Gospels

Two years ago, it seemed like Queens-based Gospels appeared overnight. After one momentous CMJ performance, the web was abuzz. Who is Gospels? they begged and pleaded, posting from blog to blog in hopes of an answer. You see, the band had only joined Facebook one year prior, leaving virtually no digital trail. But it wasn't just their enigmatic presence that affected hundreds of listeners; it was their addictive floral indie pop, packaged in one EP (Animal Feelings), which spurred comparisons to Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses.

Since then, the five-piece has retreated from the internet's gaze, honing their musical styling in the three-floor recording studio they built in their shared Forest Hills home. With a newly completed EP, Greenhouse, slated for a November release, and a 2015 LP on the way, the band is ready to debut their new sound. Heads up, if you're familiar with the band's previous work, prepare to get reacquainted. The perfect introduction is "Sleepwalkers," a senselessly catchy track that debuts a more subdued, upbeat tone. In fact, the song is exactly what one would imagine starry-eyed indie pop to sound like in the stupor of sleep.

Listen below and if you're in New York, catch the band at their EP release show at Glasslands on 11/4. - NYLON

Over the past two years, Queens-based band Gospels has maintained a mysterious and under-the-radar presence within the ever-changing New York musical scene. The dream-pop harmonizing five-piece met in college at SUNY Purchase and currently lives, writes, and records under the same roof in Forest Hills, Queens. In their short time as a band they've opened for MS MR, Atlas Genius, Terraplane Sun, MisterWives, Half Moon Run, and recently headlined Glasslands.

After releasing their debut single "Animal Feelings" back in 2012 along with an EP of demos, Gospels contemplated a more polished sound for the songs that they had originally recorded sans producer. The band has spent nine months in their basement reconstructing their sound, song repertoire, and live show (in which they like to create their own instrumentation). The result is a forthcoming EP produced by Chris Zane (Passion Pit, The Walkmen, Friendly Fires). In the meantime, the band will play live shows throughout New York City.

We spoke with Gospels' Alex Marans on working with Chris Zane, creating their own instruments, and musical isolation.



BAND MEMBERS: Alex Frenkel, Mike Gordon, Alex Marans, Gabe Garzón-Montano, and Owen Murphy

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Forest Hills, Queens

ON WORKING WITH CHRIS ZANE: We were talking about producers early on, and whether we wanted to do the DIY thing or record in the house, because we have a studio in-house. By the time we got to halfway through the year, we realized that with the body of work we had, we wanted to take it to someone outside of the house a little bit. Chris had been a name that had been kicked around for long enough that we decided to meet up. It clicked and felt like the right way to go. We're well into the recording, and it's coming along really, really well. We're pretty excited with the results so far. This is going to be our first release that we'll put out since we started.

PREVIOUS BANDS: We all played in a bunch of groups when we were in school together. We've all been in various solo projects. Over time, after we all left school, we gravitated back towards each other; no groups that were super well-known, just the groups you have to play in along the way to get to this... the band you want to be in.

FROM SCRATCH: We definitely like to create instruments. We'll take a horn sample and run it across the keyboard and create its own sound. We try to develop our own sound with unique instruments with each song. People have [called it] warm, fuzzy, and beautiful music. We definitely look to soul stuff, old '70s pop records, but also modern stuff like Flying Lotus, Foals, and a bunch of other groups. Personally, I tend to go back and look at Sam Cooke, The Police, or Joni Mitchell. I look to older people for influence. Some of the current people we check out are FALTYDL, or something on the folkier side like Fleet Foxes or Grizzly Bear. They're critically acclaimed and they're maybe not as underground as the music we listen to, but we tend to gravitate towards great songwriting and the crafting of unique sounds. So we tend to look towards those bands.

FEELING THE "ANIMAL FEELINGS" REMIX: The Archie Pelago remix was cool because we've been friends with those guys for a while and what they're doing with their New York, electronic dance music thing is such a left-of-center take on some of the more popular electronic groups. Their use of live instruments and sets seemed like a really cool thing to us. When they asked us to get together and do this remix, it seemed like a really good fit. In terms of the song itself, it came pretty quickly and naturally. It's always weird talking about your own song and what it means, because you want it to be left up to the listener to interpret in their own way.

ON EP STORIES: There are definitely individual elements in the songs, but there's sort of this dreamscape, sleepless theme that runs through some of the stuff. There's this surreal take on every day scenarios, trying to blur the lines between the imagery and some more nailed-down themes of relationships and social dynamics. Just things that strike us as odd: Day-to-day life stuff. We're just getting as abstract with that as we can.

MUSICAL BUBBLE BOYS: There are so many bands and setting yourself apart is never easy. I think one of the things we do have is being so far away from your Greenpoint or Manhattan or whatever. It does feel like we've isolated ourselves to a point where we have our own insular way of doing things. I think that our music is in its own bubble. It's cool to be able to finally see that we're going to be bringing that bubble to people and see if people want to get in that bubble with us.

