Ecstasy and sorrow, post-punk and pop, east and west -- all those times when you're caught in the middle, there's Mainland. They are the soundtrack to moments of freedom and darkness. Taking a nod from society's fellow black sheep (think David Lynch, William Eggleston, and Depeche Mode), Mainland returns with a collection of new tunes and an enigmatic call to arms. A diverse mix of vintage aesthetics and modern pop songwriting/production, Mainland draws from a range of influences to form one unifying anthem loud enough for all of life's outcasts.
Led by enigmatic frontman Jordan Topf (Vocals, Guitar) and comprised of Corey Mullee (Guitar, Synth), and Alex Pitta (Bass), they arrived with their Girls Unknown EP (2013) and followed soon after with their second independent release, the Shiner EP (2014) produced by Jim Eno of Spoon. Describing late night tales of gritty New York City streets, Mainland quickly gained a name for themselves with praise pouring in from tastemakers like NYLON, SPIN, Interview Magazine, The Fader, Consequence of Sound and Rolling Stone. Meanwhile, the band kept busy securing opening spots with Melanie Martinez, Catfish and the Bottlemen, and X Ambassadors.
Following the success of the Shiner EP, the band signed to 300 Entertainment (ASTR, Highly Suspect, Young Thug, etc.), packed their bags and traveled west to the hills of California. Armed with their 35mm cameras, and void of inhibitions, the boys left behind the comfort of their home studio to record with producer Kevin Augunas (Cold War Kids, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros) at Fairfax Recordings (formerly Sound City).
The result is an expansive collection of tracks, including their new single, "Outcast" -- a disenchanted tale that was born (surprisingly) under the bright, shining lights of Los Angeles. "I was walking around Rodeo Drive, estranged from NYC..." muses Topf. "Maybe it was my current outlook on the struggles I was facing, but I was reflecting on moments where I'd felt like an outcast in life and in a new city like Los Angeles. A city of sunshine and broken Hollywood dreams."
"Going into this album we became infatuated with iconic British bands like The Cure, Depeche Mode, New Order, The La's, etc. We love the way those bands mask well-crafted pop songs with poignant lyrics, adds Topf. And with those influences, the record is a stunning juxtaposition of dark and light. We wanted to combine our California roots with dark synth bass tones, melancholy subject matter of late 1970s New York and post punk era English pop music to create our own voice."
From the eclectic bell hits of "Destination Weddings," to the sombre rolling tones of "A Bit Out of Time," Mainland's new release is a journey through life's fun and melancholy moments -- the ones that you'd probably like to forget, but never will; they are your purgatory. They are all the beautiful places you've been, all the strange places you are bound to end up, and everywhere in between.
