Acid Tapes, Vol. 4
NYC's surf-inspired High Waisted have kept things DIY for five-plus years. From planning and executing five, separate "High Waisted at Sea" party cruises around Manhattan, to booking their own tours, to releasing several 7-inches and one of my favorite albums (2016's On Ludlow) of the last several years, High Waisted have maintained a work ethic to which other bands should aspire. The band work hard, but they also have a blast doing it.
One of the projects that has illustrated both High Waisted's evolution and their work / party attitude over those years is the ongoing Acid Tapes mixtape series. Earlier this week, the band released the fourth installment in a series that has seen them cover the likes of Otis Redding, Swinging Blue Jeans, Roy Orbison, The Ramones, and Parquet Courts along with some, maybe, more obvious choices like Dick Dale and Surfaris. Each mixtape has also included High Waisted originals making the series a nice glimpse into both the band's influences and what they're currently up to.
"Our recording process has come a long way from the first cassette," says front woman / singer / guitarist Jessica Louise Dye. "Acid Tape Vol. 1 was recorded while we were on acid, all in one go, in a haunted house in Nashville. A buddy of ours threw a room mic over the chandelier and ran it through the tape deck and away we went.
"Now, the recording process is more deliberate, articulated and better executed. Vol 4 was recorded entirely in our new studio which [High Waisted drummer] Jono Bernstien and [former High Waisted guitarist] Stephen Nielsen built in Bedstuy. We're mixing digital and analog gear with vintage instruments and a little magic. I think this will be the dreamiest cassette to date."
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| Photo by Jono Bernstein, White Sands, NM. |
Dye isn't wrong. On Volume 4, instrumental and spoken word interludes draw you in as if you're having a dream in which High Waisted are performing. Dye's vocals shine on The Zombies' "The Way I Feel Inside" as well as the band's own "Giving Up." The band put their own spin on the oft-covered "Whole Wide World" by Wreckless Eric, 10cc's "I'm Not in Love," and Kacey Musgraves's "High Horse." They lend their already Lynchian personality to "Laura Palmer's Theme."
"The hardest part of this project is narrowing down what songs we're going to choose," continues Dye. "Which is why I don't see this series ending anytime soon.
"The best part of this recording process is getting to dissect songs we love, throw everything we know about them away and rebuild something entirely new. It changes the gravitational pull in my creative mind, often spawning a big writing period of new High Waisted material as well."
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| Photo by Jono Bernstein |
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| Photo by Jono Bernstein |
All four High Waisted tracks here represent an evolution from the sounds of On Ludlow, leaning, perhaps, a little more heavily into the band's dream pop sensibilities than straight-up surf sounds.
Check out Acid Tapes, Vol. 4 over at Soundcloud.
High Waisted celebrate the release of Acid Tapes, Vol. 4 tonight, October 18th, at NYC's Mercury Lounge with Yella Belly and Songs for Sabotage. You should be able to grab a physical copy there. You can still get tix for the event here. If you can't make it, you can also order directly from High Waisted's website.
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