Neutrals - New Town Dream LP (Slumberland/USA) baby blue vinyl

Neutrals - New Town Dream LP (Slumberland/USA) baby blue vinyl

w/ Newspaper & Postcard

They Say:

"Dream... or nightmare? That's the underlying question posed on "New Town Dream," the second LP from Bay Area trio Neutrals, as guitarist/vocalist Allan McNaughton's lyrical narratives expand on the world first built on the band's 2022 EP "Bus Stop Nights," offering snapshots of mundane lived realities in the "New Towns" that proliferated in the UK during the '60s and '70s. "New Town Dream" conceptually voices the psychic tension of that era, of being pushed toward the margins and becoming just another cog in a deeply broken machine.

The band's musical touchstones are squarely situated in the timeline of doomed Thatcherism that followed from the late '70s to late '80s. "Wish You Were Here" and "The Iron That Never Swung" jangle with a razor-edged rapid strum to rival The Wedding Present; "That's Him on the Daft Stuff Again" and "Travel Agent's Windows" nod to the Television Personalities' naive, kaleidoscopic mod melodies streaked with cynicism; "Steven Proctor Bus Conductor" slowly unfolds from verses in the dark, rhythm-forward spirit of Josef K to transcendently Pastels-esque pop choruses with sugary-sweet backing vocals from bassist Lauren Matsui. Perfect C86 sounds for often hellish C24 times!" - Erika Elizabeth

"First pressing of 500 copies on red vinyl with 16-page newspaper insert and additional postcards. Neutrals return after five years with album number two, a co-release between Static Shock Records and Slumberland. New Town Dream is thirteen songs of innocence, intensity and observations of everyday life. It's like a Mike Leigh film lyrically -- seeing the world through the eyes of normal people but with music that leans heavily on the TV Personalities, The Times, The Wedding Present, and the Jam. The rhythm section is the perfect foil for the spikey and clean guitar work but it's always the tune that is king with Neutrals. One listen and you are transported into the world of travel agents, bus conductors, kebabs and substitute teachers."

Track listing:

A: New Town Dream (Version), That's Him On The Daft Stuff Again, Wish You Were Here, Stop The Bypass, Travel Agent's Windows, Chaos At The Jasmine, Last Orders

B: Steven Proctor, Bus Conductor, The Iron That Never Swung, How Did I Get Here, Substitute Teacher, Phantom Arcade, Leisureland