Awkward Bodies

It’s been nearly a year since the world at large heard from Minneapolis noise-poppers Awkward Bodies. In stark contrast to today’s “record an EP of songs and put it online the next day” aesthetic, the quartet have chosen to play their cards close. Expanding upon the more fuzzed-out elements of their 2012 debut, the band are marrying their love for Ronald Jones-era Flaming Lips and post-Pet Sounds Beach Boys with hints of Medicine, Sebadoh and classic American indie rock on their new LP, Get Left.

Core members Mason Butler, Jesse Miller and Nick Vittum have collaborated on various musical projects together over the last decade, but Get Left is the first to include songs from all members to form a rough narrative on loss, uncertainty, doubt and other shades of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s Grief Cycle. These feelings were magnified tenfold by the departure of founding bassist Jeannette Kjos during the initial writing process. In response, the remaining trio circled the wagons and retreated to the studio, leaving the bass (and the lion’s share of production duties) in the capable hands of Jesse.

In early 2014, the group emerged from their North Minneapolis studio space with a full-length musical statement to be proud of. The challenge then, however, was to find a new member. Though the group played several shows with Jesse quite literally splitting guitar and bass duties with some clever effects pedal work, the finished record required four people to reproduce its sonics to their full potential. After a brief search, bassist Elizabeth Gross was weaved into Awkward Bodies almost seamlessly with a precise style that allows room for the band’s newly-restored twin guitar attack and effortless harmonies.