Beloved Minneapolis New Wave rockers The Suburbs — contemporaries of The Replacements and Hüsker Dü in the first half of the ’80s who, more recently, have seen their song “Love is the Law” adopted as the theme for the gay marriage movement in Minnesota — are recording their first new studio album in 27 years and are appealing to fans to help fund the project.
Having reunited to perform a concert last September, the band last week launched a Kickstarter campaign in an effort to raise $65,000 toward the follow-up to 1986’s The Suburbs; as of late Sunday, some 242 fans had kicked in a total of $12,398 toward the project.
The 2013 incarnation of The Suburbs features original members Chan Poling (vocals, keyboards), Beej Chaney (guitar, vocals) and Hugo Klaers (drums, vocals), plus Max Ray and Rochelle Becker on saxophone, Steve Brantseg on guitar, Steve Price on bass and Stephen Kung on trumpet. Original guitarist Bruce Allen died in 2009, while bassist Michael Halliday is retired.
On the project’s Kickstarter page, the band describes its new music:
People who have heard advance mixes of some of the new stuff say it sounds like a culmination of the entire history of the Suburbs, and thoroughly contemporary at the same time. You’ll hear the same energy in Hugo’s drumming, the same gnarled and oddly sexy voices of Beej and Chan mining similar offbeat and humorous lyrical territory, yet tinged with a new depth and maturity lacking in the earlier recordings. (Life changes you, after all!) It’s surprisingly upbeat, with plenty of dance grooves, yet also contains the beauty of older songs like “Girlfriend” and “Spring Came”.
It’s mature AND fun, and it’s obvious that the Suburbs audience has grown along with the band. Crowds are already cheering and singing along at recent shows to new songs like “Turn The Radio On”, and shedding a heartfelt tear at “What’s It Like Out There?”, Beej Chaney’s tribute to fallen bandmate Bruce Allen.
As is the case with such Kickstarter projects, fans will get a variety of rewards depending on their level of contribution, from digital downloads, signed CDs or vinyl copies of the finished album to, for anyone who donates more than $10,000, a private concert by the band. The fundraising campaign runs through July 26, and unless the band makes its $65,000 goal, it gets none of the pledged money.
Below, check out a video featuring Chan Poling describing the project.
And you can donate via the link below.
KICKSTARTER: A New Suburbs CD!
The Subrubs on Kickstarter
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
When I was in high school 20 years ago, a few of the high school punk bands scrounged up enough money to put out albums. Are you telling me that 8 grown adults can’t scrape up enough cash to put out an album? That’s really sad.
This is ridiculous. It’s easier and cheaper to record an album on your own now than ever before and they are asking for $65,000? I doubt they will reach their goal. I’m a Suburbs fan and I won’t be throwing in on this.
That’s it!! Biz, Tino, you’re out as co-presidents of the Suburbs fan club.
+1, Nick!