THE INNER SELF ON DEBUT ALBUM
AN ALWAYS OPEN DOOR — STREAM
RELEASED TODAY VIA TRASH CASUAL
PERFORMING AT SXSW AHEAD OF NEW YORK TOUR
DATES— SEE ALL UPCOMING SHOWS HERE
An Always Open Door album artwork [Download]
Today, Brooklyn’s Endearments releases their debut album, An Always Open Door via Trash Casual. Steadily unveiling the album since the beginning of this year, the trio of vocalist/bassist Kevin Marksson, guitarist Anjali Nair, and drummer Will Haywood Smith have created nine tracks of emotionally dense and instrumentally lush synth-backed indie rock — Stream.
The music of Endearments has always turned a mirror on the inner self, reflecting life’s deeply personal, often painful moments in the light of clarity and new resolve. Drawing on the emotive qualities of 80s synthpop and late-90s emo in equal measure, An Always Open Door fine-tunes this heartfelt songcraft, widening the band’s influences and turning up the volume while maintaining the raw lyrical storytelling that’s made them a mainstay in Brooklyn’s highly competitive scene.
Marksson’s blitzing, blistering inner monologue on “Marianne” and the melancholic explosiveness of “Real Deal” conjure comparisons to the likes of Camera Obscura and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart; at the same time, Nair’s stirring, wall-of-sound guitars on “Summersun” and Haywood Smith’s maximalist drums on “Saline” evoke the textures of shoegaze and the driving rhythm of big beat.
“‘Saline’ is one of my favorite tracks on the record because it was a chance for us to indulge in some real musical maximalism,” shares Marksson. “We wanted the song to channel the kind of beats and synths you might hear from Ride or Chemical Brothers, which was a treat for Will on the drums. Lyrically the song is about watching someone you love fall into destructive patterns, and knowing when it’s finally time to walk away.”
This shift towards energetic indie rock accompanies a change in the band’s approach to songwriting, one that trades raw immediacy for meditative contemplation. “When I wrote the first two Endearments EPs, Father of Wands and It Can Be Like This, I was only recently outside of the events that inspired those songs: a failed marriage; a hopeful new relationship,” Marksson recalls. “When I sat down to write lyrics for our first full-length record, I had no intention of interrogating those memories and feelings again. Nevertheless, as the songs took shape, I felt myself looking back at the last six years with a renewed sense of curiosity.”
The end result is a record that reveals and reevaluates the past, foregrounding emotional truths through performances that are as kinetic as they are introspective. Produced by Abe Seiferth (Nation of Language, Car Seat Headrest) and featuring additional vocals from Liv Price (Forever Honey) and guitars from Chris Croarkin (Diary), the album blends dreamy and down-to-earth influences into a vibrant, varied, and dynamic image of the band’s inner world.
Endearments press photo by Rita Iovine [Download]
Later this month, Endearments will make their way to Austin, TX to perform at SXSW as an Official Showcasing Artist. In celebration of their record release, they will play a hometown show on March 20 at Alphaville in Brooklyn, NY. The band will also be supporting The Sheila Divine on select tour dates in May and June. See all upcoming tour dates here and below.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
March 14-16 – SXSW – Austin, TX
March 20 – Alphaville – Brooklyn, NY (album release show)
May 14 – Electric City – Buffalo, NY^
May 15 – Middle Ages Beer Hall – Syracuse, NY^
June 4 – The Sultan Room – Brooklyn, NY^
PRAISE FOR AN ALWAYS OPEN DOOR
UNDER THE RADAR “Initially, Marksson’s vocals feel airy and weightless, sighing as the band’s glittering guitar tones churn away. Yet, Nair and Haywood give the track a propulsive kick, ratcheting up the energy on the chorus as the drums pound, the guitars gleam, and Marksson’s vocals take flight.”
GLIDE “…the band has successfully risen to the top of a hectic New York City pop scene, honoring the genre with hazy arrangements while digging deeper emotionally on every release.”
ATWOOD MAGAZINE “The band’s love of ‘80s new wave and 2000s indie rock collides in real time, marrying dynamic verses with big, cathartic pop choruses. It’s that friction – between tenderness and sharpness, uplift and undoing – that makes the listening experience so intoxicating, and so human.”
NEW NOISE “‘Real Deal’ sets the tone with a melancholic look at a fading relationship, built around a slow-climbing arrangement and tightly wound drama.”
MAGNET MAGAZINE “…An Always Open Door (Trash Casual) is an effortlessly confident debut, boasting the sort of sharp songwriting and plentiful hooks that should expand the group’s reach.”
SPILL “An Always Open Door is all soul and feel-good atmosphere, the kind of music that plays
brightly even when everything else feels like it’s falling apart.”
ANALOGUE TRASH “The smooth twists and turns of the song and its arrangement bear similarities to the music of Youth Group and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, but its tale of everyday sadness also reminded me of The Go-Betweens in the way its superficially upbeat demeanour doesn’t try to hide the pain and loss that lies beneath.”
AN ALWAYS OPEN DOOR TRACKLIST
1. Summersun
2. Marianne
3. Real Deal
4. Bank Lights
5. People
6. Saline
7. Woolgathering
8. Frances Ha
9. Your Knight
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For more information on Endearments, please visit:
Website | Instagram | Bluesky | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp
