“Music that has the subversive spirit of punk, psychedelia and the avant-garde, the technical prowess of jazz and metal and all informed by a sense of humor and disregard for stylistic convention.” - Tom Murphy (Queen City Sounds)

New Standards Men’s new album, Against Our Vanishings, is an achievement of restraint, trust, and a willingness to work with tight constraints while remaining utterly free to wander. It’s like Delaney’s Dahlgren, or Metal Gear Solid in that way! Convening in Denver between narrow windows of Covid surges, divorces, death, and birth, what you hear here reflects what was happening in the room: Four musicians listening to each other, giving each other space, and truly being in the moment. Along those same lines, they trust the listener to hear what they hear. No coy references, no sleights of hand, and no maps on this journey.

Committed to experiencing music as it occurs, New Standards Men (NSM for true heads) work through cycles of improvisation and experimentation for long stretches at a time, often building on the bedrock laid by what dirtier minds call ‘jamming’ and is also referred to as ‘stretching’ out. Previous excursions into the motorik mode have given way to a more languid pace, yet one that is no less tense and climactic. NSM’s Drew Bissell and Jeremy Brashaw (the core of this project since 2017) are joined here once again by Bob Bucko, Jr. and Isaac Turner, fellow travelers and eager partners on this trip.

Side A
Thundercloud in Aquamarine

Side B
Boney Lunar Dust