From Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Spanaway makes lush, heartbroken songs that will click with fans of Failure, Hum, DIIV, and Nothing. The stellar vocals of frontman Zack Van Why meld with swirling layers of guitars and the rock solid pounding of drummer Keith Goldoni, also a member of death metal/hardcore favorites Fuming Mouth.
Formerly known as Blush, the band’s upcoming album Songs of Yesteryear is the first release under the Spanaway name. Recorded and engineered by Zach Weeks at God City and mastered by Cult of Luna’s Magnus Lindberg, it will be released December 6th on Burial Whisper Records.
New single “Twenty Seven” sees the band at its most subdued and haunting. Flood Magazine’s Mike LeSuer writes: “Given the fact that they cite Converge and American Nightmare as influences, feature death-metallers Fuming Mouth’s Keith Goldoni on drums, and enlisted Cult of Luna’s Magnus Lindberg to master their debut album, you might be surprised at how unaggressive Pennsylvania post-hardcore collective Spanaway appears across Songs of Yesteryear… ‘Twenty Seven‘ has more in common with Jacob Bannon’s post-metal side-project Wear Your Wounds than any era of Converge… The patient pacing and somber acoustic guitar of ‘Twenty Seven‘ additionally emphasizes the influence of Elliott Smith in the band’s songwriting, while the lyrical content mines a similarly dark territory.”
Guitarist Robby Vena says the new single is “an exploration of loneliness… It’s that burning in your stomach as the breeze meanders through the nothingness.”
The band is joined on the track by various friends performing guest vocals, piano, and horns. Vena says: “We wanted to take that ‘Converge on Axe To Fall’ approach and put as many friends on as we could.”
Revolver Magazine had these words for the album’s first single, “Terrible,” released last month: “It’s full of wall-leveling waves of Hum-styled guitar melancholy, while also showcasing an oddly gentle vocal performance about being choked to death by traumatically nostalgic memories. While the band’s lineup includes Fuming Mouth drummer Keith Goldoni, Spanaway seems to be trafficking in a more subversive and swirling kind of attack.”
