The San Francisco based band, Mare Island has released a new single, Unawake:
While the various members of Mare Island have known each other and toured together for years, Mare Island is a band over a decade in the making. Vocalist Josh Staples and bassist Sean Leary grew up childhood friends in Sonoma County. Staples first provided guest vocals on Loma Preita’s 2007 album Last City, which started regular contributions. Having left Loma Prieta at the start of this decade, guitarist Sean Chao had a happenstance run-in with Leary in 2015. The duo began writing and demoing songs, bringing Staples in to provide lyrics and vocals, with Chao’s roommate Evan Sarna joining on drums. Mare Island’s music makes clear nods toward the members’ other projects, but with outward experimental pushes through the use of pitch-shifted loops and samples. Working with producer/engineer Ian Pellicci (Deerhoof/The Dodos/Thao and the Get Down Stay Down), the group brought in San Francisco’s Magik*Magik Orchestra, imbuing the songs with a rich, ethereal quality.
Mare Island will release their debut, Eponymous EP on June 23rd.