We’re pleased to bring you the premiere of Western Medication’s music video for their song “Taste” (watch it below). The song is the title track from the band’s upcoming album.
Western Medication vocalist Justin Landis commented on the making of the video:
Casey and I pulled from a lot of 90s Hip Hop and House music videos for this one. We did a full day of shooting and then called some of our friends over to the house afterward for a party. We blew up almost 400 balloons and filled our bathroom to the ceiling. I thought it was a great idea until people started getting a couple beers deep and needed to use the toilet.
Tour Dates:
7/17 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
7/18 – Foam – St. Louis, MO
7/19 – Skihaus – Carbondale, IL
7/20 – Melody Inn – Indianapolis, IN
7/24 – 529 – Atlanta, GA
7/25 – Flicker Bar – Athens, GA
7/26 -JJ’s Bohemia – Chattanooga, TN
About the band:
At your city’s next punk show, catch Western Medication administering heavy doses of raved-up grooves. The Nashville rock band is back with their second album, Taste, a glittering collection of songs that blends the gritty basement energy of their DIY roots with the ecstatic raptures of peak Madchester. Taste is a fitting follow-up to Western Meds’ 2016 debut, The Entertainers’ Secret: More ambitious, more dynamic, more polished and potent. “We were just getting away from aggressive post-punk and punk,” singer/guitarist Justin Landis says of the guiding principle behind the album. “We wanted to get into a groove.”
Landis and bassist Devin Mason form the songwriting core of Western Medication, and together, their musical tastes and tendencies have developed in tandem, from the post-77 U.K. punk influences on their earliest releases to the lush rock and roll orchestration of Taste. But the scope ofTaste — which draws heavily from the Stone Roses, Primal Scream and Happy Mondays — would not have been possible without drummer Jeff Ehlinger and lead guitarist Josh Halper. The lineup coalesced around the release of The Entertainers’ Secret and developed a strong musical repartee as Western Medication toured extensively, supporting artists like Bob Mould, Bully, Diarrhea Planet and Jeff the Brotherhood. When it came time to return to the studio, the group had the confidence and tools necessary to craft the expansive sound Landis and Mason envisioned for Taste.
Reuniting with producer Kevin Kilpatrick, who also recorded The Entertainers’ Secret, Western Medication recorded the skeletons of the 10 songs that comprise Taste. Ehlinger’s drumming proved especially revelatory. While Landis and Mason cut their teeth playing in punk and hardcore bands, Ehlinger’s background as a rock and roll drummer helped the band trade aggression for enthralling rhythmic agility. Halper, the group’s dazzling guitarist, proved equally instrumental in actualizing the band’s vision, crafting leads that were complex and clever, but never impenetrable.
Western Medication constructed Taste over six months, deftly fleshing out each song with auxiliary instruments that add texture and depth to the band’s sturdy core. Strings swoon beneath Landis’ serene vocals on Britpop gem “An Elephant.” Rumbling bongos and effected harps anchor the love-drunk rush of “Devils Sing.” And remarkable title track “Taste” pairs resonant guitar with gauzy sitar, shuffling drums with arpeggiated synths, and the record-scratch flare of an MC-307 Groovebox with soaring piano. “It’s helped us find our sound, and it sets us apart and gives us more energy,” Landis says of Western Meds’ new phase of rock and roll orchestration. “Not to say we’re trying to bring an orchestra with us on tour, but different sounds and voices are liberating when you’re trying to take things in a new direction.”
While Western Medication may not have a string section in tow when they hit the road in support of Taste, the band promises to deliver a dynamic, danceable set packed with grandiose flourishes and rock and roll verve. Taste is the work of an indie rock band eager to unleash their own distinct voice while remaining in conversation with their punk peers and their Britpop and Madchester heroes. It’s a record about love and friendship, nostalgia and the now, heartbreak, sorrow and ecstasy.
Connect with the band:
Official Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter
Top photo by Angelina Castillo
