#Single Review: Brainstory Peach Optimo

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Audio: Brainstory Shares a Shuffling and Trippy Ode to Suburban Life

New Audio: Brainstory Shares a Shuffling and Trippy Ode to Suburban Life @Brainstory00 @bigcrownrecords @El_Michels @grandstandhq @shazi_la

Rialto, CA-based soul outfit Brainstory — siblings Kevin (vocals, guitar) and Tony Martin (bass) and Eric Hagstrom (drums) — can trace their origins to the shared common denominator of jazz: With no real music scene in California’s Inland Empire, Kevin Martin and Eric Hagstrom both landed in music school, where they met. Tony Martin, however, relocated to San Francisco, where he studied jazz bass…

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

Rialto, CA-based soul outfit Brainstory will be releasing their Leon Michels-produced sophomore album Sounds Good on Friday through renowned purveyors of soul, Big Crown Records. The album will feature: “Gift of Life,” a lush, old-school, Quiet Storm-like, show-topping ballad built around a shimmering and vibey arrangement featuring fluttering, ethereal flute paired with Kevin Martin’s emotive, falsetto croon and some incredibly catch hooks. While the song see the band pulling from classic soul, psych soul and dub in a way that sounds like it could been released sometime between 1968-1974, “Gift of Life,” manages to feel remarkably modern.  “Listen,” a classic, two-step inducing groove-driven song with shimmering analog synths, an overdrive-fueled guitar solo paired with some dreamy falsetto melodies and harmonies that sounds — to me, at least — as though it could have been been a Mandrill or Isley Brothers B side. The song sees the band’s Kevin Martin encouraging the listener to spend some time enjoying the present moment, because life’s all too short and remarkably fleeting “Peach Optimo,” a slow-burning and summery bit of psych soul anchored around a strutting and wobbling bass line, glistening keys, some funky drum rhythm patterns and an expressive guitar solo paired with some retro-futuristic synths. Seemingly channelling JOVM mainstays Mildlife and L’Eclair, sees the trio diving into the banality and simple pleasures of teenaged suburban life — full of the nostalgia of cul-de-sac hangs and bullshit sessions with the homies. Sounds Good‘s fifth and latest single “XFaded” is a strutting, hook-driven and funky psych soul jam anchored around an arrangement featuring skittering boom bap, a sinuous bass line and squiggling bursts of guitar. According to the trio, the song’s sound was partially inspired by what theft thought a modern day George Clinton/Parliament funk jam would sound like — and by small town life, where getting fucked up is an unofficial/official pastime because there isn’t much else to really do. The slick Leon Michels production paired with the band’s razor sharp yet seemingly effortless performance ironically contrasts the notion of getting sloppy and fucked up but reveals the easy-going chemistry between the trio and producer. The trio are about to embark on a run of headlining Stateside dates and a couple of stops on the global festival circuit, before joining Lady Wray in May for a run of UK and European Union dates. Tour dates are below. BRAINSTORY TOUR DATES Apr 18 Lodge Room – Los Angeles, CA **SOLD OUT Apl 19 The Independent- San Francisco, CA Apr 20 Moe’s Alley – Santa Cruz, CA Apr 21 Pappy & Harriets – Pioneertown, CA  Apr 22 Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ Apr 23 Love Buzz – El Paso, TX  Apr 25 Tandem – San Antonio, TX  Apr 26 Psych Fest – Austin, TX Apr 27 Norman Music Festival – Norman, OK Apr 29 Sister Bar – Albuquerque, NM  May 01 Larimer Lounge – Denver, CO  May 02 The Atrium – Fort Collins, CO  May 03 DLC – Salt Lake City, UT  May 04 Neurolux – Boise, ID  May 07 High DIve – Seattle, WA  May 08 Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR May 14 Bird, Rotterdam, Netherlands + May 15 Bitterzoet, Amsterdam, Netherland + May 16 Knust – Hamburg, Germany + May 17 Franz Mhelhose – Enfurt, Germany + May 18 Lido – Berlin, Germany + May 20 La Maroquinerie – Paris, France + May 23 Belgrave Music Hall – Leeds, UK + May 24 Lost Horizon – Bristol, UK + May 26 Cross The Tracks Festival – Brockwell Park, UK May 27 Jazz Cafe – London, UK + May 28 The Blues Kitchen – Manchester, UK + May 29 St. Luke’s – Glasgow, Scotland + Jun 08 The Rockaway Hotel – Rockaway, NY + Jul 08 FEQ Festival D’ete De Quebec – Quebec, Canada + notes dates with Lady Wray