TWO INCH ASTRONAUT aren’t wasting time. The Suburban DC (aka Maryland) based trio are set to release Can You Please Not Help, the follow up to last year’s critically acclaimed Personal Life, on June 2nd via Exploding In Sound Records (Pile, Stove, Tall Friend). Recording once again with the legendary J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines), the band have undeniably created their strongest record to date, a soaring pop album that remains as tangled as it does engrained in hooks.
NPR Music are sharing the premiere of the “Snitch Jacket,” the album’s first single, saying,
“Can You Please Not Help continues the pop-focused mind-meld of previous efforts with monster hooks and a musicianship that only comes with a boatload of experience” before expanding “There’s a round and rumbling sound to bassist Andy Chervenak and drummer Matt Gatwood’s rhythm section, as guitarist Sam Rosenberg alternates space effects and panning start-stop riffs.”
Tour Dates:
03/28 – Ewing, NJ @ TCNJ-Decker Hall w/ Pile, Palehound & Coolshark
04/01 – Bronx, NY @ Rodrigue’s (Fordham University) w/ Grass Is Green & Bad History Month
04/13 – Washington, DC @ DC9 w/ Pile & Gnarwhal
More about the band and the new record:
Two Inch Astronaut has been playing in one configuration or another since 2009, though founding members Matt Gatwood and Sam Rosenberg’s musical relationship dates back to the early 2000’s. Beginning as an acoustic and cello driven side project, they quickly evolved into making rock music as a trio. After three well received full lengths released on Exploding in Sound Records (with praise from Pitchfork, NPR, Stereogum and more), the Wheaton, MD based trio (including Andy Chervenak of Grass is Green) return with Can You Please Not Help, the band’s fourth album since 2013. The prolific trio have created their most nuanced and vibrant recordings yet; leaning on their pop strength while remaining true to their propensity for tangled chord progressions and unpredictable rhythms.
The album was once again recorded by one of the band’s influences, J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels), at the Magpie Cage in Baltimore, Maryland. Two Inch Astronaut just keep getting better and Can You Please Not Help is built around pop-centric exploration and reflective songwriting.
