Blood Cultures (band)

Last updated

Blood Cultures
Origin New Jersey, United States
Genres
Years active2013 (2013)–present
Website blood-cultures.com

Blood Cultures is an American experimental indie pop group from New Jersey. [1] First known as a single person and now recognized as a collective (a quartet as of 2019), the band's members remain anonymous, their faces obscured by black hoods in all photos. [2] [3] [4] As they have explained, their anonymity is crucial to their ethos and aims "to keep the relationship between the listener and the music as pure as possible". [5] Hailed as some of the most exciting music coming out of New York by NME in 2018, Blood Cultures' genre-bending sound is often characterized as psychedelic pop, electropop, and chillwave. [3] [2] [6] [7] Blood Cultures released their first album, Happy Birthday, in 2017. The band released its second album, Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs, in September 2019. [8] Their third record, LUNO, was released on May 28, 2021.

Contents

History

2013–17: First singles and Happy Birthday

Blood Cultures released their debut single, "Indian Summer", in October 2013, by uploading it to Soundcloud. The project was launched with conspicuously little background info; at the time, it had no social media accounts or biography and was only represented by a photograph of an individual with a black hood. [9] The first single was followed by "Mercury Child" and "Meavy Hetal", in February and April 2014, respectively. [10] [11] The single "Scenes from a Midnight Movie" was released in September 2015 with what would eventually be revealed as the artwork for the group's debut album, Happy Birthday, which was in turn released in July 2017 and accompanied by some of their first interviews. [1] [12] Blood Cultures made their first performance at Rough Trade in August 2017 to celebrate the release, and went on to perform with acts such as Princess Nokia and Yumi Zouma throughout the year. [13] [14] [15]

2018–19: Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs and first tour

Blood Cultures released a single and video for "Dunk on Me" on Halloween 2018, the first material from their sophomore album. This was followed by "Flowers for All Occasions" in March 2019, a single inspired by the hijacking of local New Jersey TV stations in the early 1990s. [16] [17] [3] With the release of the single "Best for You" in June 2019, Blood Cultures announced their album Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs, set for publication that September. The single was accompanied by a manifesto conveying Blood Cultures' convictions to remain anonymous, explaining that "disclosing our personalities, politics, alignments, intentions, orientations, etc., could detach the listener further from the personal connection that they have made with the music" and urging that "art is not what the artist intends it to be but rather what you make of it". [8] Following the release of an additional single, "No Favors", in August, the band issued their twelve-track album in September 2019. [18] [2] In interviews, Blood Cultures described the album as "a conversation between two opposing sides that share a single relationship" and "a personal journey of self-discovery". The album was generally reviewed positively as "a bright and beautiful blend of cultures, wandering vocals, and electronic beats" and "one of 2019's greatest experiences". [16] [5] In November, Blood Cultures released a video for the album's song "Broadcasting", which commented on the question of identity for those who feel pulled between two cultures. [5] The band promoted the album with their first US headline tour in late 2019. [16] [2]

2021–present: LUNO

On January 28, 2021, Blood Cultures made their comeback with a new single, entitled "Keeps Bringing Me Back", from their upcoming project, LUNO. On February 25, 2021, they released a new single, entitled "Beneath the Moon & Me". The third single came out on March 29, 2021, and was titled "Set It on Fire". The fourth single from the upcoming album, "When the Night Calls..." was released on April 27, 2021.LUNO came out on May 28, 2021.[ citation needed ]

Musical style

The elements that comprise Blood Cultures' sound include psychedelic textures, bedroom pop beats, and tropical melodies. [7] [18] [1] Indicative of their experimental approach, their arrangements have been characterized by "warm, lo-fi guitars; wobbling synths; washed-out percussion; and auto-tuned, cut-and-paste vocals", "drenched in maximum reverb". [19] Though they hesitate to discuss their influences, Blood Cultures have been likened to LCD Soundsystem, Toro Y Moi, and Jai Paul. [16] [20] [2]

Discography

Albums

TitleAlbum details
Happy Birthday
Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs
LUNO

Singles

TitleYearAlbum
"Indian Summer"2013Happy Birthday
"Mercury Child"2014
"Meavy Hetal"
"Scenes from a Midnight Movie"2015
"Dunk on Me"2018Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs
"Flowers for All Occasions"2019
"Best for You"
"No Favors"
"Hard to Explain" [21] 2020Non-album single
"Keeps Bringing Me Back"2021LUNO
"Beneath the Moon & Me"2021
"Set It on Fire"2021
"When the Night Calls..."2021
"Set It on Fire (Extended Version)"2022Non-album single

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In This Moment</span> American rock band

In This Moment is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed by singer Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth in 2005. They found drummer Jeff Fabb and started the band as Dying Star. Unhappy with their musical direction, they changed their name to In This Moment and gained two band members, guitarist Blake Bunzel and bassist Josh Newell. In 2005, bassist Newell left the band and was replaced by Jesse Landry.

