THE OTHER EACH OTHER’s debut full-length, Glass Case, out this summer on Paper Dice Recordings, is a cathartic blast of exacerbation, gloom, and visceral emotionality. The 8-song album was mixed and mastered by Tim Green (The Fucking Champs) at Louder Studios, and today we’re pleased to give you its first official listen, along with the official track by track commentary from author Joel Finch.
“This release largely started out as a project to help close out some thoughts on the current U.S. administration in 2020, but it quickly evolved into a consideration of the sad universality of caste,” The Other Each Other singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist/conceptualist Joel Finch shares. “What compels someone to vote against their own well-being to keep another from getting more or even become equal?”
The Seattle-based project recalls the intrepid creativity of Tropical Fuck Storm and King Gizzard, and the dark-wave of artistry of Moon Duo and Phantogram. The songs have a dark post-punk cloud hanging over them, and below that ominous specter is a fearlessly experimental spirit. Some tracks feature dark wave, classical guitar and moody synths, others are abrasively anthemic with rubbery basslines, revved-up and hypnotic minor-key chord sequences, and intricately dynamic drums. In 2020, The Other Each Other issued its self-titled debut EP.
The song, “Must,” is caked in atmospheric grit, opening as an ethereal track before coalescing into hauntingly-textured indie rock powered by dexterous drumming, and featuring rousing vocals and gritty, processed guitars. Here, Finch calls out the political gaslighting with lyrics such as: Some kind of weird caliphate with a broken state. Some kind of caliphate with a broken state and a dusted fate. It’s money. We know enough to see enough to see enough to know enough. Money.
The track, “The Wind,” conjures a goth-folk moodiness that feels funereal. “That song is very personal. My dad passed away, and he would have been somebody great to talk to about what’s been happening. This weaves into the overarching story of politics in that it’s important to have people you can talk to during trying times,” Finch says. The stunning, “Door At Final Days,” features propulsive drumming, thick and melodic bass playing, and lead guitars that coil and slither like a post-punk Mahavishnu Orchestra-era John McLaughlin. This is a “how did this political nightmare happen” rallying call. The song’s lyrics are pointed and paired down. Finch sings: I said and you said and we said and she said and he said and they said. What did we get? What did we forget? Your bragging is dragging us down. Our bragging is dragging us down. Remember. Now. I said and you said and we said and she said and he said and they said. What did we expect?
Influenced by Brian Eno, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Boris, Thee Oh Sees. For fans of: King Gizzard, Moon Duo, Phantogram.
Track by Track rundown from Joel Finch:
Glass Case started off as a concept album trying to understand why people would vote for and believe in a system that actively undermines their own well-being. For example, what causes an hourly worker to vote for tax decreases for the ultra-wealthy. However, as Fall 2020 came around, Glass Case evolved into more of a protest album, stripping away all symbolism, metaphors, and conceptual imagery in favor of sparse, straightforward language that tried to capture the moment. The lyrics are intentionally repetitive and simplistic.
We Have Eyes – Essentially lays out the premise of the album. We are not fooled by your gaslighting. We know they’re lies.
Your Needs – The needs of the few outweighing the needs of the many resulting in environmental decimation.
Must – What is the essential governing element over America’s recent move to more overt authoritarianism? Why did a significant portion of the population fall in line behind it? Money and outright greed. Future generations be damned.
The Wind – A little more personal. Thinking about the loss of someone close, general impermanence, and how one day we too will be a loss to someone close.
Door at Final Days – Everyone knows we saw theft and lies on an unimaginable scale. We all talked about it. Most of us agreed. Yet nothing changed. Some seemed to even admire the lies and theft.
No Off – The media’s constant rolling coverage of graft and untruths with little or no pushback. The media’s two-sided reporting that consistently validated a deranged lunatic.
Heavy Reign and Severed Flooding – How close (still!) is American democracy to being overrun by an authoritarian regime?
Grifters Do Time – Trying to make sense of the appeal of the authoritarian state for many Americans. Somehow a false sense of security felt more valuable to many than a sense of greater equity. A career grifter was somehow able to sell that fiction.
