Chicago-based post-rock duo Hobbyist – comprised of Marc Mozga and Holly Prindle – have been busy prepping for the release of a lathe cut picture disc 7″ recorded live to tape at Dub Narcotic in Olympia, WA. We’ve got the exclusive stream of their track “2244” from that 7″.
“Musically ‘2244’ stemmed from a phone voice memo recording of wind sounds in a skyscraper lobby at night,” explains Hobbyist. “The loneliness of the one night cleaner who toils there after everyone has left.”
The sound of wind sets the tone for the song, brought into the sound space alongside heavy bass. Holly’s voice joins the party at 0:49, delivered almost too quietly for us to hear her over the instrumentals. And that, perhaps, is the point, as the sound is what inspired the song, so certainly that’s what should conquer it. The words repeat, there is faint reverb on the track, and it sets a very dark – but tranquil – tone to the piece.
“Lyrically, Holly had been inspired by an old couple walking home from the grocery store- the lady literally carrying all the weight- his 30 pack of Budweiser- as he mumbled profanities at her,” Hobbyist elaborates. “The man walking around in a cloud of negativity. I envision this lady as someone who grew up listening to all the great girl groups- Ronnettes, Crystals, Shangri- Las. Her youth slipped away, her life now just a simple pattern, finding solace in the repetition of sweeping the street outside the house. Sweeping up memories of youth.”
Melancholic at its core, the song itself is absolutely exquisite. The other song included on the 7″ is a remix of the same beautiful track by Kao Ra Zen.
Half of all proceeds of the album will benefit Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network. The picture disc is limited to a small exclusive batch of only 50, and after that the 7″ will be available via Bandcamp. It is available for purchase now.
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