THE RIDER: Two-Man Giant Squid's Top 10
The band on Twisted Teas, tangent jams and how ridiculously hard Monet's Water Lilies really go (duh)
We’re not going to bore you by talking about how much we loooooove Two-Man Giant Squid.
We’ve already done that here. And here. Anddd here.
Oh, wow. And here. We’re nothing if not consistent!
So instead, we’re just going to jump right in and direct you to the newest release from the Brooklyn art-punk band who—based on the evidence above—we’re clearly nothing short of obsessed with.
Before they file a restraining order, here it is: “Weird Recordings (you’ve got some)”—the latest from TMGS.
Rad, right? WE WOULD NEVER STEER YOU WRONG!
Along with the new tune, also stoked to provide the story behind the song from Mitch Vinokur—the frontman of this musical (not mythical) stage (not sea)-dwelling creature of band.
‘Weird Recordings’ is a song about a song. I had been working on a demo called ‘Brian Eno’ for over six months. One day at rehearsal, I decided to scrap it, giving in to my perfectionist nature about how I couldn’t get it to the place I wanted. After rehearsal our band had a big fight on the subway platform about it. Sam -our synth player and also my fiancé- was particularly upset that I let that process take up so much of my life with nothing to show for it and thought I should've put the song out months ago instead of working it to death. This 'meta' version of the song was written the very next day. It broadcasts that fight that we had on the subway platform, and it encourages people to not be afraid to show off their ‘weird sh*t.’, whether the world is ready to see it or not. It also explores how striving for perfection can instead lead to self-destruction. It’s done in a signature tongue-in-cheek Two-Man Giant Squid way…with me arguing with myself for most of the song.”
Two-Man Giant Squid’s self-titled LP drops March 7th and you can pre-order it on vinyl here.
PLUS! Don’t miss your chance to catch the band liiiive at Our Wicked Lady—celebrating the second bday of Ladykiller Press!—on February 13th.
Live by the squid, dye by the squid! Now please enjoy the band’s Top 10—broken out by band member and available for your reading pleasure below.
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TWO-MAN GIANT SQUID’S TOP 10
1. Family tacos
Whenever we have time to kill between soundcheck and showtime, tacos are usually the choice. Its the right amount of food to hold you over and not feel sluggish on stage. Plus there are just a lot of good taco spots in BK. (Robbie)
2. Pre-show tequila club
1 is perfect - helps with any pre-show jitters and keeps me light on my feet. 2 is usually still in the sweet spot. 3 is almost always a mistake. (Robbie)
3. Loop earplugs
They not only protect my hearing at shows, but also help me self regulate in loud and overwhelming environments! (Yan)
4. Dogs
They are the purest, most perfect creatures to exist. (Shoutout Badass Animal Rescue, go support them if you can!) (Yan)
5. Bassist jokes
Are they allowed to eat? Write songs? Be further than 3 feet from the back of the stage? Thank God Yan has a good sense of humor because bassist memes are an essential part of the band group chat. (Mitch)
6. Going on off tangent jams at practice while someone is trying to talk
It’s the best. A staple of small recording rooms and bands where half the members have undiagnosed ADHD. We’ve written like 4 TOOL songs while someone is trying to ask a useful question over all the noise. What were they saying? Who cares! Play that sick riff again. (Mitch)
7. The Met
I've always said that nothing gets you ready to play punk rock music like Claude Monet. When I'm in the middle of a drum solo, I often think of the Water Lilies and how hard they go. (Brendan)
8. Free meal at Baby’s All Right
Getting paid for a show is fine but getting free tacos is really what we are all in it for. At Baby's, you text a random number and then tacos will appear in the dressing room. It's like casting some sort of taco wish. (Brendan)
9. The NYT Crossword
If you see my head buried in my phone pre-show, I’m likely doing the NYT cross and trying to figure out what European country has a capital that sits 3,356 feet above sea level (its Andorra). (Sam)
10. Twisted teas
S/o to my @nyc_twea_queen instagram. Been re-posted by the Twisted Tea account like 3 times (not a big deal) and for some reason own like 3 merch items from the twisted tea online store. This might be becoming a problem. (Sam)
Follow Two-Man Giant Squid at @twomangiantsquid, buy music on Bandcamp and add songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image (provided by the band): Sam Blieden