The debut Unisex full length LP, Powerful Situations, is due out 04/23/21.
(album cover)
The record's first single, "Let the Tide Take You" is set to release on digital streaming services March 21, 2021.
("Let the Tide Take You," single cover)
About the Band:
(left to right: Brad Connolly, Billy Fidler, Brian Russ (bottom), Connor Zarkowski)
Unisex is the brainchild of Brian Russ and Brad Connolley. Having played in bands in the NYC scene for a combined 20 years, Brad took a gig with a nationally touring act and relocated to Nashville in 2017. In between tours, he would remotely record bass and drum parts to sketches of songs that Brian was writing from his apt in Brooklyn. This was 2018, and the two thought it would be fun to work on a new project remotely like this. It would give themselves the freedom to experiment with recording techniques from the comfort of their own homes. They could stamp way different vibes on tracks and put it all together in weird ways. What started out as a Google Drive folder and three rough demos, turned into a three year project with a now completed full length debut record. They named themselves Unisex from the get-go, having mutually agreed it would be a great band name for some new band some day back when both were living in Brooklyn.
What started out as "maybe we can make a remote record" a few years before the pandemic, became "we have no choice but to make a remote record" once the lockdown was in full effect.
Additional drums parts were recorded live in a small room in Brooklyn with drummer Billy Fidler, before COVID, actually. This prompted a live band to form, and local friend/bassist Connor Zarkowski joined in on the rehearsals. They were just talking about booking their first gig when it all went down.
Once we all realized we'd be stuck in lockdown for the long haul, Brian and Brad doubled down on their idea of making a remote album. They reached out to their friend, Meredith Meyer, from the band Easy Dreams in Los Angeles, and she recorded backing vocals remotely on several of the tracks. Their friend, Ryan Belski, from Missoula, Montana laid down a few guitar licks on the record. Their Brooklyn friend and former bandmate, Amos Rose, recorded keys and synths from his apartment. Everything was remote., but somehow, it all came together. Somehow it still felt organic and real, probably because what really happened had to do with everyone having played with each other in prior projects. All involved in this Unisex record were friends already, and all had worked on music together in the past. The vision could be seen and felt, even from hundreds of miles away. It was like being in the same room. The only difference was it just took a lot longer to get through all the logistical and tech hoops.
About the first Single ("Let the Tide Take You") out March 21, 2021:
"Let the Tide Take You" was written after Brian Russ's two year old son, Simon, observed a painting in the Brooklyn Museum of a Native American man on a horse, carrying a gun in his lap. Simon asked, "What's he holding?" "That's a gun," Brian said. "What does it do?" asked 2 year old, Simon...
"Let the Tide Take You," is partially about feeling totally defeated, feeling left with no choice but to give up and give in. It's a response to the 2018 Parkland school shooting. It's a response to corporations taking profits from local businesses with services like Uber Eats and Seamless. It's a response to the shifting, more corporate-centric, less artistic-centric, environment in New York City, where Brian has been living for the past 16 years. And it's about not really knowing how to proceed in life - which direction to go...
About the Album ("Powerful Situations"):
Track list:
1. Old Flames 03:31
2. Fake Banksy 04:46
3. Address to United Nations 03:27
4. Let the Tide Take You 03:41
5. Charge the Gun, Flee the Knife 05:31
6. Amy Winehouse Approximately 04:19
7. Bernadette 04:59
8. I'm Not Asking For Anything Else 04:13
9. I Can Take You, I Can Take You With Me 03:43
10. Can't Stay Calm 04:18
releases: April 23, 2021