Two Inch Astronaut

Colesville, Maryland-based trio Two Inch Astronaut have perfected their warped and twisting post-hardcore, post-punk, post-feelings brand of indie rock since last year's official debut, Bad Brother. That record, along with their previous self released EPs, set the standard for Two Inch Astronaut's art punk sound of carefully intertwined melodies, tangled chords and complex rhythms. The band's sophomore full length, Foulbrood, ups the ante... way up. The riffs are heavier, the melodies are sharper, the hooks are catchier, and the songwriting has become increasingly more clever.

Two Inch Astronaut guitarist/vocalist Sam Rosenberg added, "The song "Foulbrood" is kind of a show of solidarity to anyone who spends a lot of their mental time just trying not to be clouded by gruesome or sad thoughts or images. Sounds kind of dreary, but it is meant to be hopeful. We initially thought it was a little too poppy for the record, but we decided it would be good to offset a lot of the slower stuff.

Two Inch Astronaut recorded the album at Warrior Camp Studios in Massachussetts as a duo, with Sam Rosenberg (guitar/bass/vocals) and Matt Gatwood (drums) once again working with producer Michael Siegel. The record was written as a trio with former bassist Daniel Pouridas, who recently left the band under friendly circumstances and remains a frequent contributor. Grass Is Green's Andy Chervenak has stepped in as the band's full time bassist, and their live shows continue to amaze all those who come across the trio.

Expanding on the writing process, Rosenberg said, "A handful of the songs were written very quickly right after Bad Brother came out with the full lineup of Matt, Daniel, and I. The rest were assembled by Matt and I. We’ve always taken equal responsibility for arranging and determining the feel of a song, but this time Matt actually wrote a few of the guitar parts that ended up being the basis of songs. I think we felt a lot more comfortable writing and recording this record. We didn’t really try to force any of the songs or graft parts together, we just sort of waited until something presented itself that felt right."

The band has received comparisons to the early 90s and 2000s Dischord sound, bringing to mind bands like The Dismemberment Plant, Shudder To Think, Faraquet, Pinback, Q and Not U, and Jawbox. This is no mere imitation however, as Two Inch Astronaut's sound shifts and twists around every corner, unpredictable yet catchy and undeniably melodic.