War Tapes Announces New EP And Releases New Single "City Girls"
War Tapes have announced an all new EP and released a new single titled "City Girls". Check it HERE.
Articles by "War Tapes"
WAR TAPES Releases First Single In 7 Years “Pale Blue Dot”
After a 7-year hiatus, indie rock band War Tapes has unveiled their first single entitled “Pale Blue Dot.” The band - comprised of Billy Mohler (drummer/Grammy-nominated producer), Neil Popkin (vocals/rhythm guitar), Becca Popkin (vocals/bass), and Matt Bennett (lead guitar) – is excited to continue where they left off and is additionally planning to release a new 5-track EP later this summer via Make Records.
War Tapes has been raking in rave reviews since their 2006 live debut, and the early buzz on War Tapes earned airplay on such tastemaker radio stations as BBC Radio 1 and Live 105 in San Francisco, while “Dreaming of You” aired on NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly (and "The Night Unfolds" for a week thereafter). "Mind Is Ugly" was featured on the MTV’s The Hills and the band also performed on the ABC’s Greek. In addition, War Tapes has played shows and/or toured across the US and in the UK with The Smashing Pumpkins, The Bravery, VNV Nation, Awolnation, She Wants Revenge, Tiger Army, and The Unseen to name a few.
Their last EP The Continental Divide distills the simultaneous gloom and beauty of midnight skyscrapers, crumbling train yards, abandoned warehouses, and feral animals. Guitars stab, assault and shimmer; industrial effects and ambience co-mingle like lost strangers; unexpected bass lines and harmonies rumble propulsively; incessant drum rhythms pulse like LA's writhing freeways; and the always passionate vocals range from apocalyptic to triumphant to tauntingly seductive.
The band has an innate knack for crafting timeless sing-along melodies, anthemic choruses, and an arena-ready sound that has already erupted from the stages of both Fillmore’s, The Bowery Ballroom, The Warfield, and The Wiltern as well as epic shows at dangerously overcrowded warehouse parties and punk clubs that have become legendary for the passion of the band and their audiences.
Although their singles "The Night Unfolds" and "Mind is Ugly" were tailor-made for the 1:30 AM Saturday night mosh pit, songs like "All the World's a Stage,” "Dreaming of You,” and "Use Me" begged to be sung cinematically from a majestic peak or at Red Rocks. From the very first time Neil, Matt, Becca and Billy played on stage together in 2006, they have been perfecting the kind of musical explosion you'd expect from a high-end pyrotechnics lab or Matt's volcanic island home of Hawaii. Such mountainous fireworks require elemental alchemy, and each member provides distinct color and flash. Bassist Becca is a classically-trained pianist and guitarist (but had never played bass before joining War Tapes). Billy is a jazz-educated bassist, guitarist, and now Grammy-nominated producer with performance credits with Macy Gray, Lee Scratch Perry, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry, Terrance Blanchard, Lenka, Billy Childs, Awolnation, Steven Tyler, Meiko, and more (but had never played drums in a band before). Matt has roots in the fertile soil of shoegaze and punk guitar styles. Neil evolved his voice and aggressive stage style from his post-punk influences. And Becca notes that, though collectively they play one style of music, they all “love so many different genres of music that the combination is what makes our sound so unique.”
Consequently, it’s challenging to pigeonhole War Tapes into any particular genre. They played rock clubs and gained screaming fans faithful to the hardcore scene, but received eloquent and studied reviews that cite the technical mastery of jazz bands. While LA2Day.com recognized their “cohesive passion” as “infectious” and “fun,” Punknews.com saw them as “sexy,” and “atmospheric.” LA Weekly imagines them “spreading their emotional spectrum.” At live shows, Neil prowls and leaps like a crazed and dangerous animal, often startling or even alarming audience members with his theatrical intensity. Matt is a blur of movement as he does the work of three guitarists. Billy provides precise time, and scales a mountain of volume to their trademark bridges and choruses. And amidst the frenzy, Becca stands as still, beautiful, and stoic as an elm tree from her native New England while filling the room with her glorious and unique bass lines.
The foursome will be kicking off their first show at El Cid in Los Angeles, CA on Thursday, July 13th. The show will begin at 9PM as part of the venue’s monthly event hosted by Death-Gaze LA. Fans can expect all original members to perform the hits including “Dreaming Of You” and “Mind Is Ugly” as well as new music off their forthcoming EP which is set for release later this year. To purchase tickets, please visit: http://bit.ly/2sj1lUR.
For updates on War Tapes, please visit:
Myspace: https://myspace.com/wartapes/music/songs
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wartapes
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wartapes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wartapesband
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/WarTapesChannel
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2siN5LF
War Tapes – Fever Changing
Six years have come and gone for Los Angeles foursome War Tapes. Who have successfully released an assortment of releases; "Self Titled EP" (2008), "The Continental Divide LP" (2009), along with two more EP releases, "Turtles", and "Fever Changing", both released this past year. “Fever Changing”, is the most recent out of the bunch, and this time, War Tapes hasn’t done any changing whatsoever. Their style remains the same as it always has.
