Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 04/16/2020
(NEW YORK, NY) -- Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have released “Friend Machine,” the latest single from their upcoming debut album Introduction, Presence, which is due out May 22. Vinyl copies of the album are available immediately to fans who order direct from the band’s website.
“‘Friend Machine’ is about my own unhealthy relationship with technology,” said songwriter-vocalist Ian Devaney. “Like many people, I just spend too much time with it. There’s a struggle that forms as I attempt to balance my social media content to keep me both informed about the world and inspired to create. Connectivity often feels like it keeps me chained or absent, but simultaneously it can also drive me to go make new things. Perhaps it’s just an excuse I make for myself, but in my head there really is a push/pull that exists, and so I’m left trying to find a way to develop some kind of reasonable symmetry within the tension of my tech habits.”
Introduction, Presence received a glowing review from the Associated Press this month, and Paste included the single "September Again" in their Best Songs Of March column, stating, "Rather than drawing on the atmospheric darkwave of many of today’s modern synth-pop outfits, [Nation of Language] channels the soaring hi-fi pop of the ’80s, and the electro-pop and dance-punk revival of the ‘00s.”
Inspired by the early new wave and punk movements, Nation of Language’s energetic anthems blend upbeat energy with a healthy dose of sardonic melancholy. The two-year process of creating Introduction, Presence involved both musical exploration and self-discovery by Devaney, keyboardist Aidan Devaney and bassist Michael Sui-Poi. The three went into the studio without an agenda, ready to experiment with new instruments to see what sounds came out. “There’s something fascinating to me about how emotions can present themselves when one is unsure of what exactly they’re doing,” Devaney mused. “It’s important to me that people feel that core of innocence and pure discovery out of which these songs were born.”
These powerful emotions transcend time and genre, and they have endeared Nation of Language to concertgoers who have had the opportunity to witness their live act, as well as listeners who have come across their early singles as if discovering a hidden secret.
Live Dates:
04/18 – Clubhouse Austin Telethon - Livestream DJ Set – 11pm ET @clubhouseaustin
05/29 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Sultan Room
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