Kinsella & Pulse, LLC - Open ing Night + "Sally"!

Today, Kinsella & Pulse, LLC, unveils "Sally," the lead single from their newly announced album Open ing Night, out 4/18 on Kill Rock Stars and available to pre-order on limited-edition "bone" vinyl now. 

The band formerly known as Tim Kinsella & Jenny Pulse—and before that, as Good Fuck—have changed their name one last time to Kinsella & Pulse, LLC, because this is, after all, show biz.

Following the compulsively layered collage of their KRS debut, Giddy Skelter, the duo felt inclined to evoke simpler times by foregrounding the performances instead of the production. They dropped Ableton and turned to attentive study of Carole Kaye & Hal Blaine. They enlisted Tim’s old bandmate from Joan of Arc, Theo Katsaounis, as a multi-instrumentalist and hit the road, workshopping the songs live across dozens of shows in the US & UK over a four-month stretch. That set they played each night became the foundation of their new album, Open ing Night.

To record, they traveled to Sudestudio, in the outskirts of the southern Italian city of Lecce, to work with studio owner Stefano Manca. Manca built the studio himself 25 years ago on his family’s sunny vineyard and furnished it with a pristine collection of vintage gear—including many styles of Farfisa, all of which made it onto the record. Here, they recorded the first half of the album in one take, same as they'd performed it live.

After this first session, they returned to the States for another tour, rearranging some songs they’d already recorded to be performed as a duo. At Chicago’s Electrical Audio, with co-producer Cooper Crain (Bitchin’ Bajas), they recorded updated versions of these songs, re-amping their Roland 707 & TR-8 drum machines in Studio B to capture a singular variation of Albini’s iconic drum sound. These songs became Side B.

Taking Albini’s philosophy to heart, they mixed the album using minimal effects & sparing overdubs to heighten the live feel of their uniquely Chicago post-rave desert art-pop.

"In the spirit of pure play, we made this record with our friends: traveling, eating, drinking, dancing, singing, smoking, walking, talking, etc., under the sun and moon. 

We locate ourselves in the traditions of The KLF, The Nation of Ulysses, & MC5. Hallelujah = whoopee! & We ascribe to Keats’ concept of Negative Capability; If listening to our music, you feel lost, that means that you get it. It’s questions, not answers. 

The universe is wiggly. & Our most serious work now as musicians & people is to laugh at the fascists."
- Kinsella & Pulse, LLC

All photos: Chris Strong