#live Nation of Language live at the Tangent Gallery
We had the chances to catch Nation of Language on the first tour back in groove of it, which took place at the Tangent Gallery in Detroit, Michigan. The night was filled with dancing 80s vibes. They defiantly deserved more eyes on them. With their energy and overall music that felt alive.
Oct 5 7:00 PM Minneapolis Turf Club
Oct 6 8:30 PM Chicago Sleeping Village
Oct 8 7:00 PM Kansas City recordBar
Oct 9 8:00 PM Denver Lost Lake
Oct 10 7:00 PM Salt Lake City Metro Music Hall
Oct 14 8:00 PM Seattle The Crocodie
Oct 15 8:00 PM Portland Mississippi Studios
Oct 17 8:00 PM San Francisco The Independent
Oct 19 8:00 PM Los Angeles The Lodge Room
Oct 20 8:30 PM San Diego Casbah
Oct 21 8:00 PM Los Angeles The Lodge Room
Oct 22 7:00 PM Anaheim The Parish
Oct 23 6:30 PM Phoenix Valley Bar
Oct 27 8:00 PM Houston White Oak Music Hall
Oct 28 7:00 PM Austin Empire Control Room
Oct 29 7:30 PM Atlanta The Earl
Oct 30 7:00 PM Carrboro Cat's Cradle
Oct 31 7:00 PM Washington D.c. Songbyrd
Nov 4 8:00 PM Brooklyn Market Hotel
So much about the process was different on LP2 versus the first record.
First album Introduction, Presence released last year took roughly four full years to make, not because they lacked ideas but mostly because they lacked any resources to complete it. They had a very clear idea of what they wanted Nation of Language to be after finding a lot of inspiration from bands like OMD & early punk/new-wave records, but the cost of going into a proper studio and putting an album together seemed so far out of reach. Whenever they could scrounge up a few hundred extra bucks beyond their rent & basic needs they’d go in and just make singles. Once completed, months would pass before they’d feel like they could afford to make the next one, so they were just a band releasing sporadic singles for what seemed like an eternity.
Nonetheless, people seemed to really like the tracks put out, and that was all the encouragement they needed to carry on. Occasionally, people in very random cities would even ask them to come play shows, and the response when they did so seemed very genuine, but the reality was that they still didn’t have the means to take things much further while treading water working service jobs in the city. Singer Ian Devaney says, “It wasn’t until Aidan and I decided to get married that we saw a path to finally finishing an album. We had a very low-key ceremony, and requested that rather than physical wedding gifts, our guests pitch into a fund so we could keep recording. I’m sure it came off as a bit naive, and nearly every person we asked this of tried politely to imply it was a terrible idea or that we should go on a honeymoon instead, but perhaps sensing our determination (or our desperation) they went along with our plan and we ended up with enough money to go in and finish an album.”
When in the studio they had no real idea what they were doing in that environment but looking back that may have been to their advantage. Abe Seiferth helped them figure things out on that front to make the record sound as they had imagined in their heads (better, honestly). Once the album was nearing completion, they cobbled together some tour dates, sunk their last few bucks into pressing some copies on vinyl and buying blank shirts to screen print on their livingroom floor, and prepared to put the album out themselves. Then, as we all know, 2020 looked nothing like they imagined it might.
Three dates into a March 2020 tour the pandemic sent them home. In the fog of what was transpiring, they initially tried delaying the album release by a month (from April to May) hoping things might become safer by then. It didn’t take long to realize that was highly unlikely, and it began to sink in that intentionally leaving yourself no room for a plan B can get a bit scary. Without the ability to go play shows they really didn’t understand how anyone would ever hear the album, but by some twist of fate, people did.
They sent it out to a handful of writers and radio DJs who they’d hoped would listen, but who really had no reason to hype up their record. It came as a shock when they started hearing back that they really dug the songs and wanted to help spread the word. Texts started coming in from friends saying they’d heard it on their local station, or saw a write up in an indie publication, and somehow, before they knew it, they were sold out of the first vinyl pressing within a week of its release. “More people than we could count would send us some version of the same message - “This was the record that got me through the past few months”- which wasn’t something we ever foresaw while making the record.” says Ian. “It was and continues to be heartwarming and encouraging to hear that it was having an effect on people.”
Another pressing quickly sold, and a third, and soon during the lockdowns of 2020 they were confronted with an unexpected new decision to make. With the proceeds from Introduction, Presence they could either pay themselves back their wedding savings, or they could pay for the studio time to make a 2nd album. They chose the latter.
The process of A Way Forward, due out November 5, 2021, made for a very different recording experience. It was more relaxed and confident - the first record had done so much better than they'd ever imagined it could, and because of that they felt it best to trust themselves and follow their instincts. They made it in a much smaller time frame and with a bit more understanding of the recording process, and the result is that it feels a bit more like a proper record rather than a collection of singles. It’s not to say they fully knew what they were doing this time, but they knew more about how to shape things during the process to keep the record cohesive. They went back in with Abe for some of the record, but also worked with Nick Millhiser (of Holy Ghost!) on a few tracks at his Brooklyn studio. In the end, they put together a record more rooted in Krautrock and early electronic music, as they were listening to a lot of Kraftwerk, Laurie Spiegel,and Cluster around that time.
Still, it’s not lost on them that they were quite fortunate that their first record really seemed to be appreciated as a complete experience - every listener seemed to have a different favorite song, and they hope to achieve something similar this time around. Much like with Introduction, Presence, if there is a big standout single on A Way Forward, it’s news to them. The album feels even more like a journey - something that can be followed from start to finish, with greater emotional peaks and valleys and new sonic landscapes being explored. The highs are higher and the lows lower, and there's a palpable gratitude of the ability to be present right now and experience any of these emotions at all.
