{"product_id":"ben-auld-loserdom-pre-order","title":"Ben Auld - Loserdom","description":"\u003cp\u003eTracklisting: \u003cbr\u003e1. Opening 2. Chalice, 3. Red Bandana 4. Reckoned 5. From Now On 6. Talking Dog 7. If I Had The Guts 8. High School Hierarchies 9. Hell-bent 10. Song of Betrayal 11. Saint Bartholomew  12. Long Before I Felt the Grace 13. Sacrament \/ Loserdom\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBen Auld is a power-pop artist out of Norwich, UK. His band is made up of close friends that are active in the local scene. It features Duncan Baker on drums, Conor Etteridge on guitar, and George Witty on bass. A fan of lo-fi, scrappy DIY bands like Guided By Voices, The Replacements and Bill Fox, Auld spent his early twenties learning how to write the perfect 2 minute pop song. He also spent this time figuring out how to record to tape, and produce his own recordings. He moved to Bristol at 25 and befriended jazz musician and potter Nick Dover, who let him moonlight at his recording studio ‘Canyon Sound’. Over a two-year period he wrote and recorded the songs that would become Lemongrass (Earth Libraries, 2022), having performed and produced it entirely solo.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn his late twenties, Auld moved back to his hometown after struggling to replicate the community he had back in Norwich. At this point, he began performing the songs of Lemongrass with friends who encouraged him to play live.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“When I finished Lemongrass I sent it to my sister and she shared it with her boyfriend Conor and his housemate Duncan. They were super into it and so supportive.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe also began playing drums in an alt-country band for the next few years, touring Northern Europe and the length and breadth of the UK, before focusing once again on his solo work. Loserdom, Auld’s second album, is a co-release by UK label Safe Suburban Home and US label Repeating Cloud and represents a big departure from his earlier twee-folk sound. Loserdom is a louder and more ambitious shift toward blown-out power-pop, inspired by records like Grand Prix by Teenage Fanclub, Pinkerton by Weezer and Tony Molina’s Dissed and Dismissed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAuld wrote the record during a period of personal upheaval. Moving cities, leaving relationships and quitting bands resulted in songs filled with resentment, shame and a sardonic, over-the-top admission of failure. These songs are also a celebration of the relief that comes when you accept your losses. Auld first heard the term “Loserdom” said by Walter Becker in a Steely Dan documentary:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“I thought it was such a funny and tragic term and felt some affinity with it”.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLayered vocal harmonies and Bach-inspired guitar solos give the impression of a rock opera, while the arrangement and structure of these songs are concise and always conscious to not feel superfluous. Each song squeezes itself under the 3 minute mark with unhinged feedback, ripping solos and a refreshing degree of unpredictability.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe drums and rhythm guitars were tracked at Sick Room Studios in the Norfolk countryside, and were engineered by Owen Turner who owns and runs the studio. All of the remaining pieces (the solos, bass, keys and vocals) were then recorded over a period of almost a year at Auld’s home. The record was mixed down to ¼” tape with Auld’s bandmate Conor Etteridge assisting with the mixing process. Auld reached out to Dylan Wall to master the record, having appreciated his work on Hotline TNT’s Nineteen in Love.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLoserdom is certainly influenced by melodic, harmony-rich American bands such as Weezer, Jellyfish and Big Star, as well as the 90s Glasgow power-pop scene. Auld channels the heartfelt lyricism of Norman Blake’s songs in Teenage Fanclub, as well as the absurd guitar wizardry of Tony Molina. In doing so, Loserdom amps up the emotion, harmonies, and volume for an album that captures a rocky life transition with tongue-in-cheek drama.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThank you for looking at our listing, below are a few points to consider before making a purchase:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- All records we sell are Brand New - pre-orders will normally come sealed but if you are purchasing in stock items, please note the copy may have been unsealed for display in the shop. Please email straight after purchase to enquire if this is of importance to you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Orders won't ship until all items are released, so keep this in mind when purchasing multiple pre-orders or a mix of in stock and pre-order items.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- The 'Product' page will show the most up to date info we have with regards to the item and its release date, but this information is subject to change so check in with us if you have any questions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- We unfortunately don't offer tax\/vat outside of the UK via the website so please keep in mind that when the items arrives in your country you may be liable to pay a further charge before delivery. (all UK orders the price you see is the price you will pay). Please also note that we are unable to adjust the declared value on items sold internationally.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Ben Auld","offers":[{"title":"Indies Exclusive Transparent Vinyl LP","offer_id":55499783504248,"sku":"SSH063T","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0348\/2704\/2955\/files\/unnamed_ce4af74e-00a9-4c07-a1d1-3e1b44db1110.jpg?v=1773409734","url":"https:\/\/www.crashrecords.co.uk\/products\/ben-auld-loserdom-pre-order","provider":"Crash Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}