Chamber pop on a Thursday isn’t such a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it’s a great thing when I consider that Whisper States is soothing my German Shepherd puppy to sleep. Every minute counts.
Whisper States announces their self-titled debut album due September 6th via Trap Set International, the label started by musician, composer and podcast host, Joe Wong. Whisper States is the solo project from multi-instrumentalist Chad Molter, best known for his work in influential post-hardcore Dischord Records bands Faraquet and Medications, and as a member of Mary Timony (Ex Hex, Helium) and Wong’s bands. They will also perform a free show this Sunday, July 21 at Brooklyn’s Union Pool, supporting Timony.
Today, along with the album announcement, Whisper States shares lead single “Death In The Country.” “It’s always been fascinating to me how much emotions can impair judgment,” notes Molter. “None of us make great decisions when we feel that our back is against the wall. Lyrically, this is my attempt to get inside a situation in which the level of desperation is so high that taking action could easily lead to self ruin. This song is based on a tragic true story of self preservation and self sabotage.”
Hear “Death In The Country” here: https://youtu.be/gKDJLcWn7Gs.
Since Medications disbanded in 2010, Molter disappeared for a while, but he wasn’t gone. He was simply in Boulder, CO for the last decade-plus, employed as a social worker and running a homeless shelter which, of course, is as good as painting yourself invisible, isn’t it? So we forgive you if you didn’t see him but we assure you, he continued to exist after he left Washington, DC. He continued to be a musician, even if he no longer publicly performed. And as a result of all this continuing and existing and being, he recently found inspiration to return to songwriting, albeit with a different perspective. With Whisper States, Molter’s solo debut, we witness the emergence of a new voice from an old head, the distillation of a life spent in service, public and otherwise.
“I wrote these songs at a time in my life when I was winding down 12 years of very intense work at a homeless shelter,” reflects Molter. “I hadn’t planned to make an album; I found myself writing as a way to unpack the many experiences I had there. The memories of thousands of people I encountered during those years appear in these songs. Ultimately, this record is a tribute to the many beautiful people who are unlucky enough to find themselves without housing in one of the richest nations in the world. “
Informed by the melancholy chamber pop of Donovan, The Left Banke and Emitt Rhodes, Whisper States offers ten tracks of earnestly-delivered, progressive folk rock. All instrumentation was performed by Molter, with additional contributions from Devin Ocampo (Faraquet, Medications), Mark Cisneros (Hammered Hulls, The Make-Up), and Mary Timony (Helium, Ex Hex). Longtime friend Joe Wong (Nite Creatures, Parts & Labor, Russian Doll) produced, mixed (in mono) by John McEntire (Tortoise).
WHISPER STATES TRACK LISTING
01 – Death in the Country
02 – Whisper States
03 – The New Way
04 – Crystalline Sparks
05 – Vinegar Sunset
06 – Not the Hour
07 – Weight Of Myths
08 – Objects in the Sky
09 – Ghosts Rode
10 – One to Three
