The Van Pelt - Artisans & Merchants Shy Low

The Van Pelt - Artisans & Merchants Shy LowAfter twenty five years of anticipation, The Van Pelt have returned. Reunion show soundchecks revealed that this band has a voice that was prematurely muted by their inability to see clearly in the thick of their rise. More than two decades later, The Van Pelt has returned to explore what was left behind with a new collection of songs, Artisans & Merchants. This is not a reunion album. This is vindication. For lovers of The Van Pelt, listening to

this is truly emotive and dynamic rock music with an anxious intensity that bubbles below the surface — a sense of suburban unrest that brushes uneasily up against the sprawling of concrete and the claustrophobia of modern inner-city life

multiple themes and motifs emerge that resonate universally with listeners

ties the release together visually

mobile phones

A cross-continental split 12" that bridges Southern California and Tokyo

A sudden move from New York City to Cincinnati finally brought those songs into focus

two stunning new variants

And just like the mythical beast

reflects a period of profound personal and professional change: relationships dissolving

It’s the sound of a 4 piece band with each player finding his place in a book as though he just left the room an hour earlier and picked up on the next paragraph upon return

WA in 1998

this means stunning and precise vocal harmonies over shattering angular guitars