THE COATHANGERS
BIO:
The Coathangers were a band before they were musicians. The Atlanta
quartet started out as an excuse to hang out and play parties. Their
jokey attitude ran deep, right down to their name--a self-admittedly
crude abortion reference for an all-girl group. The whole
knowing-how-to-play-an-instrument thing was just a minor hurdle in
their musical mission. And to their credit, The Coathangers stormed
onto the scene, regardless of the handicap, as a completely
unaffected, unpretentious, deliciously sloppy, and totally infectious
rock band. What they lacked in formal training they made up for in an
innate understanding of how to craft a hook and propel a song forward
on sheer charisma. It was impossible not to like them.
Despite the casualness of The Coathangers approach to making music,
that devil-may-care attitude and rowdy house-show vibe resonated with
folks across the globe. The band released two albums and toured the
states with bands like The Thermals, Mika Miko, These Arms Are Snakes,
and Young Widows. Five years later, that reckless energy from their
half-serious roots is every bit as vibrant and rambunctious on their
latest album, Larceny & Old Lace. But this time around we’re hearing a
band that’s honed their trade and incorporated more stylistic
variations. It’s also the band’s first experience in a proper studio;
the album was recorded with Ed Rawls at The Living Room in Atlanta,
Georgia. The result is a record that feels like The Coathangers we’ve
always known and loved, but sounds like a band taking their trade more
seriously. Where their past recordings were a mash-up of garage rock’s
rough and loose instrumentation and no-wave’s abrasive tonalities,
Larceny & Old Lace showcases a broader song-writing range. “Go Away”
taps into a ‘60s girl-group sound. “Call to Nothing” employs the
paint-peeling guitars, dance beats, and slightly ominous melodies of
the early post-punk pioneers. “Well Alright” is reminiscent of Rolling
Stones’ bawdy R&B strut. “Tabbacco Road” is perhaps the biggest leap
for the band, completely eschewing their rabble-rousing strategy in
favor of penning a pensive and somber ballad. Are we seeing a kinder,
gentler Coathangers?
“Never!” is the response from drummer Rusty Coathanger. “We're
definitely in a different place creatively and personally. This album
has songs that go deeper than on [sophmore album] Scramble, much more
serious for us... say whaaaaa?!” Old fans needn’t worry though—lead
single “Hurricane” is still a glorious, gritty garage rocker and
“Johnny” is still a brilliantly noisy no-wave tune. The Coathangers
are merely stretching their boundaries, as you’d expect any other act
on their third album to do. “We wanted to try and write different
styles of songs and push ourselves to really create something familiar
but still unique,” says Rusty. “Because everyone is into so many
different types of music, you get a hodgepodge kind of sound. However
different the songs we feel its still a cohesive album, as far as
every song sounding distinctly like a Coathanger's song.”
With this broadened artistic horizon, refinement of technique, and Ed
Rawls’ production allowing every instrument to shine without
detracting from the band’s natural grit, The Coathangers’ latest
offering is easily their best record to date. Larceny & Old Lace will
be released June 7, 2011 on Suicide Squeeze Records. Join the party.
|
|
|
Latest Tweets
3/10 @
11:08 AM
|
TheCoathangers -
Big thanks to Craig Charles of @BBC6Music for playing "Watch Your Back" 💚
#thecoathangers #watchyourback… https://t.co/Lc4TpOigmw
|
|
3/8 @
1:04 PM
|
|
3/3 @
8:28 AM
|
TheCoathangers -
Some rare TEST PRESSINGS up on @Bandcamp today courtesy of @suicidesqueeze including The Devil You Know LP & split… https://t.co/1aZed2A5in
|
|
MORE TWEETS
Latest Articles
Frida Kill Shares New Single 'Demons'
by Michael Major - November 27, 2023
Frida Kill's sound is equal parts post-punk revival, filthy garage rock and experimental noise. Frida Kill's music melds relatable grooves that point to a time when rock n' roll was more visceral than cerebral and pairs that with Avant Garde flourishes synonymous with the sound of New York City's mo...
Frida Kill Releases New Single 'Zine Song'
by Michael Major - October 11, 2023
This repertoire is delivered with the freewheeling swagger of artists that spend a decent amount of time in the drinking establishments of Bushwick, Brooklyn. Frida Kill have a special love for bands like L7, Bikini Kill, Sonic Youth, Coathangers, The Slits, Hole, FIDLAR, Together Pangea, Plasmatics...
David Knudson Shares Debut Solo LP, 'THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE TO CHANGE IS EVERYTHING'
by Marissa Tomeo - May 15, 2022
David Knudson officially releases his new LP The Only Thing You Have to Change is Everything out today via Platoon/Seawall. The 10-track LP traverses Knudson’s dizzying riffage and energized instrumentation while excising the full-band format in favor of intricately layered guitar, bold programmed ...
Daisy Glaze Share New Single 'Call Me Midnight'
by Michael Major - January 13, 2022
Daisy Glaze, helmed by Louis Epstein (HITS, Jump Into The Gospel) and Alix Brown (Angry Angles with Jay Reatard, Golden Triangle), shared their newest single, “Call Me Midnight.” Directed by Alexandra Cabral, the video provides a dream-like background for the song’s musings of love and its beauty, a...
LEVITATION Announces 9th Annual SXSW Day & Night Parties
by Kaitlin Milligan - March 03, 2020
LEVITATION takes over Hotel Vegas and The Volcom Garden for two days of events this year! For 2020, they've joined forces with Tower Records and Volcom to unite some of the most eclectic artists and bands from across the world for their annual SXSW programming....
Rookie Announces Debut Album
by Kaitlin Milligan - February 06, 2020
ROOKIE is six matching jumpsuit-clad, shaggy-haired friends from Chicago who play rock 'n' roll that's more at home next to their parents' battered LPs than on their friends' streaming playlists. Their self-titled, debut full-length album - out on March 13th and available to preorder now (https://ro...
LEVITATION 2019 Reveals Lineup Additions
by Kaitlin Milligan - September 12, 2019
LEVITATION returns November 7 - 10 for its 11th edition to downtown Austin, TX. ...
The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev Join LEVITATION 2019 Lineup
by Kaitlin Milligan - July 23, 2019
LEVITATION returns November 7 - 10 for its 11th edition to downtown Austin, TX. Today they've announced 40+ new artists to the lineup....
PBR Music Presents 'Sponsored Tour Guides with Mastodon'
by Caryn Robbins - June 27, 2017
On the heels of announcing dates for their upcoming Pabst Blue Ribbon -sponsored North American tour (which runs from Sept. 26 to Oct. 25), Mastodon has released a new behind-the-scenes tour video written, produced and directed by Newmerica in conjunction with PBR Music....
|