Andy Molholt twists vast assortments of wonky sounds into kaleidoscopic psych-pop as Laser Background, and later this week he’ll release a whole batch of knotty new tunes on his album Dark Nuclear Bogs (an anagram of the band name). It’ll serve as the follow-up to last year’s deliciously dizzying Correct and finds Molholt softening some of the project’s rougher edges to make for a listen equally as inventive but that goes down a bit easier.
“Francine” is a mid-tempo ballad that manages to blend warbly ringing and a geometric guitar line into a dreamy mosaic. Meanwhile “Climb The Hill” uses Saturday morning cartoon keyboards alongside a relentless drum machine to create a melodiously twisted fantasy. And on “Slubberdeguillion,” Moholt throws his voice through a blearing processor to sound like nothing short of an intoxicating nightmare. Altogether, the album congeals into a remarkably holistic listen. As Molholt explains:
The first track “Mostly Water” is meant to be a song about birth, about beginning anew, and the last track “Bright Field” is very specifically about death. So there is a bit of a journey to this album, and a lot of self-reflection. I intentionally repeated words, phrases, musical ideas, etc. in different spots on the record.
Listen and check out the band’s upcoming tour dates below.
05/12 – Fayetteville, AR – Backspace
05/13 – Dallas, TX – Armoury D.E.
05/14 – Austin, TX – Hotel Vegas
05/15 – San Antonio, TX – Limelight
05/16 – Houston, TX – Walter’s Downtown
05/17 – New Orleans, LA – Siberia
05/18 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl %
05/19 – Knoxville, TN – Pilot Light
05/20 – Raleigh, NC – Ruby Deluxe
05/21 – Richmond, VA – Gallery5
05/24 – Arcata, CA – Richards’ Goat Tavern
05/25 – Portland, OR – The Know #
05/26 – Seattle, WA – Lo-Fi Performance Gallery #
05/27 – Vancouver, BC – Hidden City Records #
05/28 – Olympia, WA – Le Voyeur
05/31 – Sacramento, CA – Starlite Lounge √
06/01 – San Francisco – Different Fur Studios
06/02 – Oakland, CA – Eli’s Mile High Club
06/03 – Los Angeles, CA – TBA
07/07 – Brooklyn, NY – The Glove √
07/08 – College Park, MD – The Void √
07/09 – Philadelphia, PA – Everybody Hits √
^ w/ Norwegian Arms
% w/ Breathers
# w/ Jo Passed
√ w/ Pregnant