Air France were a Swedish indie pop band formed in Gothenburg by Joel Karlsson and Henrik Markstedt. They were signed to the record label Sincerely Yours, founded by fellow Gothenburgers The Tough Alliance. Air France's music has been described as "post-rave bliss", "beach foam pop", and "Balearic disco", although Karlsson said that the Balearic movement "is something I can't relate to at all".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyary Pamyu Pamyu</span> Japanese singer and model

Kiriko Takemura, known professionally as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, is a Japanese tarento, singer, and model. Her public image is associated with Japan's kawaii and decora culture, centered in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. Kyary's music is produced by musician Yasutaka Nakata of electronic music duo Capsule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BTS</span> South Korean boy band

BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produces the majority of their material. Originally a hip hop group, their musical style has evolved to incorporate a wide range of genres, while their lyricism has focused on subjects including mental health, the troubles of school-age youth and coming of age, loss, the journey towards self-love, individualism, and the consequences of fame and recognition. Their discography and adjacent work has also referenced literature, philosophy and psychological concepts, and includes an alternate universe storyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garnidelia</span> Japanese musical duo

Garnidelia (ガルニデリア) is a Japanese pop rock duo, consisting of singer Mai Mizuhashi, better known by her stage name MARiA and Vocaloid record producer Yoshinori Abe, better known by his stage name toku.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Blood (Taylor Swift song)</span> 2015 single by Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar

"Bad Blood" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album 1989 (2014). Swift wrote the song with its producers Max Martin and Shellback. The album track is a pop song with stomping drums. A hip hop remix of "Bad Blood", featuring American rapper Kendrick Lamar and additional production by Ilya, was released as the fourth single from 1989 on May 17, 2015, by Big Machine and Republic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monsta X</span> South Korean boy group

Monsta X is a South Korean boy group formed through the reality survival program No.Mercy under Starship Entertainment. The group is currently composed of six members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney and I.M, with former member Wonho having left the group in October 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyukoh</span> South Korean indie band

Hyukoh is a South Korean indie band signed to DooRooDooRoo Artist Company. The band was formed in May 2014 and consists of leader, singer, and guitarist Oh Hyuk, bassist Im Dong-geon, guitarist Lim Hyun-jae, and drummer Lee In-woo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NCT (group)</span> South Korean boy band

NCT is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment and introduced in January 2016. The group consists of 23 members and divided into four different sub-units: NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV. In South Korean charts, NCT has recorded more than 24 million album sales across all sub-units, making them the best-selling act under SM Entertainment.

<i>Wings</i> (BTS album) 2016 studio album by BTS

Wings is the second Korean studio album by South Korean boy band BTS. The album was released on October 10, 2016, by Big Hit Entertainment. It is available in four versions and contains fifteen tracks, with "Blood Sweat & Tears" serving as its lead single. Heavily influenced by Hermann Hesse's coming of age novel, Demian, the concept album thematically deals with temptation and growth. It was later reissued as a repackage album, titled You Never Walk Alone, on February 13, 2017, a continuation of the canon for Wings. Three new songs were added to the track listing, with "Spring Day" and "Not Today" promoted as the lead singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weyes Blood</span> American musician

Natalie Laura Mering, known professionally as Weyes Blood, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She was primarily raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She has been performing her own material under variations of the name Weyes Blood since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood Sweat & Tears (song)</span> 2016 single by BTS

"Blood Sweat & Tears" is a song recorded in two languages by South Korean boy band BTS. It was written by "Hitman" Bang, Kim Do-hoon, RM, Suga, J-Hope, and Pdogg, with the latter of the six solely handling production. The Korean version was released on October 10, 2016, as the lead single from the band's second studio album, Wings (2016), by Big Hit Entertainment. The Japanese version of the song was released on May 10, 2017, through Universal Music Japan, as a single album that included the B-side tracks "Spring Day" and "Not Today", both also in Japanese. It is a moombahton, trap, and tropical house song with influences of dancehall and reggaeton. The song's lyrics address the pain of addictive love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(G)I-dle</span> South Korean girl group

(G)I-dle, stylized in all caps, is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. The group consists of five members: Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua. Originally a sextet, Soojin left the lineup on August 14, 2021. (G)I-dle debuted on May 2, 2018, with the single "Latata" from their first extended play (EP) I Am. They debuted in Japan under U-Cube with Latata on July 31, 2019.

