New York City’s The Dig will release their debut full-length album Electric Toys on April 27, 2010.
Electric Toys was recorded late this past summer at Trout Recording in Brooklyn, NY, with co-producer Bryce Goggin (who has produced, mixed, or engineered artists including Pavement, Antony & the Johnsons, The Ramones, Bishop Allen). It’s a seamless, dynamic collection of alternately buoyant and moody rock songs replete with memorable hooks; a mix of darkish tales of twisted circumstances and desperate people driven to do bad things, and classic songs about girls, love, and points in-between.
Musically the album ranges from the wistful and roaring “Carry Me Home” to the jaunty, hand-clapping “You’re Already Gone” (listen here), from the humming, hypnotic “Two Sisters” to the spry, ebulliently rhythmic “Penitentiary,” and from the ominous, hot-blooded “She’s Going to Kill That Boy” to the dreamy, string-laced ballads “For All Your Sins” and “Feel Like Somebody Else.” Written and arranged by all four band members, throughout Electric Toys Erick Eiser’s keys add essential atmospherics that help shape the entire album’s sound; David Baldwin’s skillful guitar parts run from a shimmer to a wall-rattling howl; and bassist Emile Mosseri and drummer Jamie Alegre’s rhythm section entwines and bolsters each track. The band’s two singers alternate lead vocals from song to song and while their voices differ greatly in character (Baldwin’s is a raspy, weathered croon; bassist Mosseri’s is a soaring, roguish tenor), the stylistic similarity between their deliveries creates an easy continuum across Electric Toys. No wonder: the pair has been playing music together since grade school.
Track listing for Electric Toys:
Carry Me Home
Two Sisters in Love
You’re Already Gone
She’s Going to Kill That Boy
Penitentiary
Sick Sad Morning
He’s a Woman
For All Your Sins
Look Inside
Shadow
I Just Wanna Talk to You
Feel Like Somebody Else
Electric Toys recently received early support when the driving, taut, and angular track “Look Inside” was featured on the January 21st episode of The CW’s emotionally-charged hit drama The Vampire Diaries; an impressive feat for an unsigned band.
Since the band’s late 2007 inception in Baldwin’s basement, The Dig has embraced an unflagging DIY ethic. The band has relentlessly played shows throughout the city (including three month-long residencies at Piano’s in New York, NY) and across the northeast and southeast, all the while hitting the streets with an endless stream of posters, flyers, and free music. Their unwavering dedication and hard work has earned them a loyal, robust local fanbase (local blog Music Snobbery has written of their live show, “I have no witty observations or creative writing pull quotes to give you. They are just a damn good band”); tours with The Walkmen, White Rabbits, and Here We Go Magic; and opening slots for bands that include Mission of Burma, The Soft Pack, Rural Alberta Advantage, and The Rakes at premier NYC venues the Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg. Continuously writing, The Dig honed their songs and performances onstage. Electric Toys is the culmination of the band’s past two and a half years of hard work.
The Dig is currently on the road with Editors and The Antlers, in addition to playing their own first shows in at The Casbah in San Diego, CA, and at Spaceland in Los Angeles, CA, last week. Beginning in late February, the band will tour in support of Portugal. The Man and Port O’Brien through March.
The Dig tour dates:
FEB. 18 BOSTON, MA HOUSE OF BLUES*
FEB. 19 NEW YORK, NY TERMINAL 5*
FEB. 20 PHILADELPHIA, PA TROCADERO*
FEB. 21 WASHINGTON, DC 9:30 CLUB*
FEB. 24 FARGO, ND THE AQUARIUM**
FEB. 25 MINNEAPOLIS, MN VARSITY THEATER**
FEB. 26 CHICAGO, IL LINCOLN HALL**
FEB. 27 ST. LOUIS, MO THE GARGOYLE**
MAR. 1 OXFORD, MS PROUD LARRY’S**
MAR. 3 DALLAS, TX HOUSE OF BLUES (Pontiac Garage)**
MAR. 4 HOUSTON, TX WAREHOUSE LIVE (studio)**
MAR. 5 AUSTIN, TX THE PARISH**
MAR. 6 AUSTIN, TX THE PARISH**
MAR. 9 GAINESVILLE, FL COMMON GROUND**
MAR. 10 YBOR CITY, FL CROWBAR**
MAR. 11 ORLANDO, FL THE SOCIAL**
MAR. 12 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL HARVEST OF HOPE FEST
MAR. 13 ATLANTA, GA THE EARL**
MAR. 18 WASHINGTON, DC 9:30 CLUB**
MAR. 19 NEW YORK, NY HIGHLINE BALLROOM**
MAR. 20 PITTSBURGH, PA MR. SMALLS**
MAR. 21 CINCINNATI, OH 20TH CENTURY THEATRE**
MAR. 24 COLUMBIA, MO MOJO’S**
MAR. 26 DENVER, CO BLUEBIRD THEATRE**
MAR. 27 VAIL, CO THE SANDBAR**
MAR. 28 ASPEN, CO BELLY UP**
* with Editors and The Antlers
** with Portugal. The Man and Port O’Brien
The Dig is: David Baldwin (guitar, vocals), Emile Mosseri (bass, vocals), Erick Eiser (keys, guitar), and Jamie Alegre (drums).