Chicago morose post-punk group Tragic Figures returns following nearly 3 years of silence after dropping their debut EP, "IV." An amalgamation of members from Sleepwalk, Astrobrite, and Muted Color, Tragic Figures blurs the lines between post-punk and shoegaze crafting massive walls of sound that serve as the foundation for Eldritch-esque vocals
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First press: - Black cassette - limited to 50
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Wholesale: $4.00 MSRP: $10.00
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The True Faith "In Vain" Maxi CD - ALC-113
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The True Faith has never been a group that rests on their laurels. With a highly productive output since the groups inception in 2020, the Bostonian post-punk outfit returns with “In Vain” – the follow-up single to their critically-acclaimed sophomore album, “Go to Ground.”
Tapping again the creative mind of Ryan Santos Phillips as their producer, The True Faith has crafted a haunting track that shows a remarkable evolutionary depth from their pop-forward album released January 2023. “In Vain” is a song that creates a nostalgia-filled trip through the inner-workings of Travis Benson’s headspace. The song boasts a driving rhythm section that propels the song through the atmospheric noise of Quentin Moyer’s guitar and the hypnotic melodic theme that is carried throughout the recording. Expanding the group’s sound, bass player Dylan Kotliar finds a new role in piano, harnessing the refinement of the group’s sophistipop predecessors while retaining the edge that defines The True Faith’s songwriting.
Benson states “this song started off as a musical challenge to ourselves. After the recording of ‘Go to Ground,’ we wanted to find a way to highlight other aspects of our songwriting beyond that guitar-driven sound we’ve honed over the past several releases.” Characterizing the sound of the single, he says “the guitar track is a single riff that goes unchanged throughout the song. This allowed us to focus on how differences in the rhythm section can define and alter a melody.”
These elements create the perfect foundation for Benson’s impassioned vocals – cantillating feelings of reclusion and existential defeat. With the mastering expertise of Josh Bonati (Drab Majesty, Choir Boy), each component of “In Vain” cohesively coalesce to construct a despondent cry into the void that makes us wonder “why is it all in vain?”
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First press: - Maxi CD - limited to 50
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Wholesale: $5.00 MSRP: $12.00
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The True Faith "Go to Ground" LP/CD - ALC-110
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"Go to Ground" is the sophomore album from Boston post-punk group The True Faith.
"No, that’s not the Mandela Effect messing with your mind this morning: The band once known as True Faith added a dash of authority to their name. Boston’s steady providers of post-punk have reemerged as The True Faith, bearing the coincidentally-titled single “Minimal Change” from earlier this month (September 20). The group’s sweeping, somber daydream sets the stage for their forthcoming record Go to Ground — due out via à La Carte Records in January — but not without a side-step into synth territory for an accompanying KISS OF THE WHIP remix. Metaphorically spin Side A of the digital single for all brooding occasions; then “flip” that sucker over when disappearing into the darkness of your nearest goth night. However you want to spend your autumn evenings, The True Faith have a track for that. Sink into the many forms of “Minimal Change” below." - Victoria Wasylak/Vanyaland.com
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First press: - Cloudy clear with black smoke vinyl - limited to 100 - CD - limited to 100
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Vinyl: Wholesale: $11.00 MSRP: $25.00
CD: Wholesale: $5.00 MSRP: $12.00
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The True Faith "They Can Always Hurt You More" LP/CD - ALC-098
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Fresh on the heels of their Leucovorin Rescue b/w What Is Owed 7”, True Faith emerges with their debut full-length album, They Can Always Hurt You More — a bleak introspective view into the dehumanizing experience of medical trainees. Entering the last year of their medical education, the members of True Faith serve up this album as a reflection of the trials and tribulations of the past year.
“While this album is a testament to our own personal experiences with mistreatment and abuse in the medical system, I think it really speaks to a greater theme of labor exploitation across all disciplines,” says Benson. From the echoing chorus of “haven’t you had enough” in Gestalt to the sobering resignation of idealism of The Passion, these songs are direct reflections of a system that eats its own.
Sonically, They Can Always Hurt You More builds upon the guitar-oriented sound True Faith explored in the Leucovorin Rescue 7”. Enlisting the help of Francisco Ilabaca on synthesizer and Tom Weir (of Old Moon) on drums, the band continues to hone a sound that employs elements post-punk, coldwave, and shoegaze reminiscent of The Chameleons and The Sound.
