High Places were an integral part of the Brooklyn sonic landscape that produced such mixed-media success stories as Dirty Projectors and Animal Collective. Rhythm-based, almost tropical in feel, their music soared with positivity resting upon the vocal melodies of Mary Pearson, who, along with her musical partner Rob Barber, moved to the sunnier (and maybe sonically more-appropriate?) skies of Los Angeles around the end of the decade. After a short continuation of High Places, the duo settled into the relaxed California lifestyle, seemingly out of the musical fray.
But today comes word that Pearson has returned with a new solo project called 33. The first release under the moniker, “Inside Stuff” sees her treading similar waters as High Places, but the space in between projects sheds new light on the comforting tones. Maybe it should come as no surprise that Pearson’s musical re-birth hits around the same time as Death By Audio’s demise. High Places were regulars at the earliest incarnation of the venue, and in these grey times, the warm, uplifting vibes of “Inside Stuff” are a welcome coincidence if nothing else.
Pearson recently e-mailed with us about a return trip to New York, calling Death By Audio “a special place,” and despite all of the change seen throughout NYC, “particularly in Brooklyn,” she admitted to missing it here. “It was nice to be back.” For those of us who never left, Pearson’s return couldn’t have been better timed.
You can listen to “Inside Stuff” and watch a coinciding video directed by Zen Sekizawa, with some beautifully filmed shots courtesy of Ernesto Lomeli, below.
