Digital Leather

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Digital Leather
OriginYuma, Arizona, U.S.
Genres
Years active2002–present
Labels
  • No Coast Records
  • King of the Monsters
  • Shattered
  • Tic Tac Totally
  • FDH
  • Goner Records
  • Fat Possum
  • Volar
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Southpaw
  • Kind Turkey Records
  • Plastic Idol
  • Disordered
  • P Trash
  • Red Lounge
  • Squooge
  • Neat Neat Neat
  • Ghost Highway
  • Castle Bravo
  • Avant!
  • In the Red
  • Sunburst
Members
Past members

Digital Leather is the musical project led by multi-instrumentalist Shawn Foree. It is recognized for having characteristics of electropunk, new wave, pop, lo-fi, and psychedelic music.[1]

History[edit]

Originally from Yuma, Arizona, Foree began calling his project "Digital Leather" when he moved to Tucson, where he studied American literature at the University of Arizona.[2] He used student loan money to buy equipment.[3] He managed to release his first three albums after recording them in his bedroom on labels such as Tic Tac Totally, Jay Reatard's Shattered Records imprint, and FDH Records.[4] He supported this "bedroom project"[1] with several nationwide and European tours.[5] Sorcerer, released on Goner Records in 2008, is a half-live, half-studio record.[6]

In 2009, friend and fellow musician Jay Reatard took over managing duties for the band.[7] Around this time Foree began working on a collection of songs in a fully operational studio.[2] Released in September 2009 by Fat Possum Records, Warm Brother garnered positive reviews. Pitchfork, for example, referred to Foree as sui generis, calling the album a "charming curio."[8] Reportedly, the label did not initially support the album’s artwork, which features a shirtless man with the album name taped across his chest.[4]

In 2013, Todd Fink of The Faint joined Digital Leather as a full-time keyboardist and additional recording engineer. They spent the next year and a half playing shows around Omaha and preparing a full-length record with the live band recording its own parts (as opposed to Foree recording all the parts himself as was done on previous output). During this time Foree managed to also write and record a split LP with Madison, WI's The Hussy for Southpaw Records.[9][10][11]

In 2014, the collaboration between Shawn Foree and The Hussy became the catalyst for Foree and The Hussy's Bobby Hussy to create their synth driven minimal wave duo TIT. The band then began writing and recording their debut self-titled EP 12" over the course five days while Hussy was visiting Foree's home in Omaha. FDH and Volar Records co-released the 12" in late-2014.[12] TIT played their first show in Omaha at O'Leaver's on January 22, 2015 with Todd Fink as an additional keyboardist and Noah Kohll as the drummer.[13] Digital Leather's 9th LP, "All Faded" was recorded by Todd Fink and Clark Baechle of The Faint between 2013 and 2015.[14] All Faded was released by FDH Records in November 2015.[15] A new album, Pink Thunder, was released June 30, 2017.[16]

Selected discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

Singles[edit]

  • Simulator (2005) Plastic Idol
  • Split w/ Angry Angles (2006) Shattered
  • She Had A Cameltoe (2007) Goner
  • Closed My Eyes (2007) Disordered (Italy), P Trash (Germany), FDH (USA)
  • Suckface (2007) Red Lounge (Germany)
  • The Assault (2008) Red Lounge (Germany)
  • Hurts so Bad, demo version (2009) Squoodge (Austria/Germany)
  • Power Surge (2009) FDH
  • Lousy Manipulator (2009) Neat Neat Neat
  • Sponge (2011) Ghost Highway

Other projects[edit]

  • Mere Mortals (2012) Self-released
  • Diode (2014) Crash Symbols
  • TIT (2014) FDH / Volar
  • Dome Valley (2014) Castle Bravo
  • Black Bug (2015) Avant!

Featured[edit]

  • Lost Sounds – Future Touch (2004) In The Red
  • Tokyo Electron – S/T (2005) Shattered
  • Cutters – 7" (2005) Sunburst
  • Terror Visions – World of Shit (2007) FDH
  • Devon Disaster – Make Things Bleed (2008) Red Lounge
  • Destruction Unit / Black Sunday – Split LP (2008) FDH
  • Earthmen & Strangers – S/T (2009) FDH
  • Mere Mortals - Purple Fire (2012) Self Released
  • The Faint - Doom Abuse (2014)
  • The Hussy – Volar EP 7" (2015) Volar

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Digital Leather, The Mistreaters, CoCoComa, The Hex Dispensers, and Drugs Dragons | Music | Events | The A.V. Club Milwaukee". Avclub.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  2. ^ a b Swedlund, Eric. "Rise of the Synth | Music Feature". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  3. ^ Deming, Mark. "Digital Leather". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  4. ^ a b "Welcome to the warped world of Digital Leather". MLive.com. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  5. ^ "new Digital Leather video & 2010 tour dates (SXSW)". Brooklynvegan.com. 2010-02-04. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  6. ^ "This Week's Recommended Shows: Jay Z, Grizzly Bear, Sunny Day Real Estate – Seattle – Slideshows". Seattleweekly.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  7. ^ "Night Life". The New Yorker. 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  8. ^ "Digital Leather". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  9. ^ "Digital Leather/The Hussy". styrofoamdrone.com. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  10. ^ "Shake Appeal #30 – Giant Sized Edition". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  11. ^ "The Hussy releasing a split with Digital Leather..." brooklynvegan.com. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  12. ^ "Shake Appeal". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  13. ^ "Tit Oleaver's Photo Essay". hearnebraska.org. 2015-01-23. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  14. ^ "Track Premiere Digital Leather". cmj.com. 2015-05-20. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  15. ^ "Stream Digital Leathers New Album All Faded". noisey.vice.com. 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  16. ^ "Pink Thunder, by Digital Leather". Digital Leather. Retrieved 2017-08-10.