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NYC Indie Rock Heroes The Van PeltRelease ‘Artisans & Merchants’ — First New Studio LP In Over 25 YearsUK, EU and NYC Shows in March/April“Despite being released some 25 years after their initial split ‘Artisans & Merchants’ is a perfect reinterpretation of the band for today’s audience, containing just as much lyrical obtuseness and weirdness as ever, but not at the expense of some kick-ass indie-rock.” (4/5 stars)- Upset Magazine |
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Influential New York City indie rock band The Van Pelt has unveiled its long-awaited fourth studio full-length, ‘Artisans & Merchants,’ out today via Spartan Records in North America, La Castanya in Europe/World and Gringo in the UK. The band’s first studio recording in over 25 years, was recorded and mixed in Summer / Fall 2021 by Jeff Zeigler (The War On Drugs, Kurt Vile) at Uniform Recording in Philadelphia, PA, and features guest appearances by Nate Kinsella and Ted Leo among others. See tour dates below. Stream on: Order ‘Artisans & Merchants’ in the Spartan Records store https://spr.tn/thevanpelt and on Bandcamp https://thevanpelt.bandcamp. |
Vulture‘s 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All-Time BrooklynVegan’s Top 18 Emo Albums of 1996 “”Finds the band’s Slint-like mix of post-rock, post-hardcore, and spoken word in fine form. It sounds like it could be stripped straight from the band’s classic ’90s era, and it sounds fresh today too.”- Brooklynvegan “The lines between post-hardcore, indie rock, and emo blurred on the two mid-’90s full-lengths from the Van Pelt.”- Pitchfork “New York City’s The Van Pelt are an influential, but too often overlooked indie rock band — cult favorites for many an emo-inclined crate digger.” – Consequence “…should be mentioned a lot more than they are when you talk about the history of emo.”- Washed Up Emo |
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‘Artisans & Merchants’ Track Listing:1. We Gotta Leave 2. Image of Health 3. Artisans & Merchants 4. Punk House 5. Old Souls from Different Epochs 6. Grid 7. Cold Coconuts 8. Did We Hear The Same Song 9. Love Is Brutal Upcoming Shows:3/17 – Nottingham, UK @ The Old Cold Store 3/18 – London, UK @ The Garage 3/19 – Antwerp, BEL @ Trix 4/23 – Brooklyn, NY @ St. Vitus +++++ Rediscover The Van Pelt’s catalog here. Reunion show soundchecks revealed that this band has a voice that was prematurely muted by their inability to see clearly in the thick of their rise. More than two decades later, The Van Pelt has returned to explore what was left behind with a new collection of songs, ‘Artisans & Merchants.’ This is not a reunion album. This is vindication. For lovers of The Van Pelt, listening to ‘Artisans & Merchants’ is like hearing the voice of a dear friend you haven’t seen in years — a friend you used to share countless beers with over banter that went nowhere other than delivering a solid night. Your friend is older, they’ve changed. In some ways you’re worried for them, looks like they might be teetering on the brink of something. In other ways, it’s the same old them, a nugget of a soul too unique to ever be altered. It’s for those unfamiliar with The Van Pelt though for whom we should be truly jealous. This is a stand-alone album, incredible vital songwriting in and of itself regardless of the long history this band has. The climax of the single “Image of Health” perhaps describes the beautiful desperation best: “And you never felt more alive / Than when the priest came to read you your rites!” |
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