Fans of jamtronica pioneers STS9 waited nearly six years for the band’s last album, 2016’s The Universe Inside. Fortunately for them, it looks like the wait for a follow-up album is already over.
In an unexpected move, the Santa Cruz-based five-piece just dropped a new, full-length record via their BandCamp subscription service. Titled Wave Spell: 9.17.2017, the release features nine songs that were recorded at the band’s new studio. In fact, the album’s description seems to suggest that the songs were all improvised over the course of a single studio session on September 17, 2017.
STS9 debuted the title track for Wave Spell during their recent New Year’s Eve show at The Warfield in San Francisco, making it one of four new tunes that the band debuted during their three-night run at the venue. Interestingly, “Wave Spell” is the only one of those four songs that can be found on the new album. The other three—”Murmurs”, “Laia” and “The Presence of Light”—do not appear on the newly-released LP.
You can purchase the new record here via BandCamp.
A statement from STS9 reads:
We’ve always dreamed of having our own studio, an “autonomous zone” where we could be free to let the music happen. Over the years we’ve had many different practice spaces. From basements to barns to makeshift rooms red-tagged by the city.
In February of 2017 we moved into a new studio that truly feels like home. The ability to record ourselves live, to make it feel and sound like we’re on stage in the magic, has been a dream come true.
It’s inspired us to be more prolific, to record everything and share more of our experience with our closest fans…
Wave Spell is STS9 in its rawest form. Where we don’t talk about what we want to play, we just try and tap in to the moment and let the music happen. It’s a conversation where we speak solely with our instruments. A time where we’re completely free to explore.
This series is dedicated to our belief that music is one of the most powerful forces in nature. It casts its spell through waveforms carrying sound and light, moving energy and frequencies through our mind, body and soul.
Thank you for inspiring our Wave Spell. Can’t wait to see where it takes us…
-STS9
STS9 announced their new BandCamp subscription service two weeks ago. For $9.99 a month, the band is offering its fans access to a variety of musical content. As the group explained in a tweet, “In addition to all upcoming live sets, we will be releasing lots of improv jams, exclusive cuts, throwback shows from the vault + even taking special requests from YOU!”
STS9 will return to the stage this weekend when they headline Gem & Jam Festival in Tucson, AZ.
[Photo: Jeremy Scott]