Halfsour
BIO
Since their formation in late 2012, Boston-based halfsour have consistently been one thing: rough around the edges. Throughout the last 6 years, the band has consistently produced ramshackle pop - a broad category that halfsour has explored, well, some of. From 2013’s jangle pop demo to the forthcoming power pop meets post-grunge sophomore LP sticky, the melodic has always been prioritized and contrasted with the slacker-prone side of indie rock.
Following a couple of early REM leaning years, halfsour have consistently broadened their sonic palette by incorporating elements of favorites from 90’s rock like the Breeders to the dB’s laden power-pop, all while staying true to the anything-goes sentiment of a classic era Guided by Voices record. These influences culminated in their debut LP Tuesday Night Live, released by Jigsaw Records in early 2016. Later that year, on follow-up EP charm school (released with with Disposable America and Too Far Gone), halfsour refined their power pop and heavier tendencies while adding some darker post-punk tinges. Between 2016’s LP and EP releases, they also crammed in the writing and recording of an 11 minute tour tape (Land of Discarded Ideas) comprised of 11 songs, all done within the span of two days and released the next month via Disposable America. With so much music released in a short time, halfsour spent 2017 playing off the catalog amassed in the previous year.
With a lineup shuffle that resulted in original member Ian Gustafson departing, new drummer Travis Hagan rounded out the band alongside Zoë Wyner (vocals, bass) and Matt Mara (guitar). The newly minted lineup spent the last year creating sticky, out on Fire Talk and Disposable America on April 26th, 2019. The self recorded album (tracked in part in an old crumbling barn in New Hampshire) was mixed by Justin Pizzoferrato at Sonelab and mastered by Jonathan Wyner at M-Works. While sonically diverse in tempo, dynamics, and arrangement, sticky shows a halfsour with previously unseen focus. Cohesive yet never stagnant, halfsour have harnessed excitement and energy on their new album. Thematically, consistency is key for halfsour: on sticky the band remains focused on the mundane, with moments of frustration, annoyance, and loss scattered throughout.
