Hailing from New York City by way of outer-space, Stoley P.T. create rambunctious, noisy power-pop bursting with bare-bones guitar-and-drums grit and swirling, synth-filled sweetness.
Led by Stoley, a scummy little singer/songwriter turned guitar [+]Hailing from New York City by way of outer-space, Stoley P.T. create rambunctious, noisy power-pop bursting with bare-bones guitar-and-drums grit and swirling, synth-filled sweetness.
Led by Stoley, a scummy little singer/songwriter turned guitar zero with a resume boasting such credentials as mass-market radio DJ, MTV contest winner, and regular Late Night with Conan O'Brien bit actor, and rounded out by drummer Rob Draghi and bassist David Jr., Stoley P.T. is a power trio bringing fourth an aggressive yet casual brand of rock and roll that kicks you in the face 'til you bleed and then rubs your back and asks if you're feeling any better.
Their latest release, Lesson #1 (In Music We Trust Records), is a 10-song slice of life explosion that chronicles despair, hope, death, loneliness, rejection, and ultimately decision-making in a universal, easy-to-relate to way, whether Stoley is singing about not being good enough ("Amateur B.S.") or the beauty in sadness ("Snowflakes").
The voyage begins with "T.Y.S.", an emotional mid-tempo chug-chug that sets the stage as Stoley sings "Good morning chest pains, it's nice to have you back where you belong" and builds into a heart-stopping scream-a-thon.
"It's the first song on the record I suppose because it serves as a manifesto of sorts," explains Stoley. "It kind of sums up this twisted funny/sad perspective of life. The first line I guess initially comes off humorously, but it's actually really sad that this dude is waking up with chest pains every day, and even though the song starts out kind of pretty with keyboards and horns and stuff, it ends up as just pure rage, and pure rage is always just one step away from true beauty if you ask me."
This happy/angry tug-of-war is repeated throughout, especially on the album's first single, "Honey Mixture", a song about escaping death and just accepting what life gives you.
"Life can be a drag," laughs Stoley. "We try to cover that up with drugs and lies, but you may as well ride it out to its inevitable conclusion. And why not express that with a happy pop hook so we can all sing along and share in the comfort of communal hopelessness? And why not drench that happy hook with hyper fuzz guitars and noise so we can still get our kicks while we all choke down
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