Philadelphia’s The Lawsuits Give Track by Track/Play by Play Account of Blistering New LP ‘Moon Son’

Philadelphia’s The Lawsuits released their second full length Moon Son on May 13th –  11 songs of unadulterated rock that pushes boundaries of genre defintion while remaining experimental and exciting: on a plateau just below that of the great My Morning Jacket. Guitars, keys and synth fill the album and feature the give and go trade-off from lead singers Brian Dale Allen Strouse and Vanessa Winters. Supported by a song back that allows for each song to define itself with originality, The Lawsuits will make their dent in mid sized venues across the U.S. soon, as their live act is just as compelling as their studio accomplishments.

Following the 2013 release of their debut album Cool, Cool, Cool (produced by Bill Moritary, known for his work with Dr. Dog and Man Man), The Lawsuits quickly established a reputation as a must-see live act, sharing stages with The Vaccines, Delta Spirit and Lake Street Dive while making a debut appearances at WXPN’s XPoNential Music Festival and Philadelphia Folk Festival.
The Lawsuits formed after Strouse (vox, guitar, keys, synth) met Winters (vox) and Brendan Cunningham (bass, synth) while attending Temple University. Soon after, drummer Josh Friedman and guitarist Joe Bisirri completed the quintet’s current lineup. With the release of Moon Son upon us,  Strouse shares with and its readers  a play by play account of ‘Moon Son’ with the songs to hear right afterwards.  Indulge and enjoy!
1. A Day: “It’s one of the lightest songs on the album instrumentally but possibly one of the heavier ones lyrically. It could be about long-term relationships: the beauty & sadness inherent to everything that is, eventually and unavoidably will not be.”

2. Do Ya: “Originally the song’s instrumentation was going to include a big band with horns and all that good stuff: Think Madonna meets the roaring 20’s. It went down a different path and I’m glad that it did because it’s one of the catchier love songs on the album.”

 3. Romeo: “A leader’s job is being told! This is one of our favorites. It’s fairly wordy & keeps a consistent groove the entire time. There’s no traditional chorus but for us it’s one of the better songs on the album. This is the first song on the album that the listener will hear the only outside contributor to the album, Michael Ronstadt on cello.”

 4. Ocean: “This is an older song from 2012 or 2013. Originally written and recorded simultaneously – the original demo contained almost every instrument, all of which were replaced when we started the actual album recordings. I think the song is about ungrateful behaviors that exist in all of us & come out from time to time. They’re ugly & evil and we’re ashamed of their effect on conflict or conversation.”

5. Wasted: “The demo is very similar to the final recording. It’s fun & is a little deeper under the surface than the first listen might allow you to think. To be wasted is universally understood but context plays a major role in the way the expression is used.”

6. Good Time to Change: “It’s one of the longer songs on the record as well as one of the oldest. We had recorded and then re-recorded it again & again. It’s the only song on the record with drums recorded in our own studio. Lyrically, it highlights the narrator’s wisdom in deciding to make change within to be without while displaying the contrast of mourning what was and embracing what will be.”

7. Last Night: “Song was written by drummer, Josh Aaron Friedman and is the only song on the record written by anyone other than Brian. It’s a really fun song – a totally different look for us. It’s about being “caught in a dream”, like the movie Inception. I think it’s meaning is dual though because it also seems to deal with miscommunication between 2 people or some type of inability to say something that needs to be said.”

8. Queen of Spades: “We may never be young again. This is the one straightforward rock song on the record. It’s lyrics echo human hang-ups with the always-unfailing passing of time.”

 9. Moon Son: “The only other acoustic song from “A Day”, it showcases Vanessa on lead vocals with me on acoustics. The original demo was very similar but had me singing lead & backing vocals. We tracked Vanessa’s lead vocal & my main guitar live while we were recording in Joey B’s family beach house in Jersey.”

10. To End War: “This song was originally written while I was still in my teens. Vanessa always liked the song and we decided to redo it & put a different spin on the original.”

11. Hail Storm: “Originally written as a fast pop song with electronic drums and all that. Turned out be a slower, more epic tune perfectly suited to round this album out. Lyrically, it allows the narrator to be more aggressive and challenge that which brings such displeasure.”

 

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