Naming their sophomore album Developer is a bold move for the still-young band Social Studies. But it is as apt a descriptor as you’re likely to find for how the sound of this San Francisco-based five-piece has flourished, matured, and, yes, developed over the past few years.
Following the release of their first album, Wind Up Wooden Heart in 2010, the band spent the better part of a year on the road, transfixing audiences at the CMJ Music Festival, SXSW, and Noise Pop, and bringing their unique energy and spirit to stages shared with tUnE-yArDs, Wye Oak, Lotus Plaza, Thee Oh Sees, Dodos, Dungen, and Au Revoir Simone just to name a few.
In early 2012, Social Studies returned to the studio with the goal of stripping things down to the basics, straightening out some of the more jagged lines of their previous work, and focusing more on texture and mood. They enlisted the able ears and hands of engineer and co-producer Eli Crews (tUnE-yArDs, Deerhoof, Thao & Mirah) who helped hone this new barebones attack as well as reflect the excitement of their live show. On Developer, all the pieces have come together perfectly.
The clear-eyed production helps bring out the dark, sexy heart of these ruminations on life, love, pain, and pleasure. The themes of the album are as complex as the songs are streamlined. Social Studies has succeeded in evoking a set of feelings and emotions that will linger with listeners long after the last notes have faded away. Warm, cold, or downright chilling, there is a connection between the personal and universal that the band taps into through a set of fearless, powerful and gripping songs.
"Social Studies is my new favorite band. Granted, I have a new favorite band every few days or so. But when you consider the amount of new music that I have to listen to each week, it's a big deal when any band, particularly a local one, manages to end up on top of the huge stack. I'm a little behind, I must admit. Since its late-fall release, the band's debut EP, "This Is the World's Biggest Hammer," has earned Social Studies its share of well-deserved ink in the local weeklies. Even so, I feel compelled to add my two cents to the growing pile of critical praise. So here goes: Social Studies is indie-rock perfection. There, I said it." - Bill Picture, San Francisco Chronicle
show less
Following the release of their first album, Wind Up Wooden Heart in 2010, the band spent the better part of a year on the road, transfixing audiences at the CMJ Music Festival, SXSW, and Noise Pop, and bringing their unique energy and spirit to stages shared with tUnE-yArDs, Wye Oak, Lotus Plaza, Thee Oh Sees, Dodos, Dungen, and Au Revoir Simone just to name a few.
In early 2012, Social Studies returned to the studio with the goal of stripping things down to the basics, straightening out some of the more jagged lines of their previous work, and focusing more on texture and mood. They enlisted the able ears and hands of engineer and co-producer Eli Crews (tUnE-yArDs, Deerhoof, Thao & Mirah) who helped hone this new barebones attack as well as reflect the excitement of their live show. On Developer, all the pieces have come together perfectly.
The clear-eyed production helps bring out the dark, sexy heart of these ruminations on life, love, pain, and pleasure. The themes of the album are as complex as the songs are streamlined. Social Studies has succeeded in evoking a set of feelings and emotions that will linger with listeners long after the last notes have faded away. Warm, cold, or downright chilling, there is a connection between the personal and universal that the band taps into through a set of fearless, powerful and gripping songs.
"Social Studies is my new favorite band. Granted, I have a new favorite band every few days or so. But when you consider the amount of new music that I have to listen to each week, it's a big deal when any band, particularly a local one, manages to end up on top of the huge stack. I'm a little behind, I must admit. Since its late-fall release, the band's debut EP, "This Is the World's Biggest Hammer," has earned Social Studies its share of well-deserved ink in the local weeklies. Even so, I feel compelled to add my two cents to the growing pile of critical praise. So here goes: Social Studies is indie-rock perfection. There, I said it." - Bill Picture, San Francisco Chronicle
Naming their sophomore album Developer is a bold move for the still-young band Social Studies. But it is as apt a descriptor as you’re likely to find for how the sound of this San Francisco-based five-piece has flourished, matured, and, yes, developed over the past few years.
Following the release of their first album, Wind Up Wooden Heart in 2010, the band spent the better part of a year on the road, transfixing audiences at the CMJ Music Festival, SXSW, and Noise Pop, and bringing their unique energy and spirit to stages shared with tUnE-yArDs, Wye Oak, Lotus Plaza, Thee Oh Sees, Dodos, Dungen, and Au Revoir Simone just to name a few.
In early 2012, Social Studies returned to the studio with the goal of stripping things down to the basics, straightening out some of the more jagged lines of their previous work, and focusing more on texture and mood. They enlisted the able ears and hands of engineer and co-producer Eli Crews (tUnE-yArDs, Deerhoof, Thao & Mirah) who helped hone this new barebones attack as well as reflect the excitement of their live show. On Developer, all the pieces have come together perfectly.
The clear-eyed production helps bring out the dark, sexy heart of these ruminations on life, love, pain, and pleasure. The themes of the album are as complex as the songs are streamlined. Social Studies has succeeded in evoking a set of feelings and emotions that will linger with listeners long after the last notes have faded away. Warm, cold, or downright chilling, there is a connection between the personal and universal that the band taps into through a set of fearless, powerful and gripping songs.
"Social Studies is my new favorite band. Granted, I have a new favorite band every few days or so. But when you consider the amount of new music that I have to listen to each week, it's a big deal when any band, particularly a local one, manages to end up on top of the huge stack. I'm a little behind, I must admit. Since its late-fall release, the band's debut EP, "This Is the World's Biggest Hammer," has earned Social Studies its share of well-deserved ink in the local weeklies. Even so, I feel compelled to add my two cents to the growing pile of critical praise. So here goes: Social Studies is indie-rock perfection. There, I said it." - Bill Picture, San Francisco Chronicle
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Following the release of their first album, Wind Up Wooden Heart in 2010, the band spent the better part of a year on the road, transfixing audiences at the CMJ Music Festival, SXSW, and Noise Pop, and bringing their unique energy and spirit to stages shared with tUnE-yArDs, Wye Oak, Lotus Plaza, Thee Oh Sees, Dodos, Dungen, and Au Revoir Simone just to name a few.
In early 2012, Social Studies returned to the studio with the goal of stripping things down to the basics, straightening out some of the more jagged lines of their previous work, and focusing more on texture and mood. They enlisted the able ears and hands of engineer and co-producer Eli Crews (tUnE-yArDs, Deerhoof, Thao & Mirah) who helped hone this new barebones attack as well as reflect the excitement of their live show. On Developer, all the pieces have come together perfectly.
The clear-eyed production helps bring out the dark, sexy heart of these ruminations on life, love, pain, and pleasure. The themes of the album are as complex as the songs are streamlined. Social Studies has succeeded in evoking a set of feelings and emotions that will linger with listeners long after the last notes have faded away. Warm, cold, or downright chilling, there is a connection between the personal and universal that the band taps into through a set of fearless, powerful and gripping songs.
"Social Studies is my new favorite band. Granted, I have a new favorite band every few days or so. But when you consider the amount of new music that I have to listen to each week, it's a big deal when any band, particularly a local one, manages to end up on top of the huge stack. I'm a little behind, I must admit. Since its late-fall release, the band's debut EP, "This Is the World's Biggest Hammer," has earned Social Studies its share of well-deserved ink in the local weeklies. Even so, I feel compelled to add my two cents to the growing pile of critical praise. So here goes: Social Studies is indie-rock perfection. There, I said it." - Bill Picture, San Francisco Chronicle
show less
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Great American Music Hall (GAMH)
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859 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
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