Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Indie rock band Walking Shapes released the Deluxe Edition of their debut album Taka Come On, a fierce and eclectic ode to New York City, on April, 21st, 2015 on iTunes and Spotify.
The Deluxe Edition includes two previously unreleased tracks, “Pool,” which premiered on Revolt TV, and “Black Eye,” which was featured as Interview Magazine’s song of the week.
The five piece band is currently working on a sophomore album with producer Gus Oberg (The Strokes, Ryan Adams, Willie Nelson) slated to debut later this year, and recently completed a tour of the UK and Paris, as well as the Isle of Light Festival and a full lineup of SXSW showcases.
“You know how if you put two cells together, a whole new energy is formed?” asks singer Nathaniel Hoho of Walking Shapes. Hoho speaks to the natural evolution of the 13 sonically-clear and glistening songs that landed on Taka Come On, the band’s No Shame debut album.
Formed in the wake of the pair’s songwriting collaboration, Walking Shapes
The tradition of artists and musicians living side by side under one roof sounds like a dream of New York past, the times when folksingers congregated in Greenwich Village, rockers crashed at the Chelsea Hotel, punk and new wave flourished on the Lower East Side’s clubs and lofts and hip hop was birthed on the streets and parks of the boroughs. Walking Shapes carry forward that kind of collective energy, injecting the spirit of the city’s noises and the souls of its people into their songs, with the resulting frenetic charge and emotional waves feeding back the sound of the proverbial city that never sleeps.
The band gelled organically: Initially formed through Hoho and Kotansky’s late night writing sessions. Hoho rode the same train as drummer Heinz, who brought in bassist Krysa for a readymade rhythm section; Generalli and Kotansky had been friends since childhood. Signing to No Shame, its SOHO studio facilities made the hours of endless experimenting more accessible and soon they’d laid down something like 50-60 songs. When producer Gus Oberg (The Strokes, Ryan Adams, Willie Nelson) entered the picture, “Gus was able to help us define our sound, whittling the tracks down slowly, then often took the first take,” explains Hoho. Kotansky adds, “It’s what allows us to create beauty out of chaos and send it back out into the world.”
On October 2014 Walking Shapes again entered the studio with Oberg to begin their follow up LP, which is expected to be released later this year. First the band is wrapping two club nights in London; one for VICE Magazine and another for Mumford and Son’s Communion Music, Paris Fashion week, Isle of Light Festival in the Dominican Republic and SXSW.
Walking Shapes has been featured in publications including Spin, NME, Interview Magazine, Earmilk, Paper Magazine, MTV, Village Voice, Revolt, The Wild Magazine, BULLETT, Blackbook and more… For more information please visit WalkingShapes.com
