UWUW Self-Titled Debut LP Coming Oct. 21; First Single Posted
One song and I’m sold. I’m sorry, but how many times a year are you going to get Curtis Mayfield flashbacks from a drum sound, let alone the horns and funky bass and guitar around it? UWUW are Toronto-born and feature none other than Ian Blurton — a mighty pedigree has he, but if you didn’t hear Ian Blurton’s Future Now‘s Second Skin (review here) when it was released last month, go ahead and do that — on guitar, vocals, keys and production alongside drummer Jay Anderson, formerly of Comet Control and currently in Lammping, and bassist Jason Haberman of The Wooden Sky.
Too rich in its underlying layers to be fully pop, the song “Scattered Ashes” nonetheless opens UWUW‘s upcoming four-song self-titled LP and exemplifies the built-on-jams style of what may or may not follow — I don’t know because I haven’t heard the full record. But again, after hearing this one track, I’m in for whatever the rest of the full-length will bring. It’s a thing I want to experience.
You can read a whole bunch about the album below, preorder, listen to the song, all that quietly kind of amazing stuff that we do every day and don’t even think about it anymore. Of course there’s music out there before something is released. Of course you can order it now and get it when it’s actually out, if not sooner. Incredible what gets taken for granted. But whether you’re taken aback by the wonders of our also-has-significant-downsides age or not, dig in:
Toronto Supergroup UWUW Announce Debut LP with Lead Single “Scattered Ashes”
Self Titled Album Releases October 21, 2022
UWUW (pronounced you-you) have just announced the release of their debut, self-titled LP with their lead single Scattered Ashes. With some of Toronto’s most experienced and revered musicians making this project possible, it’s no wonder why the sonic presence of this project demands your attention and doesn’t let you go. The impressive cast of players includes Jason Haberman of Dan Mangan and Yeahsun, Jay Anderson of Badge Epoque Ensemble, Biblical and Lammping, and Ian Blurton of Ian Blurton’s Future Now, Change of Heart, and C’mon. Giving the songs a voice are two of Toronto’s most distinctive songwriters: Chris A. Cummings aka Marker Starling, adding his distinct, easy-glide, story-telling charm to Box Office Poison, and Scattered Ashes, and Drew Smith (Bunny, The Bicycles), providing his trademark, 60s harmony pop and lyrical prowess to Staircase and Landlord. Scattered Ashes is the first offering from their upcoming self-titled album on We Are Busy Bodies, due out October 21st, 2022. Fans of Euroboys, T2, and Manfred Mann Chapter Three will be enamored with these exceptionally crafted and exciting compositions.
The lead single Scattered Ashes breathes soul and rock, while blurring sounds and influences which call to mind James Brown’s horn section and the compositional layers of experimental Beach Boys recordings. In response to the meaning behind his lyrics, singer Marker Starling says, “I attempted to shoehorn every stray apocalyptic thought I had circa Summer of 2021 into the song, including readings from the screenplay of Jean-Luc Godard’s Alphaville (1965). The world is ending, or perhaps, as Sun Ra believed, we’re already past the end of the world. You might end up dying for a cause, or even “just because.” Who knows what tomorrow may bring, and like The Zombies, being forever Hung Up on a Dream—in this case, a lost vision of a kind of hippie or punk utopia—is the only way to live your life, the only way to maintain a healing state of mind”.
Order New Vinyl LP from We Are Busy Bodies
https://uwuw.bandcamp.com/album/s-t
UWUW came into being when Jay Anderson and Ian Blurton came together through a run of shows, backing mutual friend and singer/songwriter, Kate Boothman as her drummer, and guitarist, respectively. Anderson suggested bringing in Jason Haberman, a talented bassist, who Anderson had seen play with Toronto indie-folk band, The Wooden Sky. Realizing they didn’t want an instrumental record, they layered on bright horns and smooth vocals, lifting the songs from instrumental jams, to the undefinable yet distinctive sound that is, UWUW. Saxophonist, Jay Hey, was brought in to provide horn arrangements, along with Tom Richardson on trombone and Patrick McGroarty on trumpet, all three contributing on every song. The result is a blissfully cool album with music that will appeal to all listeners, from record store snobs, garage rock slobs, and even psych-pop heartthrobs!
1. Scattered Ashes
2. Staircase To The End Of The Night
3. Landlord
4. Box Office Poison
Jason Haberman – Bass, Keys
Jay Anderson – Drums, Percussion
Ian Blurton – Guitar, Keys, Vocals, Engineering, Mixing
Chris Cummings – Vocals on ‘Scattered Ashes’ and ‘Box Office Poison’
Drew Smith – Vocals on ‘Staircase To The End Of The Night’ and ‘landlord’
Jay Hay – Horn Arrangements, Saxophone
Tom Richards – Trombone
Patric McGroarty – Trumpet
https://www.instagram.com/uwuw_abh
https://uwuw.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/wearebusybodies
https://linktr.ee/wearebusybodies
