DROP NINETEENS - 1991 VINYL
1991 is a time capsule of Drop Nineteens at their rawest—a collection of long-lost demos recorded in dorm rooms on an 8-track reel-to-reel at the very start of their journey. Originally set aside as the band rushed to create Delaware, these tracks sat in obscurity for over three decades, untouched by the polish of a professional studio. Now remastered for the first time, they offer an intimate glimpse into the band’s earliest sonic explorations, full of the beauty, uncertainty, and unfiltered ambition of their youth. For Greg Ackell and his bandmates, these songs are both formative and fleeting, capturing a moment when their sound was still taking shape, a moment that could have led anywhere.
These recordings trace the origins of a band that would come to be known as the American answer to Slowdive—though, as Ackell notes, they hadn’t even heard Slowdive at the time. Instead, 1991 reflects a kind of transatlantic synchronicity, with shoegaze’s signature haze and towering guitar textures emerging independently on both sides of the ocean. The remastered versions of these tracks reveal a band navigating their influences in real time, experimenting with layers of sound and mood. Songs like Mayfield, once heralded in the UK press, now arrive with new clarity, shedding light on the Boston indie scene that quietly birthed them. It’s a document of a band that had yet to play live, yet already had the UK music press at their feet.
By the time Drop Nineteens signed to Caroline Records and released Delaware, these demos had been left behind—not out of disinterest, but out of youthful confidence in what they could create next. 1991 brings them back into the conversation, a missing piece of the band’s story finally unearthed. It’s not just a collection of early songs; it’s a testament to a restless, fearless energy that defined the band’s earliest days. While some tracks feel fully realized, others carry the restless echoes of ideas in motion. Either way, 1991 is a rare listen: a chance to hear a band just before they rewrote their own history.
THIS MONTH’S RELEASE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY WHARF CAT RECORDS.
1991 is a time capsule of Drop Nineteens at their rawest—a collection of long-lost demos recorded in dorm rooms on an 8-track reel-to-reel at the very start of their journey. Originally set aside as the band rushed to create Delaware, these tracks sat in obscurity for over three decades, untouched by the polish of a professional studio. Now remastered for the first time, they offer an intimate glimpse into the band’s earliest sonic explorations, full of the beauty, uncertainty, and unfiltered ambition of their youth. For Greg Ackell and his bandmates, these songs are both formative and fleeting, capturing a moment when their sound was still taking shape, a moment that could have led anywhere.
These recordings trace the origins of a band that would come to be known as the American answer to Slowdive—though, as Ackell notes, they hadn’t even heard Slowdive at the time. Instead, 1991 reflects a kind of transatlantic synchronicity, with shoegaze’s signature haze and towering guitar textures emerging independently on both sides of the ocean. The remastered versions of these tracks reveal a band navigating their influences in real time, experimenting with layers of sound and mood. Songs like Mayfield, once heralded in the UK press, now arrive with new clarity, shedding light on the Boston indie scene that quietly birthed them. It’s a document of a band that had yet to play live, yet already had the UK music press at their feet.
By the time Drop Nineteens signed to Caroline Records and released Delaware, these demos had been left behind—not out of disinterest, but out of youthful confidence in what they could create next. 1991 brings them back into the conversation, a missing piece of the band’s story finally unearthed. It’s not just a collection of early songs; it’s a testament to a restless, fearless energy that defined the band’s earliest days. While some tracks feel fully realized, others carry the restless echoes of ideas in motion. Either way, 1991 is a rare listen: a chance to hear a band just before they rewrote their own history.
THIS MONTH’S RELEASE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY WHARF CAT RECORDS.
1991 is a time capsule of Drop Nineteens at their rawest—a collection of long-lost demos recorded in dorm rooms on an 8-track reel-to-reel at the very start of their journey. Originally set aside as the band rushed to create Delaware, these tracks sat in obscurity for over three decades, untouched by the polish of a professional studio. Now remastered for the first time, they offer an intimate glimpse into the band’s earliest sonic explorations, full of the beauty, uncertainty, and unfiltered ambition of their youth. For Greg Ackell and his bandmates, these songs are both formative and fleeting, capturing a moment when their sound was still taking shape, a moment that could have led anywhere.
These recordings trace the origins of a band that would come to be known as the American answer to Slowdive—though, as Ackell notes, they hadn’t even heard Slowdive at the time. Instead, 1991 reflects a kind of transatlantic synchronicity, with shoegaze’s signature haze and towering guitar textures emerging independently on both sides of the ocean. The remastered versions of these tracks reveal a band navigating their influences in real time, experimenting with layers of sound and mood. Songs like Mayfield, once heralded in the UK press, now arrive with new clarity, shedding light on the Boston indie scene that quietly birthed them. It’s a document of a band that had yet to play live, yet already had the UK music press at their feet.
By the time Drop Nineteens signed to Caroline Records and released Delaware, these demos had been left behind—not out of disinterest, but out of youthful confidence in what they could create next. 1991 brings them back into the conversation, a missing piece of the band’s story finally unearthed. It’s not just a collection of early songs; it’s a testament to a restless, fearless energy that defined the band’s earliest days. While some tracks feel fully realized, others carry the restless echoes of ideas in motion. Either way, 1991 is a rare listen: a chance to hear a band just before they rewrote their own history.