Advertisement have been bouncing around the underground for a few years now, slowly earning a reputation for their extravagant live shows featuring upwards of their five core members. Protomartyr, Exploded View, and Sheer Mag are just a few of the bands that have taken notice and brought the group along for tours—and while the experimentalism of Advertisement’s sound complements each of these artists, it doesn’t quite imitate any of them.
Almost two-and-a-half years after introducing themselves with their first EP, Advertisement have corralled eleven tracks for a proper debut LP, expected out July 10. Announced alongside its first single “Pretty Money,” the Seattle collective is following that twangy number with a driving, gurgling track called “Freedom” which further exemplifies the wide range of influences the band cites in their songwriting for American Advertisement.
To further exemplify this range, the band threw together a playlist of twenty-two songs that inspired “Freedom” in particular. You can stream both this playlist and the new track below, and read on to hear what the band had to say about each track they included in the mix.
American Advertisement drops July 10 with all proceeds from album sales benefitting Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network.
The Cleaners from Venus, “Corridor of Dreams”
Cleaners from Venus are perfect easy-listening music, in the best way. This song in particular sounds like it was written by a chorus of children, which is meant as a compliment. Always a great reminder to simplify things.
Amon Düül II, “Mirror”
This song is one of their stranger outputs, because it sounds so normal. Amon Düül are at their best when they’re writing pop songs that sound so totally bizarre and evil without ever losing track of groove or melody. Their sense of humor and ability to laugh off pretension has had a huge impact on our outlook.
Betty Davis, “Whorey Angel”
Betty Davis’s straightforward approach to lyrics is pretty much flawless. She says exactly what she means, and is so economic with her words, every line is filled with intentionality and higher purpose.
Hawkwind, “Master of the Universe”
The form of this song, especially Hawkwind’s ability to simplify and expand upon drawn-out rhythms as a soundscape for adding and subtracting layers, was a clear skeletal influence for our approach on “Freedom.”
Black Grape, “Tramazi Party”
If we don’t look as bad as Shaun Ryder by the time we’re his age, something has gone horribly wrong.
Alice Coltrane, “Andromeda’s Suffering”
Alice Coltrane perfected the power of suggestion through images, creating some of the most purely evocative and gripping music of all time. Listening to this song feels like watching the earth split in half, stirring up a range of intensity that’s as terrifying as it is gorgeous. Her music’s connectedness to cityscapes and capacity for emotional complexity is a thing of its own.
Chronophage, “Double Suicide”
Chronophage are one of our favorite current bands—they’re constantly pushing the boundaries of genre, and do so without needing to reference a specific scene or community to justify their music. All of their songs have these wild melodies that will get stuck in your head, only for you to realize listening back that they never actually play the part you remember so well. They’re a band that’s great at implying ideas and leaving a lot up to the listener’s imagination.
Suede, “Animal Nitrate”
Our friend Connor, who’s a bit older than us and used to play in Holy Ghost Revival, turned us on to Suede one night when we went to visit him at the bar he works at. He bought us a few rounds of drinks and then put their first record on, which totally blew us away. Brit-pop, in general, has had a huge influence on our outlook, and Suede’s decadent and dramatic attitude in particular takes the cake.
Miles Davis, “On the Corner”
Our whole approach on this upcoming record is centered around studying and embracing the tangled history of America, and there is simply no way to talk about American art without reckoning with giants like Miles Davis. Obviously, there is an incredibly fraught history in this country of white musicians stealing ideas from Black musicians, as well as erasing the very existence of these same Black geniuses. With the inclusion of artists like Miles Davis, our aim is not to try to claim a sense belonging to the same tradition of music, which would amount to completely ignoring the very content that made their lives and work so powerful, but to rather celebrate and acknowledge their immense and unmatched influence upon, and challenge to, the whole scope of American music and the arts.
New York Dolls, “Chatterbox”
Johnny Thunders is one of, if not the, greatest American guitarists ever. Endless lessons about how to make so much out of so little. I don’t know how anyone can hear the New York Dolls and still say the Ramones are New York’s greatest rock band.
Don Cherry, “Chenrezig”
Don Cherry’s style, creativity, and oddball approach has no equal. The deep throat-singing and droning atmosphere on this song were a direct influence on the vocals for “Freedom.”
Can, “Mother Sky”
The way this song approaches the guitar as a physical and interactive, as opposed to melodic, instrument had a big impact on our approach to a lot of the songs on the record, especially “Freedom.” Who else could’ve realized using the guitar to emulate church bells and chimes could sound so good?
Aerosmith, “Rag Doll”
Song speaks for itself.
Lou Reed, “The Blue Mask”
The Blue Mask, both as a record and as a song, sounds totally theatrical and out of control. The whole thing comes across like it was written by someone who no longer knows if they’re making good music or not, which, in our opinion, is the best mindset a songwriter can be in.
The Stooges, “We Will Fall”
The lyrical linearity of this song had a massive impact on the writing behind “Freedom.” Ideas explored in this song such as the theatrics of the ordinary, neuroses, catharsis, not being able to paint a pleasant veneer on life’s challenges and struggles, and so on are all pretty present throughout our record.
Vexx, “Strength”
In our opinion, Vexx were probably the best live band of the 2010s. They paved a model for rock coming out of punk before everyone else hopped on the wagon, and the originality shows. Now that Johnny Thunders is dead, Mike Liebman might be the best living American guitarist.
Sonny Sharrock, “Many Mansions”
Listening to Sonny Sharrock is like being a fly on the wall witnessing an exercise of total freedom. Every note and passage feels so cogent, straightforward, and commanding, like he’s found a secret science to boiling down complex truths about the world into the most effortlessly easy statements.
Grateful Dead, “Alabama Getaway”
If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.
Royal Trux, “Follow the Winner”
Jennifer Heremma (and her sunglasses collection and bangs) are a testament to the fact that you don’t have to look people in the eyes to be a rockstar. Royal Trux taught us the importance of making music that is openly not nice.
Stevie Wonder, “Higher Ground”
Stevie Wonder is likely the most talented musician of all time, which, of course, isn’t a controversial or new thing to say. Any American music made post-Stevie can probably be traced back to him, and no playlist of inspirations would feel complete without him.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Suck My Kiss”
Some of us [in Advertisement] were born in LA, and most of us are moving back there this Summer. This song is for our friend Matt Kolhede, who played on the LP and who will be the greatest living bass player once Flea passes.
Milk Music, “Dramatic Exit”
Milk Music’s presence pretty directly shaped us growing up in Washington. They’re a perfect example of how to create an entire culture and energy around your craft, shunning conventional inspirations and interests in the name of esoteric, novel, and personal aesthetics. A great reminder that music can be both funny and fun and still hold weight.
