Indie OG Ted Leo hasn’t released an album since 2017’s The Hanged Man, but he continues to work all the time, sometimes posting new songs on Patreon or on Bandcamp. Leo wants to get back together with his backing band the Pharmacists in the studio, and he’s trying to raise the funds needed to make that new record a reality. To that end, he’s got two truly impressive solo songs up on Bandcamp as pay-what-you-want downloads, and he’s letting us know that he’s working toward the ultimate goal of a new Pharmacists record. He also says that he’s got “another plan for next month that will be of grander scale.”
The first of Leo’s new songs, “How Can I Tell You It’s Not Fair,” is a nervy melodic attack that he originally posted on Patreon and then remixed for greater public consumption. The other is a spacey all-new number called “January Song.” In the Bandcamp description, Leo says that the title is a placeholder and that he wrote the song to get himself past a mental block that he’s been feeling lately, as he’s been drained from gigs like serving as a touring member on Gang Of Four’s farewell tour.
As for the musical direction of those tracks, Leo says, “You’ll notice these are more squarely in the ‘post-punk’ realm than usual, but that has less to do with currently being a member of Gang of Four, and more to do with just being really enamored of my chorus pedal, currently. WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT.” Both songs are really, really good. If Leo can do stuff like that at home, just think what he’ll be able to accomplish when he gets into a studio again. Below, check out both new songs, as well as the full update from the Bandcamp description.
Leo writes:
A surprise (even for me) double A-side 7″ single with no physical form — ephemeral, as a ghost! When I get to explaining the second song, the timing of this might make more sense, but basically, I feel ready to start making a new album with the Pharmacists, and while I’m confident that, as with The Hanged Man, given enough time and the right rooms, I can take my meagre gear and make something worth listening to, but I’d love to be able to afford at least a few days in an actual studio with a proper engineer and (gasp) maybe even a producer. So I’m putting this up — FREE AS ALWAYS — but happy to take what you feel you can give, should you be inspired to contribute, as a first step toward funding a new recording session. I have another plan for next month that will be of grander scale, but for now, slightly off the cuff, here’s a new single. The first song, “How Can I Tell You It’s Not Fair,” was originally posted on my Patreon, which I know has been languishing. I remixed and “mastered” it for this Bandcamp release. One — not the only, but one — thing about the Patreon, is that I’ve been entirely blocked, in terms of original creation; including the time and even desire for original creation. The touring I’ve been doing for the last year and a half, and the work that I’ve been doing here at home has left me somewhat spent. So I sat down a couple of weeks ago, and challenged myself to just start and complete a song — whatever simple riff came into my head, finish it. And I did. And the second song here, still with the placeholder title, “January Song,” is the first new thing I’ve written in over a year; and it melted something, I hope, and I want to keep going.
You’ll notice these are more squarely in the “post-punk” realm than usual, but that has less to do with currently being a member of Gang of Four, and more to do with just being really enamored of my chorus pedal, currently. WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT.
Anyway, keep fighting the good fight. These songs are not happy, but they come honestly of this time, and I hope they help you in the listening as they’ve helped me in the writing.
Pay what you want for “How Can I Tell You It’s Not Fair” and “January Song” at Bandcamp.
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