by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Seth Engel is a busy man. He plays in Great Deceivers, Nnamdi's Sooper-Dooper Secret Side Project, Coaster, Lifted Bells, Pyramid Scheme and when he's not performing he's engineering records for bands like CHEW, Pinegrove and Ratboys. The list goes on and on... and you begin to wonder when he sleeps. There's no time for that though, because at the center of it all, Engel has an exceptional solo project, Options. Set to release his latest album, Maxed Out, via Sooper Records (a wonderful up-and-coming label) on September 30th (digital/CS), we're excited to share the premiere of the record's first single "Comfort Blanket" today. There are "solo" albums and then there's a solo album... this is the latter, as Engel wrote, performed, engineered, and mixed the effort by himself. Maxed Out is Engel's world, we're just happy to be here.
Options is full of... well, options. Engel came to prove there's nothing he can't do and chew gum, and he only has gum left. Maxed Out blends Midwestern emo, math rock, post-hardcore, indie rock, post-rock, and the core of it all, pop, to perfection. Bouncing back and forth between jagged rhythms, syrupy vocal melodies, airy slacker pop, and a sense for experimentation, Options have embraced the fuzzy space in-between. It's tightly wound and carefully constructed. "Comfort Blanket" jumps out the gate with an infectious vocal melody and dirty ringing guitars. Engel's vocals leap with a jangly rhythm, it pops with brightness at one moment and sinks back into dejection the next. The comfort level collapses around the song's bummed out hopefulness as it progresses into swarming distorted guitars.
Options head out on tour next week together with Opposites. Check out all the dates below and find details here. The touring band will include Engel joined by Matt Kissinger (Coaster), Nate Amos (Opposites) and the ever incredible Nnamdi Ogbonnaya.
9/23 - Kalamazoo, MI @ The Free Clinic
9/24 - Buffalo, NY @ Dreamland w/ Del Paxton & Sneeze
9/26 - Burlington, VT @ Battery Street Jeans
9/27 - Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn w/ Thelma & BLUFFING
9/29 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Pharmacy w/ Shelf Life & Clique
9/30 - Baltimore, MD @ Tribal Haus
10/01 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Gooski's w/ Rchrd Prkr & Lampshades
10/03 - Champaign, IL @ Blips & Chitz w/ Nectar
10/05 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas (FREE!)
10/28 - Gainesville, FL @ Rockey's Piano Bar (The Fest) w/ Lifted Bells, Emilyn Brodsky & more
BONUS VIDEO:
Watch Options play "Comfort Blanket" live at Pallet Sound with Matt Kissinger (bass), Marcus Nuccio (drums), and Nick Levine (guitar).
Options' Maxed Out is out September 30th via Sooper Records.