Premiering their farewell record on Pure Volume, NYC prog rock punks SISTER HELEN shared the following:
“When we talk about this album we say it’s a loose concept, told from the point of view of two friends, one who pleads, ‘Please help me,’ and the other who replies ‘I’m so sorry I can’t help you,’ and pities himself and curses his own impotence. Each song examines a different angle of the tension and desperation between them, and the complexity of the roles they play in each other’s lives.
But it’s more than that. This band has been together since we were children. We grew up in each other’s houses and learned to play music together. All of our pet cats died in the same year. I don’t know what that signifies, but it must signify something. And since we found each other, we’ve always been high-energy, always about catharsis.
I think all of us have felt like touring and recording as Sister Helen was the last thing still tying us to adolescence, so this album is also about making that final cathartic push out of childhood and moving on with our individual lives.”
“Hard hitting instrumentals serve as the backdrop, as we are used to hearing from this phenomenal band.” – Impose Magazine
“Lost in the heavy sonic bombardment of Sister Helen‘s latest single “Draw Near”, we find renewal in classic progressive rock.” – All Things Go
More about the band:
The story of Brooklyn born and raised prog-punk band Sister Helen reaches as far back as pre-school for Eva Lawitts (bass/vox) and Clint Mobley (drums). Officially forming in 2003 while the two lifelong friends were in middle school, Sister Helen would add Nathan J. Campbell (lead vox) in 8th grade and Chris Krasnow (guitar/vox) in 10th.
Having lived full lives as DIY musicians, despite still being so young, and with Campbell due to move to Istanbul, Sister Helen is now preparing to release a final, self-titled concept album due out January 13th.
With humble beginnings that stretch from all ages gigs at Liberty Heights Tap Room to present day, Sister Helen has been at the forefront of challenging, underground rock having been a played countless venues come and gone in the ever evolving NYC landscape. Touring the country on self booked tours in recent years, the band hit a collective breaking point having pushed each other to the brink. It was this desperate energy going into the studio knowing they were recording their swan song that informs the dark, dynamic sounds and concepts across the 12 tracks.
“It’s a concept album about friendship and helplessness,” shares Lawitts. “There’s no specific narrative, but every song examines the underlying themes from a different angle. There are two perspectives, that of the ‘Friend’ (who pleads throughout the album ‘please help me’) and that of the ‘Finest Mind’ (who cries back ‘I’m so sorry I can’t help you’). These two characters sing to and about each other, trying to make sense of their relationship but are simultaneously being ruled by overwhelming doubt, narcissism and impotence.”
Look for more from Sister Helen leading up to the release of their final album with a farewell show planned for January 9th at Shea Stadium.
