DT: MARCH 24, 2015
FM: ANGELA VILLANUEVA, MSO PR
HIDDEN HOSPITALS
RELEASES DEBUT FULL-LENGTH ALBUM
‘SURFACE TENSION’
TODAY (3/24)
HOMETOWN SHOW AND ALBUM RELEASE PARTY
FRIDAY, APRIL 3 AT DOUBLE DOOR IN CHICAGO
Photo credit: Erin Drewitz
“Based out of Chicago, progressive alt-rock quartet Hidden Hospitals may be new to the scene, but their members aren’t new to the game…So it’s no surprise that their debut full-length, Surface Tension, sounds like an album made not by a new band but by seasoned musicians focused on honing their craft and pushing their sound forward.”
–Scott Heisel, SUBSTREAM, 3/20/15
“…Surface Tensionis an emotive 12-track rock collection with deep lyrical content, progressive riffs, and a semi-dreamlike quality…These hospitals are no longer hidden; they are about to break out.”
–Bear Frazier, ARENA.COM, 3/11/15
Alternative rock band HIDDEN HOSPITALS has spent the past three years finely etching their debut full-length album SURFACE TENSION, and with today’s release (3/24) the wait is over. The self-released album is available digitally via iTunes, Amazon, and other online retailers, as well as physical CD and limited copies on vinyl via a partnership with Secret Audio Club. The Chicago-based foursome–which includes members from previous projects Damiera (Equal Vision Records) and Kiss Kiss (Eyeball Records)–teamed with Substream magazine last Friday (3/20) to exclusively premiere the album; over the weekendfans took to social media expressing their excitement for the new music.
Produced and mixed by J. Hall, who also worked on their past releases, SURFACE TENSION is a record that churns heavy with kinetic energy and precise movements. A stable and familiar thread ties together the album–carefully paced through 12 engaging tracks–as a whole. The band transitions seamlessly between sharp, taut guitar-rock reminiscent of Diamond Eyes-era Deftones and an atmosphere of electronica evoking Radiohead’s Kid A. The band takes a minimalist approach to songwriting–the thoughtful process of reduction, leaving nothing but what’s necessary.
A series of music videos will be unveiled in the coming weeks. Rather than release traditional videos, the band–DAVE RAYMOND (Vocals/Guitar), STEVE DOWNS (Guitar), JARED KARNS (Drums)and JOHN SCOTT (Bass/Vocals)–will take a more artful approach by releasing a short film, broken into three parts and set to “Pulp,” “Rose Hips” and “Modern Saints.” As DAVE explained to Arena.com, “We got to the task of trying to choose a single from the album and months of throwing it out to people and couldn’t decide on one, so we’re taking the route of not releasing a single. I think that puts the work on us to campaign around each song to put it out a new way. We’ve done performance videos in the past and we wanted to do something new this time. There is a concept, it’s fairly abstract, and I’d like to refrain from revealing it until we can get it out to the world.”
Additionally, the band will perform a special hometown Chicago show and album release party on Friday, April 3 at Double Door. Tickets are on sale now here.
Track Listing for SURFACE TENSION:
- Pulp
- Rose Hips
- Modern Saints
- History
- Wounded Sirens
- Bone Scraper
- Trilogy
- Synesthesia
- Animals
- Broken Skeletons
- From Toxin
- Surface Tension
www.hiddenhospitals.com
www.facebook.com/hiddenhospitals
www.twitter.com/HiddenHospitals
www.instagram.com/hiddenhospitals
www.youtube.com/HiddenHospitals
MSO Press Releases & Assets:
www.msopr.com/n/client-roster/hidden-hospitals
###
For more information on HIDDEN HOSPITALS, contact MSO PR:
Angela Villanueva, 818-380-0400 x232, AVillanueva@msopr.com