Rising from the remnants of atmospheric rock band Shallow–a group which found husband and wife duo Julie and Jason Shields touring the world straight out of high school and sharing the stage with bands like Low, The Flaming Lips, and Mercury Rev–the newly christened The Capsules draw on curiously fragmented pop roots and make music which is darker and more introspective than their unassuming name might lead you to believe. And don’t let the fact that Spongebob Squarepants creator Steven Hillenburg tapped The Capsules to write an original song for his show cause you to believe that they’re just another doe-eyed pop band. For their upcoming album Northern Lights & Southern Skies, out January 15th via Vespera Records, the Shields’, along with drummer Kevin Trevino, have dropped most of the guitars that populated their previous records and adopted a dark wash of synths and bass-driven beats that spin around Julie Shields’ vocals and proceed to dive deep down into your brain and make themselves at home. And while their newest song, the darkly theatric “Our Apocalypse,” doesn’t fully speak for the rest of the album, it makes for a striking introduction to the varied production on the record.
“Our Apocalypse” melds distorted beats, swirls of charging synths, and Shields’ eerie vocals into something grandiose but also oddly intimate. The distortion rises into the rafters while her voice beckons the listener ever nearer. She has worlds to describe and not much time to do so. So I’d listen close if I were you.
Beats Per Minute is pleased to premiere the track “Our Apocalypse” from The Capsules’ upcoming release, Northern Lights & Southern Skies.
MP3: The Capsules – “Our Apocalypse
