Dais Records: Them Are Us Too – Amends

Them Are Us Too - Amends

Them Are Us Too was formed in the Bay Area by friends Kennedy Ashlyn and Cash Askew in 2012 after meeting at school. Fast friends with an appreciation for the same music and art, they recorded a demo and began performing intimate and memorable gigs on the west coast. They quickly gained a cult following as word spread about their youthful, innocent, and fresh take on the revered 80s dream pop and shoegaze sound, and Kennedy Ashlyn’s voice was immediately compared to Elizabeth Fraser, Kate Bush, and Harriet Wheeler – while Cash Askew’s washes of intricate guitar felt akin to Robin Guthrie, Ronny Moorings, or Kevin Shields. Their music felt familiar but new, nostalgic, and heartbreaking, with songs delivered simply and earnestly. They betrayed their age (both only 21 when they signed to DAIS) by releasing one of the most incredible debut albums of 2014, “Remain”.

Tragically, Cash Askew passed away in the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland in December of 2016, sending a shockwave of loss through our community. While Kennedy Ashlyn would eventually emerge as a solo artist through her project SRSQ, there were unfinished Them Are Us Too recordings and demos that Kennedy and those close to Cash felt deserved be heard in her memory.

Kennedy returned to the studio with producer Joshua Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv), Sunny Haire (Cash’s stepfather), Matia Somovich (INHALT), and Anya Dross (Cash’s girlfriend) to complete unfinished demos and sketches, write new compositions, and honor Cash Askew. The result is “AMENDS”: an album of tragic beauty and depth that tugs at emotions and inspires.

Digital Album

Posted on August 29th, 2018 under Releases, ,

Dais Records: HIDE – Castration Anxiety

HIDE - Castration Anxiety

HIDE was birthed from Chicago’s DIY scene in 2014. Heather Gabel and Seth Sher make up this electronic, sample based, post-industrial duo. Haunting vocals, throbbing sub-bass and trance inducing drones round out a sound that both punishes and empowers.

Digital Album

Posted on April 24th, 2018 under Uncategorized, ,

Dais Records: Wetware – Automatic Drawing

Wetware - Automatic Drawing

Here’s the latest release from Wetware, an industrial / experimental duo formed in 2015 from Brooklyn, NY.

Digital Album

Posted on March 7th, 2018 under Releases, ,

Dais Records: Martial Canterel – Lost At Sea

Martial Canterel - Lost At Sea

Since composer Sean McBride unveiled his first utterance as Martial Canterel almost 2 decades ago, he has produced a body of work both substantial and alluring within the field of live analogue electronic music. Effortlessly fusing a variety of styles and influences, Martial Canterel is one of the premiere outfits utilizing analogue electronics and modular synthesizers. In particular FM synthesis is employed to produce clustered polyphonies and organic atmospheres – a staple of his signature style.

Three years have passed since Martial Canterel’s last full length album Gyors, Lassù was released on Dais Records. During this down time, McBride found himself in a state of flux, ebbing back and forth between material displacement and musical aestheticism. His expert pedigree in electronic sound and arrangement bridges the gap created by an undecidability between life at home and abroad – his new album, Lost At Sea, is an attempt for the artist to locate common ground, mutating fable with reality, exteriority and interiority.

LP

Posted on October 17th, 2017 under Releases, ,

Dais Records: Drab Majesty – Oak Wood

Drab Majesty - Oak Wood

“Oak Wood” was a song received a couple weeks following the Ghostship tragedy in Oakland. The DAIS family lost one of it’s most beloved members, Cash Askew, and its song title is a literal translation of her last name; In Old Norse being Eiki (oak) Skogr (wood) thus making Oak Wood. I found the name to be symbolically poignant in light of the events and wanted this to be a tribute piece. The lyrics grapple with the existence of a god in a time of such utter sadness, hopelessness, and confusion.

“Egress” is meant to serve as a faint departure or daydream; spaces I often find myself drifting to as a means of escape when disturbing thoughts cyclically plague my brain. Side A confronts the issue and Side B acts as a mental respite. Making instrumental guitar pieces has always been an act of meditation and I hope if only for a brief moment, the listener can wander and lose themselves within the sonic imagery offered in this piece.

7″ / Digital Album

Posted on September 11th, 2017 under Releases, ,