guitar tones, abrasive bass hooks and punchy lyrics, which together make for an easy trip into your brain. Honestly, we’ve just had a fucking blast listening to this record, and we hope you do too.

All genre record label focused on small edition cassette, vinyl, and VHS releases.

Est. 2009

alreadydeadtapes.com