DEATH OF THE WALDEN NEWSPAPER CO. to Get Vinyl, CD Release from Driveway Ceiling
The 15-song concept record features spoken word interludes and Independent Project Records founder Bruce Licher's backing.
Indie psych pop quartet DRIVEWAY CEILING are set to physically release their debut album, Death of the Walden Newspaper Co., on Independent Project Records (IPR) on Friday, October 30. The record, previously released digitally, will be available for the first time on vinyl (black or opaque forest green) and Special Edition CD.
Originally from Trumbull, CT. and now scattered across the US of A, the twentysomething quartet's first full-length is an almost-concept album offering a heady brew of trippy sunshine pop with tinges of Tropicalia and art rock. It's a 15-song, 44-minute collection of modern psychedelic delicacies chock-full of melodies and harmonies, with spoken word interludes and, of course, appearances from the elusive 'Mr. Walden' himself.
'Discovering Driveway Ceiling completely at random was one of the true unexpected happy accidents I've had at IPR,' said founder and co-owner of Independent Project Records, Bruce Licher. 'While listening to another band I was interested in, the YouTube algorithm decided I next needed to hear Driveway Ceiling, and the more I heard, the more I knew I wanted to work with them to release Death of the Walden Newspaper Co.'
'We never had a plan to release Death of The Walden Newspaper Co. physically unless you count some CDs we burned and sent out with our merch,' said Driveway Ceiling's Colin Walsh. 'When Bruce Licher contacted us about our music it started out as someone simply reaching out to tell us that they like what we do. We're excited by what it has blossomed into. Witnessing Bruce and the IPR team's passion, originality, and unmitigated love for music has made us eager to put this physical release together.'
Coming together from impressive distances, Driveway Ceiling gathered in a house somewhere in Pennsylvania with the sole intent of letting everything they had out into the open air. They put a Batman towel on the snare drum and pulled their guitar straps up a little too high like they used to do on TV. Then they revived Mr. Walden, a Hearst-like media tycoon made astonishingly redeemable by the powers of rhythm and melody. If that sounds unlikely, then you need to spend time with Death of the Walden Newspaper Co., a record that resurrects and subverts the concept of a concept album almost sixty years after Pepper and Village Green. And it is indeed the Beatles and the Kinks (by way of Apples in Stereo and Elf Power) that act as polestars whenever the four members of Driveway Ceiling – currently pursuing college and life at large across the States – convene to weave their sounds together. The four piece looks both back and forward, finding a balance between the best of '60s and '90s sonic trips while speaking resolutely to and of today.
Hot off the storied Independent Project Records presses, Death of the Walden Newspaper Co. is that most unlikely of things: a story in paper and ink bursting out of the digital age, music that wears its retro loves on its sleeve while leaving us with bright hope for indie rock's future.
Known for their unique musical sensibilities and extraordinary artwork & design, Independent Project Records is a favorite of record collectors and music fans alike for their bespoke packaging and attention to detail. Grammy-nominated founder Bruce Licher's graphic design and his hand-letterpress packaging have been a mainstay in music circles since 1982's Tragic Figures from Savage Republic. Since that time, the label has released seminal albums and singles from artists as diverse as Savage Republic, Alison's Halo, Human Hands, Kommunity FK, Camper Van Beethoven, Scenic, For Against, Deception Bay, Half String, Autumnfair, The Dentists, Tone, WOO, Stereolab and more. Since the label's relaunch in 2020, IPR has released new music, lost albums, reissues with bonus tracks on digital, compact disc and vinyl formats for a variety of artists including A Produce, Afterimage, Alison Clancy, David J, Half String, Bruce Licher, Greg Lisher, Jeffrey Runnings, The Ophelias, Red Temple Spirits, Savage Republic, Scenic, Shiva Burlesque, Springhouse, Torn Boys, WOO and multiple various artist compilations. Coming up in 2026 and 2027 are new titles and expanded reissues from David J, Driveway Ceiling, Kommunity FK, Middle Class and more.
Tracklist
1. Sleepy River Dawn
2. Yellow Journalism
3. BLACK SWAN
4. Hair in the Drain
5. Get a Load of this Guy (Interlude)
6. Mr. Walden
7. Modern Theroux
8. Impressive Distances
9. Beeline
10. Disgust
11. Leisure Time (Interlude)
12. Thru the Walls
13. Live Free or Die
14. Smoking Again
15. Obituary
About Independent Project Records
Founded in 1980 by musician and artist Bruce Licher, Independent Project Records and its sister entity Independent Project Press are known for their instantly recognizable hand-printed record covers for bands including Camper Van Beethoven, For Against, Polvo, R.E.M., Savage Republic, Silversun Pickups, Stereolab and more. Aside from creating much of the artwork on his vintage two-ton hand-fed letterpress, Licher was nominated for a Grammy Award for his design work on the IPR released debut album from For Against. In 2020, the label was relaunched by both Licher and Jeffrey Clark with new and archival releases and is distributed by MRI/The Orchard & via Proper Music Group outside the USA & Canada. IPR is based in Bishop, California, at the base of the Eastern Sierra Mountains.
Photo Credit: Kevin Estrada
Photo Credit: Kevin Estrada
