Friday, December 9, 2011

Prinzhorn Dance School Clay Class


"Happy In Bits" Video Premiered With Pitchfork Today


Click Image Above To View Video

It's hard to think of a band whose music gives a more thrillingly clear picture of what living in 21st century Britain is actually like than Prinzhorn Dance School. The duo have played to ecstatic crowds across Europe and now Tobin Prinz (voice, guitar, drums) and Suzi Horn (voice, bass, drums) are bringing their unique brand of encouragingly hopeful tunes to the US. Prinzhorn Dance School’s second record, Clay Class, will be released January 31st on DFA Records.

The record follows their self titled 2007 debut on DFA, which was mixed here in New York by James Murphy. It abruptly introduced the world to the peculiar shared mindspace  of Tobin and Suzi, and had a certified indie anthem with the single “You Are The Space Invader”.

“Happy In Bits” opens the record and greets us straight away with “so glad you’re here…” over a fluctuating guitar riff and locked down bass line. “Usurper” showcases the duo’s layered vocals which crisply break through gaps of silence with lurching drums in tow. While the cries of call and response on “Your Fire Has Gone Out” express an air of finality, “The Flora and Fauna of Britain in Bloom” tenderly confirms that the light at the end of the tunnel does not always have be an oncoming train. Closing the record, “Shake The Jar” is an airy almost off the cuff-feeling tune, the two  of them sounding both vulnerable and maybe even a little amazed to be back. Watch the "Happy In Bits" video where it premiered with Pitchfork today or HERE.



Prinzhorn Dance School’s journey the past few years has played a vital role in painting the landscape for Clay Class. As Tobin recently expressed:

"Even though our band lives in two different places at once - Brighton and Portsmouth", Prinz explains, "a sense of belonging doesn't really happen in either. I think that’s a wider issue which probably affects millions of people in this country, and the empty spaces Suzi and I are interested in – fields; lakes; warehouses; the sea; huge, people-less car-parks, or even the gaps in our music itself – simultaneously amplify that feeling, and give you the room to ask questions about it”. 

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