The Brankas
The Brankas | |
|---|---|
| Origin | San Francisco, California |
| Genres | experimental rock, math rock, punk jazz |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | SNAFU family |
| Website | The Brankas (Bandcamp) |
| Members | Theo Slavin Tyler McElroy |
The Brankas are an American experimental rock band from San Francisco, California. The band consists of Theo Slavin (lead vocals, guitar) and Tyler McElroy (drum kit, vocals, synthesizer).
McElroy and Slavin started playing together in Oakland, California in 2011; however, it wasn't until 2014 that they decided to "get serious."[1][2] Their self-described musical style is "Poppy No-Hooks/First Grade Math Rock/Punk You Can't Dance To"[3] although this somewhat tongue-in-cheek description "falls short in encapsulating the magnitude of their joyous and frenetic live show."[4] Others have described their music as "noisey and wild math tinged garage-pop" having "an asymmetrical style focused around start/stop dynamics, odd time signatures, and off kilter pop" and characterized by "borderline disturbing methods of experimentation," all combining to deliver a "wonderfully weird and musically fascinating" listening experience that is "more engaging than your standard indie rock band, but also less abrasive than many of their art-noise contemporaries."[5][6][7][8][9]
Between 2015 and 2016, the "chameleon duo" released two extended plays (Exchanges, Identical Tentacles).[10] Exchanges was recorded over two days by mutual friend Spencer Goble, who typically records Hip Hop albums.[11] The band's debut album My Parkour Body Is The Paint And The World Is My Canvas. I Don't See Obstacles, I See Opportunities. was released in 2017, featuring the track "Pobrecito". This album has been variably described as "an absolute mess" and "beautifully unhinged", notably "one of the most refreshing releases of 2017" for its "songwriting prowess" and "stellar musicianship". The album was recorded over three weekends at Joan and the Rivers’ rehearsal space at The Practice Place in San Jose, California, mixed by Joan and the Rivers vocalist Eric Smith, and mastered by Dave Madson. Lead singer/guitarist Slavin stated “we limited ourselves to five takes [per song], and we used a bunch of amps, effects, drums, cymbals, Gameboys & samplers and put microphones all over the room to vary the sound options.” Slavin explained "anybody can make a good record or a lo-fi record, but it’s more of a challenge to make something unsuccessful that still makes sense. Also, it’s kind of a broken record because it’s really repetitive".[12]
The Brankas released their next full-length studio album SAFES in 2019. The album "packs catchy, pop-feeling melody strands weaving through sometimes blistering storms of noise" with sounds that "convey a palpable kind of let-loose, carefree spirit in the face of chaos."[8] It has been characterized as "uncharacteristically melodic, blippy synths which quickly melt into a squealing, atonal bundle of sludge ... a prime example of a band who can write complex music without sacrificing the fun of it."[9] In March 2020, The Brankas topped the list of The Best Bay Area Concerts by SF Station.[13]
When asked how they got into music, McElroy credited his brother who played guitar. Starting with bass guitar, McElroy moved on to drums after moving to San Francisco. Slavin started playing guitar at the age of 12, adding: "it's always hard to remember why you do something ... I always just liked doing stuff." Slavin described their musical collaboration as "50/50... some of the stuff that sounds like synthesizer is, like, guitar run through pedal junk, and then a lot of the stuff that sounds like guitar, is synthesizer run through pedal junk." Technically speaking, McElroy has described their instrumental setup as "cable carbonara."[2] The Brankas have named Tera Melos, Hella, No Age, Lightning Bolt, and Deerhoof as influences.[11][12]
Band members
Current
- Theo Slavin – lead vocals, guitar
- Tyler McElroy - drum kit, vocals, synthesizer
Discography
Studio albums
- My Parkour Body Is The Paint And The World Is My Canvas. I Don't See Obstacles, I See Opportunities. (2017)
- SAFES (2019)
EPs
- Exchanges (2015)
- Identical Tentacles (2016)
Singles
- "Pobrecito" (2015)
- "Spray Tan" (2016)
- "Cameras" (2017)
- "Audi" (2019)
- "Neon Camo" (2019)
- "Burning Hands" (2019)
- "Cactus" (2020)
- "Square" (2020)
Compilations
- Cactus b/w Square (2020)
Collaborations
- Let's Keep The Hive Alive – The Honey Hive Gallery (2020)
- Warble and Fuzz - Drongo Tapes (2021)
Music videos
- "Cameras" (2017)[14]
- "Neon Camo" (2019)[15]
- "Audi" (2019)[16]
- "Cactus" (2020)[17]
- "Square" (2020)[18]
References
- ↑ "Off Beat Music Festival 2017". Off Beat Music Festival 2017. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "All Independent Reno". All Independent Reno Podcast. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ↑ "The Brankas (Bandcamp)". bandcamp. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ↑ "The Brankas prove to be master codebreakers on 'Safes'". The Bay Bridged. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ↑ "THE BRANKAS, GET WELL SOON BAND, FAMILY SEDAN". The Holland Project. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ↑ "Off Beat Reno: The Brankas". Off Beat Reno. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ↑ "The Bottom of the Hill: Thursday August 1, 2019". Bottom of the Hill. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "THE BRANKAS' NEWEST CATCHY MANIC PUNK RECORD DELIVERS A REALLY EXCITING TIME". Captured Howls. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "The Brankas - SAFES review". Rainy Dawg Radio Blog. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ↑ "Pry Album Release w/ The Brankas, Failure Machine". The Holland Project. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "MINI AND THE BEAR, Joan and the Rivers, The Brankas, Mercy High". SF Station. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "The Brankas go van Gogh on mess of an album". Tahoe On Stage. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ↑ "The Best Bay Area Concerts in March". SF Station. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ↑ The Brankas (2017-05-10), Cameras, retrieved 2021-06-17
- ↑ The Brankas (2019-03-01), Neon Camo, retrieved 2021-06-17
- ↑ The Brankas (2019-08-23), Audi, retrieved 2021-06-17
- ↑ The Brankas (2020-09-04), Cactus, retrieved 2021-06-17
- ↑ The Brankas (2020-09-04), Square, retrieved 2021-06-17
External links
The Brankas
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