Dark Tea is an American, Brooklyn-based music project, founded in 2016 by singer-songwriter Gary Canino. Dark Tea has released two full length albums and an EP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dasha Nekrasova</span> Belarusian-American actress and podcaster (born 1991)

Daria "Dasha" Dmitrievna Nekrasova is a Belarusian-American actress, filmmaker, and host of the Red Scare podcast with Anna Khachiyan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yumi Zouma</span> New Zealand alternative pop band

Yumi Zouma are a New Zealand alternative pop band from Christchurch, Canterbury. The band consists of Christie Simpson, Josh Burgess, Charlie Ryder, and Olivia Campion (drums). The band's name is an amalgamation of the two friends that encouraged the group to start writing together.

Willowbank is the second studio album by New Zealand band Yumi Zouma. It was released on 6 October 2017 through Cascine.

<i>Ateş</i> (album) 2019 studio album by Demet Akalın

Ateş (Fire) is the eleventh studio album by Turkish singer Demet Akalın. It was released on 18 April 2019 by Doğan Music Company. The album was among Turkey's best-selling albums of 2019 and received a gold certification from DMC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Oh My (Camila Cabello song)</span> 2020 single by Camila Cabello featuring DaBaby

"My Oh My" is a song by Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello featuring American rapper DaBaby from the former's second studio album Romance (2019). It was written by the artists, Savan Kotecha, Ant Clemons, and producers Frank Dukes & Louis Bell. Due to a strong similarity to Peruvian reggae band Tierra Sur's 1992 song "Llaman a la puerta", group leader Alejandro "Pochi" Marambio received a writing credit. The song was released on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States on January 6, 2020, as the sixth single off the album.

"Skeletun" is a song recorded by Nigerian singer-songwriter Tekno, it was released on October 8, 2019, by the Cartel Entertainment. It was written by Tekno and produced by Phantom. The song was featured on the soundtrack to the sequel of Eddie Murphy's 1988 classic Coming 2 America it debuted 19 at the first ever official UK Afrobeats Singles Chart and was nominated for Best Pop Single at The Headies 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Price, Joe (September 17, 2015). "Blood Cultures - "Scenes From a Midnight Movie"". Complex. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Sprinkle, Taylor (July 4, 2019). "Blood Cultures Teases New Album With Single Release 'Best For You'". Study Break. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Schatz, Lake (March 28, 2019). "Blood Cultures provide the Origins for new song "Flowers for All Occasions": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  4. ↑ McCoy, Maya (November 25, 2019). "Blood Cultures' "Broadcasting" Asks Questions Without Answers". Kajal. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Kato, Precious (November 19, 2019). "Blood Cultures Deals With Identity in 'Broadcasting' [Q&A]". Ones to Watch. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  6. ↑ Likoski, Steve (June 22, 2019). "Anonymous Project Blood Cultures Show What is Geniune, Emotive Art in 'Best For You'; a New Taste of their Album". Eat This Music. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Smith, Thomas; Feltham, Kai (August 7, 2018). "The most exciting new music coming out of New York right now". NME. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Watson, Kayleigh (June 19, 2019). "Blood Cultures return with single "Best For You" and announce new album". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  9. ↑ Tanners, Jon (October 2, 2013). "Blood Cultures – "Indian Summer"". Pigeons and Planes. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ↑ Price, Joe (February 2, 2014). "Blood Cultures – "Mercury Child"". Pigeons and Planes. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ↑ Price, Joe (April 29, 2014). "Blood Cultures – "Meavy Hetal"". Pigeons and Planes. Archived from the original on June 5, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ↑ Bartlet, Jess (July 20, 2017). "Blood Cultures steps momentarily out of the shadows to talk debut album "Happy Birthday" [interview]". Earmilk. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  13. ↑ "NYC artist on the rise: Blood Cultures celebrates debut LP at Rough Trade 08.09". The Deli. August 4, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Yumi Zouma played Le Poisson Rouge w/ She-Devils (pics), share "December" video". Brooklyn Vegan. October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Princess Nokia played Elsewhere with Blood Cultures (pics, video)". Brooklyn Vegan. May 7, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Vargas, Adrian (September 18, 2019). "A Mystery & Charm that Only Strengthens with Age: A Conversation with Blood Cultures". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  17. ↑ Carr, Cameron (October 31, 2018). "Blood Cultures premiere horrifically enchanting new song + video". The Deli. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  18. 1 2 Todd, Harry (August 7, 2019). "Daily Dose: Blood Cultures, "No Favors"". Paste. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  19. ↑ Diplock, Simon (November 11, 2019). "Album Review: Blood Cultures – Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs". New Noise. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  20. ↑ Haskoor, Michael (October 7, 2013). "Electro-pop from New Jersey: Blood Cultures". The Deli. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Blood Cultures Surprises Fans with Strokes Cover 'Hard to Explain'". Bear&Owl. October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.