Dan Friel has been making music and playing solo for a long time, including years before the experimental rock band Parts & Labor, who he had co-founded, went on a hiatus in 2012. His follow up to 2013’s Total Folklore is arriving soon, and is called Life. There’s several nods to fatherhood in the album, as Friel explained, with him now being a new father.
Friel wrote and recorded Life at his home studio, using a “small arsenal of gear to distort and maneuver his beloved Yamaha Portasound into an expansive sound that is incredibly varied in tone and texture”, describes the album’s blurb. “All throughout Life, Friel exploits his intentionally simple set-up to ever surprising effect, using simple electronics to mirror the sounds of guitars, drums, and harmonicas. It is an irresistible and genre-bending collection of underground anthems”.

Ahead of Life‘s release on October 16th via Thrill Jockey, Friel has already let loose two beautiful and electrifying tracks, ‘Life (Pt. 1)’ and ‘Rattler’. Listen to both below.

In other related news, an in support of the upcoming album, Dan Friel is embarking on a European tour in November, with Lightning Bolt. Check all the dates on his website.