Another notch on the belt of the emerging post-punk label à La Carte Records, They Can Always Hurt You More serves as a high watermark for True Faith and is a harbinger of things to come for the group.
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First press: - Maroon vinyl - limited to 200 - White vinyl - limited to 200 - CD - limited to 50
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Vinyl: Wholesale: $10.00 MSRP: $25.00
CD: Wholesale: $5.00 MSRP: $12.00
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The True Faith "Leucovorin Rescue" 7" - ALC-091
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Leucovorin Rescue b/w What Is Owed is a single from Boston post-punk band, True Faith. After the January release of debut album As Much Nothing As Possible via à La Carte Records, and the addition of a new member in Dylan Kotliar, True Faith return with the Leucovorin Rescue b/w What Is Owed 7". Its timing is no coincidence; it arrives when Boston traditionally experiences a seasonal rebirth, from its endless supply of graduating classes tossing their mortar boards skyward to the salty populace shaking free the winter doldrums as the city explodes in colorful open-air optimism, True Faith are emerging out of their own shadowy origins.
“This 7-inch is really a transition point between our more synth-focused material from As Much Nothing As Possible and our new guitar-focused material with our next album,” says Benson. “As a two-piece, I think we had the realization that replicating much of As Much Nothing As Possible live would be extremely difficult. With — hopefully — live shows returning on the horizon, I think we had the understanding that if we wanted to perform these tracks live, we would need more people involved. Dylan Kotliar joined the band to play bass and this opened up a lot of different avenues for us to explore. Between his contributions to songwriting and our ability to practice as a band again, this helped shift the sound from less of a synth-pop vibe from some of As Much Nothing As Possible to more of a post-punk feel a la The Chameleons, Second Empire Justice-era Blitz, and Mesh and Lace-era Modern English.”
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First press: - Orange splatter vinyl - limited to 100 - Blue splatter vinyl - limited to 100 - Orange smoke vinyl - limited to 150
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Wholesale: $4.00 MSRP: $10.00
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The True Faith "As Much Nothing As Possible" 12" - ALC-087
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As Much Nothing As Possible is the debut EP by Boston post-punk group, True Faith. After releasing a demo tape as a solo project, Benson recruited friend Moyer to assist in song writing. Together, the duo created this EP that speaks to the bleakness of New England. Inspired by synth-pop, post-punk, and the French coldwave scene, this record now serves as an important step in the band's progression as their sound continues to evolve.
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Second press: - Purple and pink splatter vinyl - limited to 100 - Transparent pink vinyl - limited to 100
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Wholesale: $12.00 MSRP: $25.00
Recommended if you like
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The Violent Youth "Ostavaites Na Linii" LP (ALC-102)
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The Violent Youth's newest release "Ostavaites Na Linii" (Hold The Line) out now. 10 brand new post punk tracks from the Belarussian artist The Violent Youth.
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First press: - Black vinyl - limited to 215
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Wholesale: $15.00 MSRP: $25.00
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The Violent Youth "Tam, Gde Nas Net" CS (ALC-090)
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In the summer of 2020, The Violent Youth released their fourth studio album in Tam, Gde Nas Net, a phrase loosely translated in English to “The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side.” But in many ways, it was an album of firsts for the band led by Belarusian songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and creative force Arthur Tsymbal. It was The Violent Youth’s first album with vocals in Tsymbal’s native Russian language; it was the first to crystallize the duo’s darker new wave, synth-pop, and post-punk sound; and it will soon be the first to be released in North America -- further exposing one of the region’s most exciting new bands to Western audiences. Signing to emerging independent record label à La Carte (True Faith, Don’t get Lemon, Love Language), The Violent Youth will re-release Tam, Gde Nas Net on cassette later this year April 2021), with more music on the way. The cassette release should provide a nice introduction to the emotive and captivating music of The Violent Youth, crafted by Tsymbal in his current residence of Augsberg, Germany, with an assist from bandmate and keyboardist Egor Ivakhnenko at his home city of Moscow, Russia.
The seeds for The Violent Youth were first planted in 2014 with the release of their debut EP LOUD, and their following grew in Europe and Russia with 2016 LP Discotheque. But last year’s release of Tam, Gde Nas Net not only saw the duo’s popularity grow, but also their creative focus.
Available variants
First press: - Black cassette - limited to 50 - Transparent red cassette - limited to 50