If you ever were a fan of late 80s-early 90s college rock, time to put on your rockin’ shoes once again for a good old-fashioned rock out session with New Jersey indie rock trio Quiz Show. Keeping good company in the same territory as Husker Du, Pixies, Ramones, Fugazi and Sonic Youth, their ‘Flotsam’ EP, ticks all the right boxes, previewed earlier by the first ‘Super Concrete’ single.
Given their infectious sound and their geographic location, it should then, of course, come as no surprise that the band is releasing this EP through Montclair, NJ-based Magic Door Record Label. In fact, they even recorded it at Magic Door Recording Studio. Produced by award-winning producer Ray Ketchem (Guided By Voices, Luna, Versus, Elk City, Gramercy Arms), this three-track offering was engineered by Ketchem, together with Brian Robbins(Blondie, Bring Me The Horizon, Papa Roach).
Quiz Show is made up of Shudder To Think‘s Chris Matthews and bassist Jesse Krakow, together with drummer Joe Billy, who replaces the original drummer Kevin March (Guided By Voices, The Dambuilders). In 2023, the band released their 12-track eponymous debut album to wide acclaim – an electrifying collection that is full of protest, friendship and frustration.
Found floating or washed up by the sea, ‘Flotsam’ represents the shattered, lost stories of people’s lives. It’s easy to ignore, but perhaps there is value in treating flotsam as a mystery to solve, a story to tell, a lost connection between past and present waiting to be discovered.
“These songs are the first that the current Quiz Show lineup wrote together from scratch. We each added our instrumental work and vocals, but in the process discovered something new and unexpected– a whole that was far more than the sum of its parts. The EP is three original songs that tell stories about living – both now and in the past. There is something melancholy about the record, but also a resonant chord of joy and perseverance,” says Chris Matthews. Below he offers a track by track commentary for this EP.
“First, ‘Super Concrete’ was the name of the company my brother worked for before he passed. He was a different sort of person, mostly a source of the unexpected, and usually trouble. Many wrote him off as poorly adjusted – as flotsam – but that’s not even close. So, while he may have lived a nontraditional life working at Super Concrete, living in DC’s gay community, and making a home with his boyfriend, he created a life of beauty and purpose.
‘Packing ‘em’ In explores how flotsam gets organized in the chaos of the sea. When we feel adrift, it’s natural to seek refuge. But what can feel like a safe harbor may really be something that uses your struggle as fuel for its own desires. Be careful when it feels like ‘no one knows but everybody knows’ at the same time, the answers people have are probably not their own creations nor for their own benefit.
‘China Glaze’ is a memorial to a good friend who had an exceptionally brilliant mind. Flotsam here is the way it feels when someone leaves you to continue living without them. Musically, the song tries to reflect the slipperiness and scattered experiences that come with loss. The lyrics include my fractured, precious memories of the man who left, and learning to live well in a world without him. Good luck tomorrow!”
Thanks to the power of digital distribution, the ‘Flotsam’ EP will be available everywhere as of Friday, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp.
CREDITS
Chris Matthews / guitars, vocals
Jesse Krakow / bass, backing vocals
Joe Billy III / drums, backing vocals
Produced by Ray Ketchem
Engineered by Brian Robbins and Ray Ketchem
Mixed and Mastered by Ray Ketchem
Recording at Magic Door Recording, Montclair NJ
Songs by Chris Matthews and Quiz Show
© 2024 Shake at the Thought (BMI)
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