Today we're stoked to share the latest from Harrison Colby's new project The Beat Index. Colby is a veteran of several great Milwaukee bands past and present -- NO/NO, The Delphines, Rexxx, Sex Scenes -- but true to his track record The Beat Index is very much its own thing. Its upcoming debut "Juvenilia," out July 31 on Madison's No Coast Records, is a stylistic grab bag of electronic pop, and the track we're debuting today, "Brand New Somebody," offers an especially lo-fi spin on the raggedy, synthesized rock of the early '80s. Seriously catchy stuff.
Stream and read about it below.
From the press release:
Structured like a compilation record, "Juvenilia" is a conceptual album that explores the misplaced nostalgia that drives so much of modern audio and visual design. Each song differs greatly, playing with sounds from glam, disco, bubblegum, krautrock, garage, '90s electronica, and muzak, sewn together with an art-pop thread.
“The Beat Index is a sort of tongue-in-cheek compilation series. It’s an opportunity to examine different artistic constructs and experiment with them through music, video and design” says Colby. “Volume One, Juvenilia, focuses on nostalgic ‘filters’, and their impact on modern media, using this sonic and visual nostalgia in a modern application. Like retro instagram filters and vintage treatments in music.”
“The Beat Index was an opportunity to combine a ton of different sounds in a way that made sense. It’s a freedom that you don’t have when you have to think about putting together a band or how it all translates live, because right now none of that is possible,” says Colby.
The album was written and produced in March and April while in isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.“Like many other musicians, throughout the lockdown, I had more time to explore ideas I had put on the shelf. I think we’re going to continue to see a lot of really personal music released that was made during this time of isolation.”
No Coast Records set the release for July 31. The 40 minute album is on cassette with a digital download code that features another 40 minutes of bonus tracks and outtakes, music videos and a “textbook” lyric zine. The first 25 copies of the cassette come with a hard copy of the zine.