{"title":"@.","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"are-you-there-god-its-me-2","title":"Are You There God? It’s Me, @","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn March 2023, @ turned heads with their debut album \u003ci\u003eMind Palace Music\u003c\/i\u003e that utilized an array of acoustic instrumentation and densely layered harmonies, like the great outsider folk records of the 60s and 70s and placed it in a modern setting. If \u003ci\u003eMind Palace Music\u003c\/i\u003e was @ playing on story mode, their new EP\u003ci\u003e Are You There God? It’s Me, @\u003c\/i\u003e is the darker, stranger side quest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMind Palace Music\u003c\/i\u003e was written in very specific circumstances. The band was formed while they were confined to their homes during quarantine — Victoria Rose in Philadelphia and Stone Filipczak in Baltimore — exchanging musical sketches over iMessage and email. Even though the world has opened back up and they’ve been able to play together live, this EP was again created remotely while in their respective cities. What did change, however, was the production.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAre You There God? It’s Me, @\u003c\/i\u003e is @’s foray into electronic music — consisting primarily of software instrumentation (with the occasional flute, guitar or bass part sprinkled in). The band’s experience producing in this style was minimal, but they found the new process to be a rewarding exercise allowing them to explore new textures and structures made possible by computer music. Where their previous acoustic recordings had a looser and more human feel, these new songs allowed them to experiment with autotune and quantized beats. Rose was able to resurrect her passion for classical choir by singing and recording a capella vocal arrangements to be incorporated into Filipczak’s instrumentals.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Carpark","offers":[{"title":"Blue LP","offer_id":50427044790603,"sku":"2200993","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Are_You_There_God_Its_Me__-_EP_c8f7e2db_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726820848"},{"product_id":"mind-music-palace","title":"Mind Music Palace","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrand new signings to Carpark, this is a reissue of their debut, originally released in 2021. It’s fitting that Philadelphia guitarist \u003cstrong\u003eVictoria Rose\u003c\/strong\u003e and Baltimore producer\/musician \u003cstrong\u003eStone Filipczak\u003c\/strong\u003e named their band \u003cem\u003e@\u003c\/em\u003e (pronounced “At”) — a symbol that calls to mind the detachment of an email exchange or a Twitter mention.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe folk-pop duo created their debut album \u003cem\u003eMind Palace Music\u003c\/em\u003e almost entirely remotely, sending each other recordings over iMessage from their respective cities throughout fall\/winter 2020. But although its creators were 100 miles away, the 11-track album gleams with a sense of closeness, tied together with \u003cem\u003e@\u003c\/em\u003e’s penchant for deeply personal and candid lyrics. Originally released in April 2021, the album is getting a reissue from Carpark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRose and Filipczak are just as inspired by the thoughtful delicacy of ambient pioneers like \u003cstrong\u003eLaurie Spiegel\u003c\/strong\u003e as they are by the timeless quality of singer-songwriters like \u003cstrong\u003eVashti Bunyan\u003c\/strong\u003e. You can feel the influence of those ‘70s folk greats on songs like “Where’d You Put Me,” a drum-free incantation that culminates with a flute solo from Filipczak.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eElsewhere, \u003cem\u003e@\u003c\/em\u003e evoke the tender drone and foolproof melodies of \u003cstrong\u003eElliott Smith\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eAlex G\u003c\/strong\u003e, or \u003cstrong\u003eSparklehorse\u003c\/strong\u003e, like on the spare acoustic ditty “Friendship is Frequency” or the bittersweet “Cut From Toxic Cloth”: “While I'm waiting for my mind and face to sync\/I smile to my heart and I think\/I like you just the way you are,” Filipczak murmurs on the latter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA subtle eeriness looms in the background throughout \u003cem\u003eMind Palace Music\u003c\/em\u003e, preventing it from feeling too outdated or hackneyed. With an affinity for blending digital with analog elements, \u003cem\u003e@\u003c\/em\u003e describe \u003cem\u003eMind Palace Music\u003c\/em\u003e as “hyperfolk,” though the record never feels self-indulgent - hitting the sweet spot between pleasantly familiar.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Carpark","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50477339902283,"sku":"2003874","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/CAK167LP_23222ff9_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727469993"},{"product_id":"are-you-there-god-its-me-3","title":"Are You There God? It's Me, @","description":"\u003cp\u003eAre You There God? It’s Me, @ is @’s foray into electronic music — consisting primarily of software instrumentation (with the occasional flute, guitar or bass part sprinkled in). The band’s experience producing in this style was minimal, but they found the new process to be a rewarding exercise allowing them to explore new textures and structures made possible by computer music. Where their previous acoustic recordings had a looser and more human feel, these new songs allowed them to experiment with autotune and quantized beats. Rose was able to resurrect her passion for classical choir by singing and recording a capella vocal arrangements to be incorporated into Filipczak’s instrumentals. “Webcrawler,” named after the pioneering search engine, might be considered Are You There God?’s epic. @ sees their search for meaning in life akin to how search engines pull together data from all over the internet to find answers. The music itself is even reminiscent of dial-up internet connection, with droning keys and machine-like drum programming until overheating and erupting into chaos, in the form of heavy-metal shredding, only to cool down again back on a loading screen.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"Purple LP","offer_id":50495756042571,"sku":"2224987","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_8dd4ef86_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727714318"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/3.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}