Premiere: Opin Debut New Track “No 1” With Overcoast Session Video
Electro-rock quartet Opin and local music & sound production company Overcoast have partnered up for the latest entry in the Overcoast Session series, capturing the band’s performance of a brand new song, “No 1,” while surrounded by a mountain of sawdust. The Auricular is proud to premiere the video at the bottom of this article, and also share some information on the enthralling song and intriguing performance space.
The song, which Opin frontman Landis Wine stated “is a version of the first track that we worked up for our new album,” is a humid mix of hazy melodies that burst through vibrating synth sounds, outré guitar rhythms, spurtive drumming, and nebulous vocals. It all comes together to create a gripping piece, one that pulls you in at the onset with an engrossing sound and excites you later with a spirited, almost jazzy outro.
“No 1” is the first song released by the band since the release of the EP Drifters back in April through Lynchburg’s Harding Street Assembly Lab, and serves as an early preview of the band’s next album, which will be tracked and finished over the next couple of months and reflects the new approaches the band explored in 2018.
“The track originally started as a brief demo of the chord progression with piano and some synths back in January,” Wine explained. “As the year progressed and we started settling into a zone with our new live instrumentation (swapping out synths, dropping guitar and switching to Bass VI), it naturally fell together. Lyrics-wise, Tori [Hovater] and I wrote our verses independently, so maybe they sync up? Maybe not? It was the first time that we traded verses in a song, which we’re doing a lot more on the new material.”
The video was shot this past summer before the band embarked on a Southwest tour, and takes place in Sustainability Park located just outside of Richmond in Enon, VA, close to the overlap of Chester and Chesterfield, a peculiar backspace to say the least.
“Overcoast approached us about doing the session and had a few possibilities in mind,” Wine stated. “This happened to be the one that synced up the best for everyone and it was perfect summer day in a big abandoned factory. That whole area is filled with various spots with that classic Steam and Flame Factory vibe. There was another spot we checked out that morning that had several abandoned computers and office supplies, but there were too many issues with setup. At the end of the day, I’m glad we ended up with the towering piles of sawdust.”
Performing while surrounded by sawdust was a different experience for the band — one Wine joked could have led to them burning alive — but while it might be the most unique place they’ve encountered, it didn’t quite make the cut for the most unique performance the band has done.
“Two summers ago, we played in Boston at a house venue that was about to be condemned,” Wine recalled. “None of us were quite able to stand up in the basement, the stairs were at a pretty severe angle, and the power situation was, for lack of a better term, freeform. It also happened to be the same night that some of Jon [Hawkins]’s modules were knocked loose in the van and he ended up having to re-patch the whole thing on the fly. That was pretty interesting.”
Fans will get a chance to hear this new song live when Opin plays in Richmond on Tuesday, November 20th at Strange Matter, alongside Den-Mate, ing, & Liza, shortly before the beloved local venue closes up shop, something Wine marked as “a huge bummer for all of us.”
“Strange Matter has been incredibly important for all of us in terms of allowing us to see & experience bands that we love in one of the friendliest & most inclusive environments in the city. We’ve all played some incredibly memorable shows there both with Opin and other bands we’ve been in and it’s definitely woven into the fabric of all of our musical & social memories. Cuts deep for sure.”
With new music on hand and a venue to celebrate, Tuesday’s concert will surely be one of 2018’s most memorable shows, but until then, check out Opin’s latest track courtesy of the latest (and interesting) entry into the Overcoast Session series.
