EARLIMART TO RELEASE SECOND ALBUM ON MAJORDOMO: HYMN AND HER: 7/1/2008 |
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Los Angeles, CA – After returning from a long and grueling tour in support of their critically-acclaimed 2007 album, Mentor Tormentor, Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray of Earlimart returned immediately to the studio that had become more or less their home for the past few years.
“We recorded the new album really quickly….we didn’t wanna wait another 3 years to make another record. We just wanna keep makin’ stuff,” says Espinoza. Aaron and Ariana set a four-week deadline to make a record – a restriction that is certainly not evident in the lushness and quality of the end result.
The fruit of their labor is Hymn and Her, due out on Majordomo on July 1.
Hymn and Her was written and produced by Espinoza, Murray and Andrew Lynch at the band’s Ship Studio in Eagle Rock, CA. Whereas in the past each member worked on songs alone, this time it was more of a collective effort, with each bringing in songs and working on them together.
Hymn And Her is the most personal and intimate Earlimart record to date, which is no doubt a function of not laboring over the process as they had on previous albums...it’s more organic and diverse than anything the band has done before. The lyrics also delve into the personal lives of Espinoza and Murray, detailing both the peak and end of relationships, and the struggle to maintain their place and identity amidst personnel changes and an ever shifting landscape. And while the album title and certainly some songs may seem to travel down an unusual road for the band - referencing what might be understood as religious themes now and then - it seems to be less a vehicle designed to expound upon some renewed faith, but more a questioning of the mysteries therein.
Despite the “down and dirty” approach, the album still has a very layered and rich sound, which is due in large part to Lynch’s contribution. He’s credited in the liner notes as “engineering w/ additional production, music, and magic-making,” and nothing seems more apt to describe the sonic manipulations that give the album its unique and varied texture.
Another pleasant development is the continued emergence of Murray as a songwriter and lead vocalist. With her songs “Before It Gets Better” and “Time For Yourself,” Murray follows up on the success of “Happy Alone,” a standout track from Mentor Tormentor that is currently featured in an extended run on a promotional campaign for the FX show “The Riches.” She also sings the album’s closer, a somber coda that the band describes as “the credits after the end of the film.”
This new offering will be Earlimart’s second on Majordomo, an imprint formed as a partnership between Earlimart and Shout! Factory, offering the band greater creative freedom. Majordomo will also sign and produce other like-minded artists.
Track Listing
1. Song For
2. Face Down In The Right Town
3. Before It Gets Better
4. For The Birds
5. God Loves You The Best
6. Great Heron Gates
7. Cigarettes And Kerosene
8. Teeth
9. Time For Yourself
10. Hymn And Her
11. Town Where You Belong
12. Tell Me
Earlimart Hymn and Her
Distributed by Sony BMG
Release Date: July 1, 2008
Selection No: 826663-10857
Suggested List Price: $15.98
Earlimart is:
Aaron Espinoza & Ariana Murray
Produced by:
Aaron Espinoza, Ariana Murray, and Andrew Lynch at the Ship
Engineering w/ additional production, music, and magic-making:
Andrew Lynch
Mixed by:
Aaron Espinoza at the Ship
Mastering:
Mark Chalecki at Little Red Book Mastering, Los Angeles
String Arrangement: Jason “The Professor” Borger
Violins: Daphne Chen
Cellos: Matt Fish
Bass on “Before It Gets Better”: Michael Orendy
Drums on “Cigarettes and Kerosene”: Scott McPherson
Horns on “Face Down in the Right Town” and “Cigarettes and Kerosene”: Andrew Lynch |
