Photo credit: Carl Farrugia (c.o. The Daydream Library Series)
Today, UK based noise rock outfit Schande have shared their new single “52 hz” via The Daydream Library Series, the house record label of Ecstatic Peace Library operated by Eva Prinz & Thurston Moore. Centering themes of fulfillment and isolation, the track buzzes with huge, cascading full band fuzz freakouts, held in check by frontwoman Jen Chochinov’s delicate vocals. As Chochinov puts it, “This song was inspired by the whale that has baffled scientists with its unique sound frequency of 52 hz. The official thinking is that this is the only whale of its kind and leads a solitary life constantly searching for others to communicate with. I like to think there is a different narrative altogether and one that isn’t hooked on this Western concept of the isolated self or that there can be only one of anything or anyone. Maybe the whale knows exactly what it’s doing, has its own pod of whale kin and is road tripping on a sick adventure.”
The band’s current sound was shaped by Chochinov’s stint playing in the Thurston Moore Guitar Ensemble, led by the legendary frontman of Sonic Youth. On the heels of playing with the group, Chochinov started experimenting with alternative tunings, including those she learned from Thurston himself. The freedom offered by new tunings gave the band a chance to approach songs and song writing in a new way. “It was like being given free reign in a science lab where nothing was off limits. At worst you create an awful sound and at best you get the chance to surprise yourself and land on something exciting.”
The California-born Chochinov has been crafting catchy, propulsive rock in DIY circles since the early 1990s. Solo and full band adventures throughout the years have included a split 7” with The Cribs and James Murphy’s pre-LCD Soundsystem group Speedking, playing the legendary Indie Tracks festival (UK), and playing Happy Happy Birthday to Me’s Athens Pop Festival (US). Since relocating to London in 2013, she has continued playing shows throughout the UK and US both solo and with her full band. In 2018 and 2019, she was a touring member of Thurston Moore’s Guitar Ensemble and played shows throughout the UK and Europe alongside James Sedwards (Nøught, Thurston Moore Group), Deb Googe (My Bloody Valentine, Thurston Moore Group), Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), Jem Doulton (Thurston Moore Group, The Oscillation), and Jonathan Leideker (Wobbly).
While Schande initially began as a solo project, the music is very much a collective effort; the melody of Gio Villaraut’s bass lines and the creativity of Ryan Grieve’s syncopation to supplement Jen’s angular guitar combine for a delirious thrill. Look for more from the group in the new year.
Follow Schande:
Bandcamp| X | Facebook | Spotify