Its sleek upbeat rock with hardcore new wave attitude keeps the music pumping yet smooth. Like take, "Sheets Unknown", this catchy yet satisfying tune really rotates back to their original abilities that were found on their "Self Titled EP" released in 2009. The guitars, bass, and drums keep up with one another while the vocals just follows through, keeping everything in proper tune. Now on "Silhouette", this resembles a lot of what "Dreaming Of You", was built upon. Recreating the same sort of melodies with vocal tactics yet had that extra push.
"Best Around", completes this release by kicking it up a notch or two because the music presents a techno rhythm that brings out that outer spacey beat. It is surely without a doubt, which War Tapes will continue to expand their knowledge of music and what more they can build with it. All it takes is time, energy, and effort that these musicians have a solid ground of.
War Tapes Interview
1. Can you shed some light on the band's history and briefly summarize the saga of War Tapes for those who are not yet familiar with the band?
We formed when Neil and I moved out from Boston to LA. Neil was playing music back in Boston and not too long after arriving in LA Neil booked a show at a local LA club. He realized that he needed a band to play with and he called me to help him out. With William playing drums we played our first show a couple of weeks later. Our best friend Matt started playing guitar with us not too long after and War Tapes was officially born. Since then we have had the honor to open and tour with many incredible bands including Smashing Pumpkins, Tiger Army, Shiny Toy Guns, Moving Units, Longwave, VNV Nation, and The Unseen. We signed to Seattle Indie Label Sarathan Records almost a year ago and released our self-titled EP this past September. Right now we are just finishing our full length which we will be releasing in April!
2. You have a brand-new record, War Tapes, out in the open, what can you tell me about its creation - writing,recording, and how you managed to capture that classic style you're known to carry out when expressing yourselves musically.
Our EP came out in September and was our first official release. The writing and recording process is something we all love. We do most of our writing when we are together in our rehearsal space in Downtown LA. We usually have a very clear idea of what we're looking for by the time we get to the studio. we rehearse a lot.
3. What kind of expectations did you have for the album when you first started writing the new material? How do you feel about the record now, that it's done, pressed, and soon to be unleashed upon the masses?
We feel incredibly proud of the record we just finished. As far as expectations go, we don't put that kind of pressure on ourselves. The only thing that really matters to us is creating great art. We are so excited to release the record. We are working on finishing the artwork now and can't wait till it is pressed and packaged.
4. Traveling across the world to share your music, where have you guys been? What are the plans on the road? Any particular destination spots you have in mind?
We have toured most of the US with Tiger Army and The Unseen and also went to the UK and played Manchester, Glasgow, and London. We would love to get back to Europe and tour all over this time, and also hope to play Japan!
5. Has your band had the Warped Tour experience? Is that something you guys would are interested in?
We have not played the Warped Tour before but it is something we would love to be a part of.
6. Is the tour you're on now in support of a new album you're working on?
Right now we have been playing a lot of shows around the Southern CA area and will continue to play West Coast dates and Las Vegas, NV these next couple of months, and then we hope to do another US tour.
7. What shaped together War Tapes and how has your sound progressed?
War Tapes has been shaped together through our mutual love of music. We have an amazing time playing together and creating music. Our sound has progressed as we have grown as musicians together over time and has become a sound that we feel represents exactly what we feel.
8. Aside from expecting an awesome record, what else can we expect to see from you guys?
We hope to continue releasing music on a frequent and consistent basis and to tour a lot more. We are also working on some different video ideas that will hopefully be realized within the next couple of months.
9. How do you feel it fits in with the rest of your releases?
We feel that the full length is a continuation of where the EP left off. We will have a few of the same songs on our full length that appeared on our EP, but they have been remixed and re-mastered. The new songs on the record are ones that we are most excited about releasing.
10. How did you guys get into the metal scene in the first place? What drew you towards it, and why do you still devour every minute of it?
I would say we are not in any one scene although we welcome being included in the metal scene. we are definitely huge fans of the genre. But I think our sound spans many different musical labels.
11. What's kept you guys together for such a long time, having gone through line-up changes, solo/side projects, and all that jazz. What makes you guys stick it out until the very end of your days?
We stay together we because we love our band and couldn't imagine not having it on our lives, and we are family.
12. What is the writing and recording process like for War Tapes?
The writing and recording process for us is something very sacred. we write constantly and love getting into our rehearsal room and working out all the songs and ideas. We have many different ways in which our songs are written, some come out of improvised jams, other's come from ideas we bring into rehearsal from rough demos. We love writing and recording!
13. What inspires you to create this music?
Everything from where we live, to what we listen to, to what we read, watch, and experience. Our music for us encapsulates our lives. It is who we are.
14. Where do you see yourself and War Tapes in twenty years?
We see War Tapes growing and evolving into something we can do for the rest of our lives together.
15. Do you have any parting words or messages?
Thank you so much for the interview and look for our record sometime in April.
http://www.myspace.com/wartapes