Montgomery County, Maryland’s TWO INCH ASTRONAUT are excited to share their new album Personal Life in full, ahead of the record’s release on Friday, February 5th via Exploding In Sound Records. Heavy on nuance, jagged melodies, wistful harmonies, and dynamically structured song writing, Personal Life finds Two Inch Astronaut continuing to mature into one of the East Coast’s most explosive and exciting bands throughout a dark album that grapples with themes of “personal life” in their own context.
Speaking about the album, Billboard magazine shared, “For their third full length, the Maryland punks tossed sound bites and screengrabs of their everyday lives into ten songs that brood and burst into ramshackle jams for their onstage alter egos. It’s as if the conversations en route to record with producer J. Robbins were captured and strewn across the jam sessions that came to be Personal Life.” They elaborated, “founding members Matt Gatwood (drums, cello, vocals) and Sam Rosenberg (guitar, vocals) collaborated with new bassist Andy Chervenak. A vocalist in his own right, Chervenak jumped in on the songwriting process and encouraged the aforementioned jam sessions — something the band had never tried before.” Needless to say, the results of the new trio have lit a fire in Two Inch Astronaut… and it’s personal.
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 (or backslid) into making rock music as a trio. After two well received full lengths released on Exploding in Sound Records, the Wheaton, MD based trio parted ways with original bassist Daniel Pouridas and were joined by Andy Chervenak of Grass is Green (members of which went on to be in bands such as Empress of, Speedy Ortiz, and Palehound). After a few shorter stints in the U.S. and an extensive European tour supporting La Dispute, the band began writing what would become Personal Life.
Running on the apparent synergy of the new lineup, Two Inch Astronaut quickly wrote a number of songs, some of which were conceived entirely in the practice space together with little in the way of verbal direction. The album was recorded by one of the band’s influences, J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels), at the Magpie Cage in Baltimore, Maryland. The result is their most varied, honest, and honed collection of songs to date, presented with leaner and tougher production than any of their previous efforts.
“Two Inch Astronaut sounds as unpredictable and polished as ever. “Good Behavior” leads the record with a snappy, twisted pop song. Sam Rosenberg’s knotty guitar work continues to evolve, as a Pixies-like sense of melody lurks the background, and he works nicely in tandem with new member Andy Chervenak (Grass Is Green), the bassist and co-vocalist who’s boosted the musicianship of the already talented trio.” – NPR Music
“it encapsulates all of the band’s most contradictory — and thus, most interesting — qualities. The song is by turns poppy and abrasive, with twitching guitar riffs giving way to frontman Sam Rosenberg’s supercharged vocal melodies.” – Consequence of Sound
Tour Dates:
02/07 – Washington, DC @ The Black Cat (Backstage) w/ Hemlines & Laughing Man (Album Release Show)
02/12 – Harrisonburg, VA @ The Golden Pony w/ Middle Part & Bishops (early show)
03/05 – Washington, DC @ Above The Bayou w/ Kal Marks, BRNDA & Nice Breeze
03/08 – Raleigh-Durham, NC w/ Kal Marks
03/09 – Asheville, NC @ Odditorium w/ Kal Marks
03/10 – Nashville, TN @ Freakin Weekend Fest w/ Kal Marks
03/11 – Atlanta, GA @ Wonderoot w/ Kal Marks
03/12 – Talahasse, FL @ Wolfs Den w/ Kal Marks, Yikes & Lingua Franca
03/13 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa w/ Kal Marks, Woozy & Melters
03/14 – Lafayette, LA w/ Kal Marks
03/15 – Houston, TX @ Alley Kat Bar & Lounge w/ Kal Marks
03/16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/17- Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/18 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
