by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Dating... it's the worst, until it's the best. It takes time and effort, but every now and then there's a lasting connection. In the case of Chicago's Date Stuff, the duo of Karla Bernasconi (guitar / vocals) and Abby Black (drums), we all benefit from their relationship. Formed while (you guessed it) dating and spending time together in the practice space, the pair have created a sound built on feeling and unpredictability; a budding blend of math rock shifts and dissonant twee pop. It's stunning and heartfelt but raw and technical. Date Stuff's self-titled EP, due out October 20th via Sooper Records (Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, Options, Longface), is as radiant a debut as they come.
Opening with the tangled swoon of "Crumb Kitchen" and "Salmon," Bernasconi and Black's chemistry is immediately apparent, connecting in circuitous patterns that only get more complex as they evolve. Bernasconi's gorgeous vocal melodies are the perfect balance to the plucky angles of their music, reigning in their mathy progressions with memorable hooks. First single "Long Con" is perhaps Date Stuff at the their most straightforward, riding an avalanche drum beat, stuttering in perfect unison with the disjointed guitar and Bernasconi's tightly wound vocals. It's an emotional song that deals with gender identity and personal growth, spiraled out in an incredible jolt of jazzy dream-pop. Lulling the all-too-brief EP to a close, "Reptile Tent" is built on the band's sharp trickle of polyrhythms and a hypnotic dirge eventually bursting into the unexpected with delicate twists and turns. It's that date stuff that Date Stuff do so well, you hope it will never end.
Date Stuff's self-titled EP is out October 20th via Sooper Records. The band are out on tour in support of the record, full dates below.
Tour Dates:
10/12 - Philadelphia, PA @ All Night Diner
10/13 - Queens, NY @ Trans-Pecos w/ Stove (solo), Water From Your Eyes, & Triathalon
10/14 - Boston, MA @ Deep Thoughts
10/17 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Gooskis
10/18 - Columbus, OH @ Middle Earth
10/19 - Detroit, MI @ Trixies
10/21 - Chicago, IL @ Aux Arts (album release show)