Record Label: Big Stir Records
“charming slice of off-kilter (indie) pop, almost as if Andy Partridge has bequeathed one of his own melodies to them” – Backseat Mafia
SAN FRANCISCO (April 27, 2020) – Urgent, slightly sinister and a bit magical, The Corner Laughers’ new indie-pop single, “The Calculating Boy,” seemingly fits in a world that has been turned upside down. With soaring XTC-like production and tick-tock rhythms, the song hinges on a spooky vibe sure to catch the ear of would-be witches, history nerds and anyone who feels a bit out of step with the mainstream. It will be released on May 15. The song is off the album Temescal Telegraph, due out June 5.
“The Calculating Boy” takes inspiration in part from the real story of George Parker Bidder, a 19th-century English mathematical prodigy with uncanny natural skills who, as a child, was exhibited around the country by his stonemason father. A gifted engineer, Bidder was also one of the founders of the Electric Telegraph Company, which brought new communication technology to the public.
The song also explores the paranoia of the Salem Witch Trials, inspired by songwriter Karla Kane’s recent New England tour, as well as a general fascination with how humans encounter, explore and respond to ideas of the occult and to those who are considered “different.”
The album, Temescal Telegraph, plays with micro and macro lenses, connecting detailed personal experiences with the cosmic scale. Expect to encounter bees in harmony, ghosts, witches, environmental apocalypse, fallen leaves, and omniscient vultures. Current issues meet ancient echoes. Moods meander between wistful melancholy and exhilaration. To quote one of its songs, “It’s alright to care.”
Temescal Telegraph Track Listing
- The Calculating Boy
- Changeling
- The Accepted Time
- The Lilac Line
- Loma Alta
- Sisters of the Pollen
- Wren in the Rain
- Goodguy Sun
- Skylarks of Britain
- Lord Richard
About The Corner Laughers
Karla Kane’s literate lyrics and “ridiculously catchy” melodies (Word Magazine) are backed up by the powerhouse combination of KC Bowman (guitars, bass, keyboards), Khoi Huynh (bass, piano, guitars) and Charlie Crabtree (drums). An intriguing mixture of bookish and badass, together they create “rousing, visionary adult pop” (Tom Robinson’s Fresh on the Net). The Corner Laughers music has been featured in Old Navy, Victoria’s Secret and American Eagle, been played on the BBC and CBC, and featured in The Guardian and Bitch Magazine. Matilda Effect received best album of the year (2015) in Goldmine Magazine. They’ve performed with Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), Mike Viola (Candy Butchers), and Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding).
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Praise for “The Calculating Boy”
“Following in the traditions of bands like Belle & Sebastian and XTC, they mask the ache of their words with a cover of effervescent melodic wanderings.” – Beats Per Minute
“one of the most innovative bands of this century” – Hear a Single
