Less than a year after their acclaimed, dark triumph The Knot, Baltimore’s Wye Oak offer My Neighbor / My Creator, a vibrant EP that brims with melody and creative detours over five new recordings. My Neighbor / My Creator will be released today via digital download in the Merge store. The EP will be available at all other digital outlets on April 20 and the CD will be in stores on June 8. You can also buy the CD from Wye Oak at their spring tour dates.
Collaborating with outside producers for the first time, Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack’s four new songs feel loose and direct, from the tumbling opener “My Neighbor†to the propulsive “Emmylou.†“My Creator†and “I Hope You Die†begin like ballads but soon reveal unexpected layers of saxophone and percussion over Wasner’s cascading vocals. Chris and Mickey Freeland, brothers with ties to everything from Oxes’ math-rock explorations to Baltimore’s indie hip-hop scene, helmed the new EP’s recordings in their own Beat Babies studio, and they bring new textures to Wye Oak’s ever-expanding sound. There’s a heavier reliance on keyboards, culminating in Mickey’s own stunning remix of The Knot’s “That I Do†which must be heard to be believed.
Anything but a stopgap, My Neighbor / My Creator is yet another significant step forward for this young band.
Track Listing:
1. My Neighbor
2. Emmylou
3. My Creator
4. I Hope You Die
5. That I Do (Mickey Free Remix)
Wye Oak on tour:
Wye Oak on tour:
Mar 18 Austin, TX – Cedar Street Courtyard (Merge SXSW Showcase)
Mar 19 Austin, TX – Home Slice Pizza Party 3:45 PM
Mar 20 Austin, TX – Emo’s Brooklyn Vegan Party 12 PM
Mar 20 Austin, TX – The Parish Stereogum party 2 PM
Mar 24 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
Mar 25 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
Mar 26 Washington, DC – Rock N Roll Hotel
Mar 27 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Mar 28 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Mar 30 Cambridge, MA – TT the Bear’s
Mar 31 Montreal, QC – La Sala Rossa
Apr 01 Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
Apr 02 Ithaca, NY – Castaways
Apr 03 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
Apr 04 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
Apr 05 Milwaukee, WI – Mad Planet
Apr 06 Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
Apr 07 Grinnell, IA – Gardner Lounge at Grinnell College
Apr 08 Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck
Apr 09 Norman, OK – The Opolis
Apr 10 Dallas, TX – The Loft
Apr 22 Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room
Apr 23 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
Apr 24 Los Angeles, CA – Spaceland
Apr 25 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
Apr 27 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Apr 28 Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
Apr 29 Seattle, WA – Triple Door
Apr 30 Pullman, WA – The Bell Tower
May 01 Boise, ID – Neurolux
May 02 Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room
May 04 Denver, CO – Walnut Room
May 05 Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
May 07 Austin, TX – The Parish