Retail Drugs Signs to Angel Tapes & Releases "person A" Single/Video!
Today, Fire Talk Records’ emerging artist imprint Angel Tapes (Jawdropped, shower curtain, Sleeper’s Bell) announces its new signing, Retail Drugs. Retail Drugs is the New York City tape-recording project helmed by Jake Brooks (of Laveda). Last year, Brooks quietly released his debut album, i love you so !, which established his presence as NYC’s premier home-tape recording entity. Brooks followed the release with countless live performances around the city’s venues, bars, and DIY operations, gaining a reputation for provocative gigs that blur the line between rock show and performance art. Along the way, Retail Drugs, has collected a steadfast group of supporters including Gorillaz, Horse Vision, Robber Robber and more.
Alongside the news of his signing, Retail Drugs presents their new single/video, “Person A.” Charged and lo-fi, “Person A” is — in Brooks’ words— about “wanting to Irish goodbye at a show you paid to go to.” The track fittingly distills the energy of Retail Drugs’ high-wired live shows as a programmed drum beat propels Brook’s punk-inflected intonations. “Wanna make it // wanna break it // try to make it // wanna fake it,” he drones atop layers of fuzzy analog instrumentation that contort to the track’s irresistible energy. “I got a five dollar bill now I should // Leave before they even know.” The accompanying “Person A” video — self-produced by Brooks and Retail Drugs drummer Josiah Martuscello — sees the pair running through the streets of New York City.
Brooks met his Retail Drugs collaborators — Ali Genevich (guitar), Aaron Scannell (bass), and Josiah Martuscello (drums) — over a decade ago, first connecting in a Saratoga Springs high school. “It’s like opening up an old book,” Brooks says of the group’s continued collaborations. The core behind Retail Drugs cut their teeth in Albany’s DIY community, and it’s here that Genevich and Brooks formed their similarly gnarled guitar-pop project Laveda. Touring with Laveda and driving across the country with his loved ones inspired much of Brooks’ initial work on i love you so !, and in 2023 he decamped to New York City. Throwing himself into the city’s storied community of rock enthusiasts as soon as possible, Brooks has spent the last 2 years writing, recording, and playing every DIY show that came his way.
Be on the lookout for more from Retail Drugs this year.
Listen / Watch!
