It’s rare, in these days of glutted media oversaturation, that you encounter a band or a record that instantly distinguishes itself upon first listen as something singularly voiced, truly clarion. But such is the reaction we in Paradise had when, on a serendipitous tip from The Weather Station, we first listened to Nap Eyes, whom we’re proud to announce as our most recent signing (in happy collaboration with You’ve Changed Records in Canada.)
Hailing from Nova Scotia, Nap Eyes is the greatest band you’ve never heard, and Whine of the Mystic is their first full-length album, a brilliant small-batch brew of crooked, literate guitar pop refracted through the gray Halifax rain. Recorded live to tape with no overdubs, it’s equal parts shambling and sophisticated, with one eye on the dirt and one trained on the starry firmament, inhabiting a skewed world where odes to NASA and the Earth’s magnetic field coexist easily with songs about insomnia and drinking too much.
You need this band in your life. Highly recommended if you like The Only Ones/England’s Glory, The Modern Lovers, The Clean, The Verlaines, Nikki Sudden/Jacobites, The Go-Betweens, Bedhead, and all things Lou Reed.
For more information, visit the Nap Eyes artist page and album page.
Pre-Order the LP ($18), CD ($13), or both ($25) from PoB:
$9.00 – $30.00
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pagePre-Order the digital album ($9), LP, or CD via Bandcamp
Pre-Order the digital album via iTunes ($9.99)
Pre-Order the digital album, LP, or CD via Amazon
The deluxe LP, pressed on virgin vinyl, features a heavy-duty chipboard jacket, lyric insert, and a download coupon; the CD is housed in a gatefold chipboard jacket. Pre-orders include an immediate 320k MP3 download of the first single, “Dark Creedence,” which you can listen to here thanks to the good people at Stereogum. We anticipate shipping pre-orders at least a week in advance of the July 10 release date.
All pre-order customers who place orders by June 29 will be entered into a drawing for a Whine of the Mystic test pressing and a PoB t-shirt (now available in new colors.)
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- Photo by Josh Salter.
Unkempt rock songs that are steeped in tradition yet impossible to pin down. There are worlds inside this little three-chord lament. – Chris DeVille, Stereogum
Whine of the Mystic is a ragged splendour, one of the best things in ages. Like liking a drink you know isn’t good for you; that’s good for you, that’s good for you, that you know isn’t good for you. Nap Eyes’ songs are mazey and riddled, but ambivalent about their mazes, ambivalent about their riddles; in this way they remind me of good smoke, holy incense smoke, always true to its incantation. – Sean Michaels, Said the Gramophone
Photo by Steve Louie.
Nap Eyes will release a follow-up album of all-new material in early 2016, likewise brought to you by You’ve Changed Records (in Canada) and Paradise of Bachelors (throughout the rest of the world). In the meantime, catch Nap Eyes on tour throughout North America starting next month with stops at Northside Festival, Sled Island Festival and more. A full list of dates is below. Visit Ground Control Touring for details and updates.
NAP EYES TOUR DATES
Thu. June 11 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade (Northside Festival) *
Sat. June 13 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair ^
Tue. June 16 – Montreal, QC @ Drones Club %
Wed. June 17 – Ottawa, ON @ Club Saw %
Mon. June 22 – Winnipeg, MB @ Handsome Daughter %
Tue. June 23 – Saskatoon, SK @ Vangelis Tavern %
Wed. June 24 – Edmonton, AB @ Wunderbar Hofbrauhaus %
Thu. June 25-Sun. June 28 – Calgary, AB @ Sled Island Festival %
Mon. June 29 – Kelowna, BC @ Fernando’s %
Tue. June 30 – Vancouver, BC @ The Astoria %
Thu. July 2 – Victoria, BC @ Logan’s Pub %
Mon. July 6 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar %
Tue. July 7 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux %
Fri. July 10 – Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room %
Sat. July 11 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews %
Mon. July 13 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle %
Tue. July 14 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop %
Wed. July 15 – Windsor, ON @ Phog Lou %
Sat. July 18 – Toronto, ON @ The Smiling Buddha %
Fri. July 31-Sun. Aug. 2 – Sackville, NB @ SappyFest
* w/ Jacco Gardner
^ w/ Ex Hex
% w/ Monomyth