| SAINT PAUL, Minn. | October 12, 2018 – Power-pop / indie-rock band The Persian Leaps released their album Pop That Goes Crunch today. In a unique forging of their own path, it comes as the band’s debut full-length, but also as an 18-song “best of” anthology release. A selection of seventeen choice tracks were taken from across the band’s five EPs, and revisited with full remix and remastering work, alongside re-recorded sections. Glide Magazine premiered the release, saying “at times blistering and raw, and polished at others, the album captures the full spectrum of The Persian Leaps.” Pop That Goes Crunch is a reflection and celebration of the band’s music to date.
The majority of production work was done by Neil Weir of Blue Bell Knoll, who the band used for recording their previous releases. Vocalist Drew Forsberg shared on the decision and process of revisiting past material. “I chose our favorite songs to play live and sequenced the album as I would a set list for a live show. It was an interesting process to revisit all the previously recorded material with Neil Weir. We both know a lot more about how to get the most out of a Persian Leaps song than we did at the start, so even for songs where we only remixed the original tracks, I feel like the results are vastly superior.” With a few tracks taken from every EP the band has ever released – at a rate of one per year, for the last five years – Pop That Goes Crunch provides a culmination, showcasing as Forsberg says, “what I think is our best work (even better now, in some cases).”
Across the album, Forsberg and Weir worked together to hone each track to its absolute best, for a collection of power-pop perfection. “For several songs, I re-tracked my lead vocals and/or guitars to capture better takes, without changing much about the arrangement. For the older song “Entropy,” we went even further, stripping away all of the original tracks except for the bass and drums,” shared Forsberg. The band even went as far as to utilize tracks from a live session of “Not That Brave” on University of Minnesota’s Radio K, with additional edits. “I loved that song but always felt like the live performance was far better than the studio version included on our first EP.”
The only brand-new track on the record comes with the single “Time Slips”. Bittersweet and nostalgic, Forsberg wrote the track in reflection of his grandparents. Close to them as a child, he found himself drift away from them in the day to day hustle of adult life. On their passing, he found himself regretful that he wasn’t more involved in their lives. Full of fuzz-guitar and harmonic vocal melodies, it’s a catchy yet moving track that fits right amongst the collection.
Although it may be an anthology of sorts and untraditional approach to a debut full-length, Pop That Goes Crunch provides a perfect introduction to The Persian Leaps sound for new listeners. It also marks a transition for the band, who have announced they will now be operating as a studio-only project. Always punctual and ambitious in their release schedule, Forsberg disclosed, “we’ll release a full-length of new material in the fall of 2019, with another full-length likely in 2020.” Pop That Goes Crunch was released via Forsberg’s label Land Ski Records, and is available everywhere today including Spotify, Apple Musicand Bandcamp. Physical CD’s can be ordered via Bandcamp as well.
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