Michael C. Hall’s synth-pop band Princess Goes has a delectable new album entitled Come of Age coming out tomorrow, and to celebrate Vehlinggo is giving you a taste of the album with an exclusive premiere of the transcendent title track and its visualizer.
“Come of Age” is part of an album that reflects perhaps the most accessible body of work the trio have released thus far. Hall (Dexter, Six Feet Under, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) is a natural frontman but keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen (Blondie, Cyndi Lauper) and drummer Peter Yanowitz (The Wallflowers, Morningwood) provide a strong and captivating complement that makes for one of the most exciting synth-driven acts out there. Check it out.
“This beautiful track came out of Matt Katz Bohen’s incredible imagination,” Yanowitz says in an exclusive statement. “In Princess, we love the band Future Islands, and I think you can hear their influence in this tune. These are among my favorite lyrics Mike has written… too many lyrics to mention here, but one that sticks out to me is ‘Admit you wanna see me go down.’ I really love the sentiment and the way the line unfolds in the delivery. I believe Mike intended it one way, but I also think about that line in the bigger picture, how so many people seem to want others to fail — maybe even want us to fail — and the delivery is seasoned with just the right amount of attitude… like you can be a hater, but we don’t give a f**k. Deal with it.”
“One nice touch is that we recorded that distortion live on Mike’s vocal,” Yanowitz added. “It wasn’t an effect added later — the distortion is married to the performance. For the production geeks: The pre-amp we used on Mike’s vocal was an Avalon 727. The original song all started with a discarded Yamaha synthesizer Matt found in the garbage on the street in Brooklyn.”
More about Princess Goes and Come Of Age
The often cinematic 12-track Come of Age is the second album from Princess Goes (formerly Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum), which formed in New York City. Among its gems is “Shimmer,” which features Hedwig and the Angry Inch composer and lyricist Stephen Trask on guitar. (A notable feature, considering Hall played Hedwig on Broadway with downright expert effect, as yours truly witnessed.)
There is a kind-of sci-fi/Atomic-Age quality to the compositions that nevertheless find them firm-footed in the present. It’s a successful blend of nods to the past, handshakes with the present, and a wink to the future. The trio recorded the record at the band’s Clubhouse near Union Square in Manhattan and ended up attracting some noteworthy guests, including next-door neighbor and Colombian poet Maria Peña Paris; Chantal Claret (Morningwood); and Anthony Roth Costanzo, a Grammy-winning opera singer.
Come Of Age releases Friday, Oct. 6, via SO In De Goot Recordings. Pre-save it today. Or, while you’re feeling particularly interested, pre-order the album on vinyl, cassette, and CD.
Catch Princess Goes Live
Friday, Oct. 6 — Jeugdhuis EFFORT at 7 p.m, – Genk, Belgium
Sunday, Oct. 8 — EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) at 7 p.m. – London, United Kingdom
Come Of Age Tracklist
01. Offering
02. Let It Go
03. Blur
04. Come Of Age
05. Shimmer
06. Jetpack
07. Glasswing
08. Take Me Home
09. Beija
10. Saving Grace
11. Whatever Whispers
12. Floating
