US / THEM: Pleasure Forever (Sub Pop, ex-The VSS) share new single from Distal, forthcoming first new album in 20 years

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Pleasure Forever (Sub Pop, ex-The VSS) share new single from Distal, forthcoming first new album in 20 years

"They don't sound like much you've heard before... This is not rote, predictable stuff." 8.4 -- Pitchfork

“Soliloquy meets psychedelia as the SF semi-goths ‘timely rip’ us a new album, Distal, genre-blended and aged like a fine Zinfandel. Solid gold via Solid Brass.” — Echoes & Dust

20 years after the band’s last proper album Alter was released on Sub Pop — with the catalog number Sub Pop #666, no less — Pleasure Forever returns this month with a new mini-album titled Distal. It’s as hard to characterize as they’ve always been. The second single "To The Last Recorded Syllable of Time" premieres via Echoes & Dust HERE and is now available everywhere via Linktr.ee. And, lyric video via YouTube.

Moments of heavy hitting rock tendencies tie together their continuing exploration of spooky 60s psychedelia and their peculiarly warped feel of classic rock from an alternate universe, dashed with hypnotic and minimal rhythms reminiscent of heady Krautrock. Distal will appeal to fans of Roxy Music, The Doors, The VSS, CAN, Amon Düül II, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds…

Following the surprising and untimely deaths of old friends, tour mates and family in recent years, the members of Pleasure Forever, vocalist/keyboardist Andrew Rothbard, drummer Dave Clifford and guitarist Joshua Hughes reconnected to catch up. They soon began discussing trading home recorded ideas, which led to a frenzy of file trading. A batch of new songs was rather quickly built and the members self-recorded and mixed 7 tracks of material that became Distal.

In the two decades between proper albums, Rothbard has released multiple solo albums under his full name Andrew Douglas Rothbard, Clifford played drums in instrumental post-metal band Red Sparowes, Marriages, Jail Weddings and more, Hughes sang and played guitar in Relapse Records sludge metal trio Rabbits. The three members formerly played together in synth-punk pioneers The VSS in the mid-90s. Pleasure Forever released a collection of B-sides and cover songs Bodies Need Rest in 2007.

Distal will be available on digital and on limited edition clear and black 12" vinyl variants on August 25, 2023 via Solid Brass Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.