Plosivs

Plosivs

Yell At Cloud

Swami

Over four years in the making, Yell At Cloud is the follow up to the PLOSIVS critically hailed debut (RollingStone.biz said “best new release of the week” in 2021). Why so long between releases, you ask?  Nov. 2020 the band was invited to be the first guinea pigs at No Fun Club recording studio in Winnipeg, Canada and baptize the brand new facility. The band would live and record in the studio and be densely immersed in the forming of this new record. It was still during the days of COVID lockdowns and the earliest stages of permitted, international travel. Producer, engineer and studio designer Mike Bridavsky (Deerhoof, Magnolia Electric Co., The Cowboys, Durand Jones & The Indications, Half Japanese, The Residents) welcomed us with open arms and helmed the controls. Unfortunately, a massive Arctic storm (even by Winnipeg standards) descended. The compound was without power for the first five days. Using generators running on diesel and heat powered by sheep tallow, the band had to resort to using as little electricity as possible. Most of what you hear on Yell At Cloud was recorded in the dark or by candlelight in below freezing conditions. It wasn’t as romantic as it sounds. Due to Canada’s regulations for foreign travelers during the pandemic, we had to forge out on foot once a day in blizzard-like conditions to a clinic a mile away where we had to be swabbed nasally, between the toes and in the groin area in order to be...

Plosivs

S/t

Swami

Plosives—denoting consonants that are produced by stopping the airflow by using the lips, teeth or palate, followed by a sudden release of air, the misspelling of PLOSIVS is intentional. In audio recording it refers to the loud, vocal pop created by the hard consonant that overwhelms the microphone and causes it to distort. So what does this have to do with a new, angular and melodic punk band from San Diego? Perhaps their affection for this anomaly is celebrated and is symbolic of their appreciation for imperfection. Or maybe the word just sounds cool to them. Although PLOSIVS is a new outfit of very young, handsome men, personally, they have accomplished much in their early careers. Vocalist / guitarist Rob Crow is known for being in Pinback, Heavy Vegetable, Thingy, Physics and hundreds more. The length of drummer Atom Willard’s résumé rivals a CVS receipt and is a who’s who of alternative rock royalty: Against Me!, The Offspring, Rocket From The Crypt, Danko Jones, Social Distortion and Angels And Airwaves. Jordan Clark played bass with Mrs. Magician and guitar for The Frights and The Soaks. And prior to PLOSIVS, guitarist John Reis was and still is associated with Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From The Crypt, Night Marchers, The Sultans. Together, they independently isolated during what then seemed like the height of the pandemic (October 2020). After a short duration of ideas passed back and forth, they convened as a group for the very first time at Singing Serpent...