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Venus

by Upper Wilds

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1.
Love Song #1 03:13
The days are longer than the years No roses growing way down here They came and tried to see Life at 800 degrees But the cameras melt The god of love cheers The days are longer than the years No songbirds singing way down here It all goes up in flames This is place it's just not the same But the cameras melt The god of love cheers
2.
Love Song #2 04:34
Thursday turns to Friday And the Highway turns to sky Cousin Amy drives a truck now June turns to July It’s all speeding up now It's all flying by Eating breakfast at the truckstop And the heartlands in decline Victor’s back in Georgia With kids in plague times It's a business amputation Working 9 to 9 to 9 It’s all speeding up now It's all flying by This year turns to next year Time ain’t on our side But they’re never amputated True love in plague times It’s all speeding up now It's all flying by
3.
Love Song #3 03:53
We are maps of the night sky A freckled path you and I With all the stars on our arms To know where we are We are New Constellations We are maps growing new stars 'til nothing out there feels far And on our faces we show The places we know We know New Constellations
4.
Love Song #4 00:42
You know the sun won't care if you fall in love And the void still stares if you fall in love And the blood still boils if you fall in love And the blood still spills if you fall in love But you know you will you know you will you know you will you know you will tonight
5.
Love Song #5 03:19
You know the sun won't care if you fall in love And the void still stares if you fall in love And the blood still boils if you fall in love Yeah the blood still spills if you fall in love But you know you will you know you will you know you will you know you will tonight You know the bones still break if you fall in love And the days still ache if you fall in love And the tides still rise if you fall in love And the years still fly if you fall in love But you know you will you know you will you know you will you know you will tonight You know the time might bend if you fall in love 'til the start meets the end if you fall in love But the sky still falls if you fall in love And the void still calls if you fall in love But you know you will you know you will you know you will you know you will tonight
6.
Love Song #6 03:55
They told you to wait it out Hold hands and watch the skies They flew away And now you're counting down the days Together you wait it out Yeah Phoenix is just ok You do the job You haunt the content of the gods Singing we know how to be alone now We know how to be alone now We know how to be alone now Now So now you just wait it out And it's been a long long time In the age of posts You haunt the content of the ghosts Singing we know how to be alone now We know how to be alone now We know how to be alone now Now And now you just wait it out Masters of passing time This place has changed But every day here feels the same And if you still wait it out Play cards and watch for signs There comes a day To ask forever for a raise Singing we know how to be alone now We know how to be alone now We know how to be alone now Now
7.
Love Song #7 02:21
They had a secret wedding They had a secret plan The stars stretched out before them The void would understand And they could float together And if they had the chance Steal the first dance The rules they think they matter They have no hearts to break They have no dreams to shatter No nightmares they can't shake But Jan can float above it And look out at the lights And steal the first dance tonight Down there they fight like animals They fight like old friends They’ll tear eachother limb from limb They’ll try to bring you down again Up here’s above it And way beyond And if they had the chance They’d steal the first dance They had a secret wedding They had a secret plan The stars stretched out before them The void would understand And they could float together And if they had the chance Steal the first dance
8.
Love Song #8 02:11
It's our mirror world So strange to us Our mirror world Rearranging us But if you shine that light too bright it'll blind you back It's our mirror world Makes no sense to us Our sister world Reinventing us But if you shine that light too bright it'll blind you back Yeah if you shine that light too bright it'll blind you back There ain’t no roses here It's not like they say We’re all still dancing here Bent into new shapes (first verse plays backwards)
9.
Love Song #9 03:37
Well we picked up every joke Because we thought we'd need ‘em later And we brought them to the house ‘cause we thought we'd need ‘em later We piled them to the ceiling ‘cause we thought we'd need ‘em later Yeah we stacked them up so high ‘cause we thought we'd need ‘em later And when the wind shakes the walls it feels like nothing at all When the wind shakes the walls it feels like nothing at all When the wind shakes the walls it feels like nothing at all To us Well we filled our lungs with songs ‘cause we thought we'd need ‘em later And we brought them to the house ‘cause we thought we'd need ‘em later We shouted them out loud ‘cause we thought we'd need ‘em later Let 'em echo all around ‘cause we thought we'd need ‘em later Now when the wind shakes the walls It feels like nothing at all When the wind shakes the walls It feels like nothing at all When the wind shakes the walls It feels like nothing at all To us
10.

about

Multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Dan Friel remains unrivaled at creating ferocious pop songs out of blistering noise. A mainstay of the Brooklyn underground as co-founder of noise-punk band Parts & Labor and the alchemist behind a slew of fuzz-baked solo releases, Friel has played alongside the likes of Lightning Bolt and Black Dice and collaborated with acclaimed string quartet ETHEL. His rock trio Upper Wilds runs Friel’s ebullient spirit through mountainous art-punk, culling a rush of melody that drips with molten distortion. On their third album, Venus, the band naturally moves closer to the sun, expanding in both bombast and precision. Venus synthesizes the experimentation of debut Guitar Module 2017 and the thunder of 2018’s Mars into ten lean cosmic love songs.

On Venus, Upper Wilds orbit the planet named for the Roman goddess of love at full tilt. The rhythm section of bassist Jason Binnick (who also mixed the album) and drummer Jeff Ottenbacher (Black Black Black, Golden Error) tear through off-kilter rhythms that land with meteoric impact. Friel's guitar sputters and froths before soaring into frenetic leads that pack every moment with powerful melody. Alien croons and glitching sparks spill out of Friel's wild, filtered humming amplified into oblivion. Venus’ few moments of respite lay bare the raw efficiency and beauty of Friel's songwriting, like crackling space transmissions to loved ones thousands of miles away.

Friel interlocks allegories, strange true stories and deeply personal sentiments into raucous jolts. "Love Song #2" invokes the turbulence of Friel's cousin long-distance trucking in the midst of a pandemic — and love's tenacity to stay connected against all odds. The ensemble embodies the acceleration of life's momentum, the tempo ratcheting each time Friel intones "It's all speeding up now, It's all flying by". The swing and swagger of "Love Song #7" uncovers the glee and absurdity of real life NASA astronauts Jan Davis and Mark Lee, who united in a secret marriage before a joint mission. "Love Song #6" examines alienation through the lens of a couple left behind by the Heaven's Gate cult. On the boisterous "Love Song #3", Friel sees constellations in his son's freckles and finds comfort in how familiar the vast expanses of starlight appear.

Upper Wilds traverses the havoc, mystery, and joy of humanity's countless follies in both space and love. Venus is a raucous and joyous celebration of the wonders of what is beyond comprehension internally and externally. Join them on this exhilarating odyssey.

credits

released July 23, 2021

Personnel:
Dan Friel
Jason Binnick
Jeff Ottenbacher
Recording: Upper Wilds
Mixing: Jason Binnick
Mastering: Sarah Register
Visualization: Nolen Strals

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Upper Wilds Brooklyn, New York

Dan Friel (Parts & Labor, etc) - Guitar/Vox, Jason Binnick - Bass/Vox, Jeff Ottenbacher - Drums.

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