by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
At some point Ryan Weinstein’s band Coffin Pricks became the singular Coffin Prick, the project adapting from a band to a solo effort. The change has been a long time coming, but Weinstein approached his solo debut with patience, building a world unto itself, where vast psychedelic synths are paired together with space-age guitars and a general alien atmosphere. Out today via Sophomore Lounge (Arbor Labor Union, Water Damage, Dan Melchior), Laughing is a fully realized debut, trading the sonic qualities of Weinstein’s Los Angeles home for a metaphysical retreat in the open spaces and endless expanse of unexplored nature. The record is rich and stirring, with chimes and tones both sinister and stunning. From the record’s opening moment, we’re beamed up and our thoughts rearranged.
With the record touching down on our plain of existence today, Coffin Prick is celebrating with a new video for early single and title-track, “Laughing,” a song built on krauty beat with plenty or art rock skronk and post-punk design. The song sounds massive, moving forward like time lapse in reverse, leaving a trail with it of warped synths and warm distortion. As Weinstein opts for a sort of crimson croon, the music plays like its conscious pulse, creeping and billowing, laying out the hypnotic framework and then pushing it in new directions. The video, directed by Laura Callier, sets mood and atmosphere, moving from the city to an apartment (the record itself was primarily recorded at Weinstein’s home), before adopting a unique take on live performance clips, fractured between various locals as scenic as the grocery store parking lot to tropical backdrops and computer screens within our computer screens.