NYC’s Hello Mary - Helena Straight, Stella Wave, and Mikaela Oppenheimer - recently announced the September 13 release of their new album Emita Ox via Frenchkiss Records. Recently, teased the LP with the release of new single "Down My Life" which the band’s Helena Straight says she wrote after "one of the saddest experiences" of her life. The song features her angelic vocals on top of warped piano and menacing bass.
"Down My Life is possibly the most lyrically powerful song for me on the record. The lyrics are somewhat vague, so the meaning behind it is not totally obvious to the listener, which is how I’d like it to be considering the state I was in when I wrote it." - Helena Straight, Hello Mary
Emita Ox will mark the follow-up to Hello Mary’s acclaimed 2023 self-titled LP, which Rolling Stone called one of the year’s "sharpest, noisiest debuts." Since its release the band have ripped into prominence with their fuzzed-out anthems, establishing a darkly playful edge all their own. Possessing a sound that pushes harder into heavy distortion and psychedelic dreamscapes, the new LP sees Hello Mary building out their singular universe of gutsy, virtuosic alt-rock. The band co-produced the album alongside Alex Farrar (MJ Lenderman, Indigo De Souza, Wednesday, Snail Mail) in Asheville, NC.
The band also recently teased a previous single "Three" from the new LP featuring a music video, directed by Mark Cheche. The band states on the video and director, "We saw other stuff that Mark worked on and thought his animation style was really cool. After hearing ‘three’ he came to us with a concept for the video and we loved it! It was fun to have a clear plot for a music video, especially for this song." Cheche shares, “When I heard three it immediately became one of my favorite songs, and I felt honored to get to work with such a dynamic and talented band."
Hello Mary have been clocked many miles on the road, supporting the likes of Silversun Pickups (who have invited the band on the road multiple times this past year), American Football and more. This summer they'll make their UK debut playing a smattering of festival dates including End Of The Road, Manchester Psych Fest, and Edinburgh Psych Fest. This will be followed by two London headline dates, at the newly announced 4th September show at The Shacklewell Arms and Brixton's iconic The Windmill. Hello Mary culminates their UK inauguration with a run of shows as main support for American Football. The trio have also announced a Fall of North America with dates kicking off October 4 in Seattle, WA and concluding November 2 in Houston, TX They play at Los Angeles’ Troubadour on October 10 and New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on October 24. Additionally, the band is confirmed for Las Vegas’ Best Friends Forever Fest on October 11 - 13 and Austin’s Levitation Festival on November 3. All shows are listed below and tickets are available HERE.
On Emita Ox, Hello Mary push harder into heavy distortion and psychedelic dreamscapes, as they build out their singular universe of gutsy strain of rock. The LP’s labyrinthine production reflects how the band’s musical tastes have expanded from Elliott Smith and Radiohead to encompass experimental post-rock acts like Black Midi and Swans.
The project reveals the band leveling up as musicians and composers. Recorded in early 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina, the band played all the instruments on Emita Ox and produced it alongside Alex Farrar (Indigo De Souza, Wednesday, Snail Mail). The members' contributions to the songwriting and production bleed into each other, but the album is a showcase of their individual strengths: Straight’s ethereal vocal melodies and gritty guitar riffs, Wave’s emotive vocals and knotty drum patterns, and Oppenheimer’s diabolical basslines and experimentation with electronic production. "We map out all the sections beforehand, we like to write intricate parts that complement each other," says Wave.
HELLO MARY
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