The Werks released a trio of new recordings on Thursday with a new EP of instrumentals which are set to appear on their forthcoming studio album, Sonder. The three songs shared to the band’s streaming accounts on Thursday afternoon include “No Prisoners”, “Stars Collide”, and “Flatiron”, as part of a mini-album titled, Sonder (Encounters). The four-piece jam band from Dayton, Ohio had initially shared the dance-friendly “Stars Collide” to go with their winter 2019 tour announcement late last year.
The two newer songs, “No Prisoners” and “Flatiron”, showcase the band at their best. “No Prisoners” opens up hot with some scorching guitar work from Chris Houser before finding a funkier groove about a minute into the recording. Houser continues working his way around the fretboard with more solo work scattered in throughout the 3:44 minute instrumental, while pianist Dan Shaw joins in on the fun by launching the piece into orbit via spaceship-like sounds coming out of those keyboards of his.
Related: The Werks Share Full Audio From Phish Afterparty At New York City’s The Cutting RoomÂ
“Flatiron” is a completely different beast. The other new song introduced on Thursday runs at an impressive 8:22 minutes, and takes the listener into an electrifying abyss right from the get-go as it opens up with some pretty intimidating drone sounds courtesy of Bartoletti. The eerie track continues to unfold as Houser’s guitar and Rob Chafin‘s drums come in shortly after the one-minute-mark. The song itself is a dreamy psychedelic masterpiece, with all four members finding a balance in melodies and hypnotizing audio sounds throughout the marathon instrumental.
Some of these news songs have already found their way into the band’s live catalogue, but it’s nice to hear the studio versions of the new material being played in more of a controlled, audio-friendly environment.
The band will start their 2019 winter tour tonight (January 17th) with an opening show at Manchester Music Hall in Lexington, Kentucky. The tour continues throughout January leading up to the 2019 installment of their three-day, Winter Werk Out Festival in Columbus, Ohio, beginning on February 1st. Fans can head over to the tour page on band’s website for tickets to all of their upcoming 2019 winter/spring concerts. All three songs shared on Thursday can be streamed (partially) via the Spotify embed below.
The Werks –Â Sonder (Encounters) EP
[Audio: The Werks’ Spotify]
