“The mailing list is, once again, king“
Come On People Now, Smile At Your Brother is a post metal EP from Glossop based The Bridesmaid which released yesterday via 3 Alveston Place. The EP is a solo project from label-lead JJ Saddington unearthed from recording sessions dating back to 2017 that were overseen by Jason Sanderson (of Rolo Tomassi).
The label, 3 Alveston Place (a name that harkens back to the pre-streaming, mail order era), are adopting a unique approach to distributing these releases. Just by giving them your address via their ordering form, the label will send you the release for free (and no, this isn’t an April fools joke, it really is free, including P&P). Saddington explained the motivation behind this: “In the 90s, CDs often came with a free-postcard addressed to 3 Alveston Place, Leamington Spa inside the case. Returning the card with your name and home address filled out added you to the band’s postal mailing list. Results varied from artist to artist but this usually meant a promotional postcard through your door ahead of a new single or album – a handy heads-up in largely pre-Internet times and an affordable (free) bit of band paraphernalia. In an age of strangled social media reach and artificial scarcity, the mailing list is, once again, king. Be it digital or snail mail.” The label will put out future releases using the same approach, and pledge to make all their releases free.
Quite apart from this upbeat generosity, their first release from The Bridesmaid is dark and chaotic. The music is a kitchen-sink of textures, including woodwinds, glitches, a plethora of voice samples, and post-rock instrumentation which bites like metal in its hardest moments. It’s progressive in its structures, presenting nothing along the lints of traditional songs, and indulges in soundscapes that feel distinctly Pink Floyd and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Thematically, Come On People Now, Smile At Your Brother ponders themes of late capitalism and environmental collapse, starting on track one with personal implications, and expanding in track three toward the fate of the world.
TRACKLIST:
1. LEYSTONE: EAT YOUR LANDLORD [05:47]
2. CLEVELAND: AND THE RAIN CAME DOWN [06:56]
3. SUMMERLAND: A LONG, MAINTENANCE-FREE LIFE [09:14]
You can get your free copy of this release (your choice of tape and/or CD), and future releases, by signing up here. Label 3 Alveston Place also run a digital mailing list. You can follow The Bridesmaid on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can stream the EP via the project’s Bandcamp page.