When Kris N. made The Thankful Parade in 2013, the new lush, hi-fi sound and band marked an intentional change in direction for a solo artist known for four albums of hissy kitchen recordings and loads of “Song of the Week” downloads. Now nine years later with the Tilted Summer EP, which sees release June 21 on Poptek Records, the frontman-named band with a frequently mispronounced last name settles confidently into the middle of their history, combining the hi-fi newness of their beautiful, most recent album with stylish touches from their lo-fi beginnings.
Basically, Tilted Summer is the “punk rock” EP that Kris Neises has been wanting to make since high school. That is if you allow “punk rock” to mean loud guitars, big drums, clever phrases, and literary references to J.D. Salinger, as only Kris N. can do.
Kris says, “‘Leo the Lion’ is a really, really old song. I actually wrote it on a plane back from my honeymoon in Vancouver. I found it really hard to be creative during the pandemic so I started revisiting some old tracks and giving them a fresh take. Andy Ingram and I recorded it together in his studio in Yellow Springs and I finished off the vocals at home. That is why you have a hi-fi feel musical and a more lo-fi vocal.”
Photo by Liv Neises
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