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Addisjah's contemporaries The Pundits release Dead in Swedeport on LCR
Alternative Rock band rejects synthesizers for now
Port Swedes, Duchy of Vrassa
September 21, 5681


Eschewing "New Wave" moniker for now, The Pundits skirts line with debut album

Bucking the trend of synthesized music, even on the alternative side of pop music, the Port Swedes rock quartet The Pundits walk a fine line. "No, we are not going to become a New Wave of RF band," said eccentric and reclusive lead singer Donald Erickson. "Yes, we had a vote, but since I write the music, my vote broke the tie..." Erickson said he wanted to do an analog record before his band was pushed into the trendlines in Kalistani music, where New Wave is still going strong.

When asked whether he was concerned that his music wouldn't make it onto the radio, he seemed uninterested. "We make the kind of music we make. If we don't make it on the radio, then we don't make it on the radio. That's how it goes." The seeming nonchalant attitude taken by Erickson reflects his faith in his band's fan base which was, by and large inherited from Addisjah as they moved into more of a pop direction. But Erickson also did not mention that about half the record is definitely electronic.

"Yeah, the back half of the record is almost all synthesized," laughs bassist Diana Mitchell. "And Don is all 'I write the music', but me and Luke (Alonzo, lead guitarist) wrote a quarter of the tracks, including the B-Side on the single. Don can say what he wants, but turns out, he can't play bass or drums or keyboards, so looks like we have some votes too." Mitchell said there is a friendly rivalry between her and Luke on the one side and Erickson and drummer Kyle Schiller on the other that feeds a lot of the band's creativity.

The album is listed as alternative officially, and the band was picked up by LCR, which is primarily a hip hop and punk record. The first single, "Run Run Away" is a bass driven rock and roll track that includes some Canrillaise lyrics. "The song is supposed to sound like stalking and stabbing," said Erickson. "It's like an exploration of the mind of a psycho killer, but also, in a deeper metaphor, its an antiwar song. You know, we're at war, and I think we are making an analogy between someone who is like a serial killer, and a country that is in the middle of fighting a war. It's the same thing."

The B-Side is the electro funk track "My Boyfriend" which is written by Mitchell and Alonzo, and features both Mitchell and guest vocalist Marko Luca from Addisjah. "We had Red Mike Odell as producer on that one," said Mitchell. "He's usually a hip hop producer, and we wanted to do something that you could imagine as a backing track for a rap tune. We left the lyrics sparse and kind of airy, and made sure there is plenty of samply kind of stuff in there too." And Mitchell confirmed that Erickson did indeed play rhythm on the track. "Of course he did," she said. "And he sang on it. He acts like he's against keyboards in public, but its a front."

"Not a front," said Don Erickson, correcting Mitchell. "They have their place. Addisjah used them well on their first record, I think. But we're a rock band, not a club band. So, I want to try to keep the focus on the guitars. And if we do some experimental stuff, its experimental." The A-Side itself debuted at number 62 on the Singles' chart, while the LP has done better, debuting at number 24. In fact, "My Boyfriend" is outperforming "Run Run Away", especially on the Radio 3 Electronica/RF poll, which has the B-Side at number 7 for its first week. While the Radio 3 poll is not as prestigious as the Hot 100 LPs industry chart, or the Radio 1 Top 40 Alternative charts, the Radio 3 poll is certainly one that is being watched now given the New Wave bent of current music.

You can listen to both tracks right here:

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzIuZ-mrIL0]
The Pundits' Lead single "Run Run Away" from their debut album Dead in Swedeport, now out on LCR

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MK_o5KzGm0]
"My Boyfriend" by The Pundits, the B-Side to their Debut Single

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