HEADLINING GIGS: Mercury Lounge will be our second headlining show, which is a really cool thing. The first one we did was Glasslands and that turned out really well. We're feeling really psyched to come back to Mercury Lounge as the main act. It's always cool to see where you stand in a big city when you are the headliner. It's exciting and there are positive nerves that go along with it. The live show has been sort of the way people gravitate towards our music. We're stoked.

DEBUTING THEIR EP: The plan is to finish the EP and put it out. Then, basically, we have this huge pool of songs that we're looking to record as well. Pretty much promoting and playing the hell out of the EP is what the rest of the year looks like. It's definitely coming out this year. We had a set of demos and we were going to release as an EP a while ago, but we decided to make this setup to work with a producer and re-visit the idea of what this EP could be on its first release. This is how we've been planning it out. We tend to be pretty meticulous about all of it. I can say this year, for sure. - Interview Magazine

Last night, you would be hard pressed to find a more crowded venue near Kent Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn than the Music Hall of Williamsburg. OK, maybe Public Assembly next door with its A$AP Rocky show had more people lined up outside, but the MHOWB was packed full for Atlas Genius' record release party with opening band Gospels.

The venue didn't get really full until about midway through the opening set, where Queens band Gospels was making quite an impression on the audience that was smart enough to arrive early. They only played eight songs, but the five piece group really displayed a polished live sound for such a young group. To me, they almost sound like a much more mellow Vampire Weekend with with vocals reminiscent of Ra Ra Riot crooner Wes Miles.



The sharp drumming, intoxicating keyboard/synth work, and smooth harmonies really meshed well during their short set. It made me really excited about this group's forthcoming EP (and the full length they will be working after). It served as an excellent warm-up for the group of the night Atlas Genius (but not before a group of men in white jumpsuits and colored masks came to swap out the instruments and equipment. That was the only slightly unsettling moment of the evening). - CHARGED.fm

Who are Gospels? No one knows! For now, let us assume that an alien pod fell to Earth somewhere in the woods along the Eastern Seaboard, from which Gospels emerged to find an abandoned cabin conveniently equipped with instruments and a recording studio. In the forest, they communed with nature and various woodland creatures. Maybe they found an injured raccoon and then tended its wounds and knit it a raccoon-sized afghan. In the meantime, the mysterious quartet also wrote and recorded an EP titled Animal Feelings, the sonic equivalent of wearing a fisherman sweater on a gloomy day. Here’s the premiere of the title track, which wraps a dreamy haze around an alt-folk core.



The Animal Feelings EP will be released in 2013, and the band is set to make its live debut at CMJ. Ahead of Gospels’ appearance at the festival, we asked them a few questions via email to get a first glimpse.

You don’t really use the internet. What’s up with that?
Having a level of disconnect from the internet during the writing and recording process has been pretty freeing. We’ve seen some bands do interesting new things with visual media and the internet. Something in that vein might be cool.

Describe your musical style in a few words.
A friend of ours described it as “warm, fuzzy, brilliant, beautiful music.”

You’re making your live debut at CMJ. Nervous? Excited?
Mostly we were thrilled to see ourselves so close to GZA’s name in the first-round announcements. That’s reason enough for the band name…I think there’s a healthy balance of nerves and excitement. We can’t wait.

Any predictions for the first show?
Some confused Christians. And a great show.

Your forthcoming EP is called Animal Feelings, which is also the name of a song on it. Are you concerned with the feelings of any particular animal?
Good question. And a tough one. We had to Google the answer: A tarsier. - CMJ

NY four piece Gospels don’t appear to have been around for very long, having only joined Facebook yesterday, however their sound displays a maturity surely born out of hours and hours of recording and meticulous practice. Comprised of Alex Frenkel, Mike Gordon, Alex Marans and Owen Murphy, their debut three track release entitled Greenhouse Session I is a wonderful coalescence of dream pop and folk inspirations.

There’s touches of Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses amongst their trio of tracks, most noticeably on the superb White Fence, that begins as a vocal led number before opening out into an expansive Foals-esque track, complimented by a jagged guitar riff. However my personal favourite is the stunning Animal Feelings, a track that flows so naturally that it’s impossible to not be seduced. It’s clear that there’s a strong understanding between the group, which is excellently portray by these well-rounded debut tracks, marking them out as a one to watch in 2012. Check out Animal Feelings below, and head over to their bandcamp for a download of all three tracks. - Cracked in the Road

If you aren't familiar with the indie pop band Gospels, you're about to be. The NYC quintet released their Animal Feelings EP in 2012, and their sophomore EP Greenhouse is set to drop on November 4. In the meantime, the first track from Greehouse,"Sleepwalkers," has just been released. Aside from being totally catchy, "Sleepwalkers" does a great job of capturing that spacey, daydreaming feel of being half-awake. Hopefully, it will be able to hold us over until we share Gospels's amazing Baeble concert next week.

Check out "Sleepwalkers" below and stay tuned to Baeble for more about Gospels! - Baeble Music