New Bums

A collaboration between two respected indie musicians, New Bums offer a spare, compelling sound rooted in folk, indie, and lo-fi traditions. New Bums' music often consists of just two voices and two acoustic guitars with the elements layered in a way to favor both their fluid melodic ideas and a gentle drift informed by psychedelia. The duo conjured a minimal, dreamlike sound on their first album, 2014's Voices in a Rented Room, while 2021's Last Time I Saw Grace had a richer tone built from similar ingredients.

New Bums were formed in 2013 by the ever-busy guitarist/songwriter <a href="spotify:artist:1ijergbml3cMBhFmClM0gg">Ben Chasny</a> (known best for his work as <a href="spotify:artist:5jX8L7D6vWHYlNj9k361vI">Six Organs of Admittance</a> but also as a member of <a href="spotify:artist:5nr4gs8O2gxJSpNO8coHKx">Rangda</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:369NbOi6NH1ThhB3gxFwqh">Comets on Fire</a>, and many others) along with <a href="spotify:artist:0GIAwAmckwR3DW6ivVqZbz">Donovan Quinn</a>, a key member of the psychedelic folk outfit <a href="spotify:artist:28kkIX5npKFkG9becBQMyb">Skygreen Leopards</a>. The duo got together to form the minimal project, basing their tunes around dual vocals and spare instrumentation, turning in a skewed and far more cerebral look at the tradition of American folk-blues through a particularly cracked lens. After a few sessions of writing and recording, the band was invited by <a href="spotify:artist:7gqsi6aBSkRMJoL9psKqMr">Bill Callahan</a> to open a week or two of shows on his 2013 tour. New Bums' debut release came in the form of a two-song 7" entitled Slim Volume in late 2013, followed early the next year by debut full-length Voices in a Rented Room, both released on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Drag+City%22">Drag City</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:1ijergbml3cMBhFmClM0gg">Chasny</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0GIAwAmckwR3DW6ivVqZbz">Quinn</a>'s other commitments put New Bums on hiatus until 2021, when they issued their second LP, Last Time I Saw Grace, which boasted a fuller sound that turned up the psychedelic undertow of the debut while maintaining their intimate musical sensibility. ~ Fred Thomas & Mark Deming, Rovi