Indie icon John Vanderslice is sharing “Exposure”, the second single off his new album under the moniker ORANGEPURPLEBEACH. Named after the password that encrypted the dark web market Silk Road, ORANGEPURPLEBEACH sees the veteran producer & songwriter completely embrace the deconstructed, electronic-heavy approach he’s explored across his latest collection of EP’s. d E A T h ~ b U g is out April 8th.

In the early days of 2020, Vanderslice decided to close the San Francisco branch of his legendary recording studio Tiny Telephone, where he had produced records for Death Cab for Cutie,  Spoon,  Deerhoof, The Magnetic Fields, and countless others. He packed his bags and moved to Los Angeles, where under the stillness of lockdown he began to shed his dedication to analog recording, and explore radically different approaches to songwriting. Culling inspiration from electronica and hip-hop, and songwriting tips from the late David Berman, Vanderslice broke down the components of his songs into their most fundamental pieces, foregrounding texture and rhythm over traditional song structures.

Like lead single “Pylon Shadow”, his latest, “Exposure”, puts texture and mood at the forefront, treating even his voice as simply another instrument to be trashed and mangled. While the album veers wildly into electronic pastures, “Exposure” is perhaps the most classic Vanderslice song on the album.

Both singles are a preview of what is to be a landmark record in his already hefty catalog; the sound of an artist discovering a new voice. Reflecting on the album, Vanderslice explains “I’m interested in making more abstract and surreal music, and I want to recede as the narrator and face of my own music.”

On “Exposure”, Vanderslice explains – “this is the only song on the record written outside of the studio. my friend Omar had left his Joni Mitchell tuned acoustic at my house after house sitting. I picked it up and a catalog of things I miss about touring spiraled out and the song was done in 20 minutes.”

The album release coincides with a brand new podcast produced by TrueAnon, that details the rise and fall of Tiny Telephone, and explores the question of whether a career in the arts is a sustainable pursuit. Episodes 1 & 2 of Keep the Dream Alive are available now.

Photo Courtesy: Eleanor Petry