Origami Angel

Last updated

Origami Angel
Origami Angel at Webster Hall.jpg
Origami Angel performing at Webster Hall in November 2024
Background information
Origin Washington DC, U.S
Genres
Years active2016–present
Labels
MembersRyland Heagy
Pat Doherty

Origami Angel is an American rock band from Washington D.C., consisting of singer and guitarist Ryland Heagy and drummer Pat Doherty. The duo formed the band in 2016 after the demise of a common prior band, and released a series of EPs leading up to their debut studio album, Somewhere City in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic limited the ability to tour in support of the album, so they instead focused on recording material written during the prior sessions to release their second studio album, Gami Gang in 2021, and wrote and recorded further material for a series of smaller releases, including a mixtape, The Brightest Days , released in 2023. A third studio album, Feeling Not Found , was released on September 27, 2024.

Contents

History

Formation and early EPs (2016–2018)

Band members Ryland Heagy and Pat Doherty first met in late 2015. [6] Doherty had been drumming for a local band named RYK, and after attending a performance and being impressed, Heagy and a friend asked Doherty to join their band Idle Empire, which he accepted. [6] The band had struggled to retain a consistent drummer, and were excited to have a dedicated one in Doherty, but just as Heagy had written some material to record over the course of a few months, the band broke up. [6] Instead, Heagy chose to record the material as a duo with Doherty, and started the band "Origami Angel". [6] Heagy handled vocals, guitars, and bass, and Doherty played drums. [7] Early recording sessions were tough due to their busy schedules - both worked full-time to help finance the recording process, while Doherty attended school. [7] In addition to this, the duo agreed early on to emphasize a "DIY ethic" whether they do as much of the work on the albums as possible. [7] Both pooled all of the income into the band, while Heagy wrote material whenever time was found between work and other life obligations. [7]

Their first EP, Quiet Hours, was released in April 2017. [8] The band toured locally in support of the EP for a short period, but eventually paused to focus on school. [6] They returned to recording, and the following year, released a second EP, titled Doing The Most. [9] [6] While Quiet Hours had a softer, more stripped-down sound, Doing the Most saw the band discover their guitar-heavy pop punk sound found in subsequent releases. [6] [8]

Somewhere City and Gami Gang (2019–2021)

After the completion of their first 2 EPs, the band continued to record music for a series of releases throughout 2019. The duo wrote a large volume of material, but limited finances caused them to break up the releases into three main parts - two small ones that would be used to build momentum into releasing their first studio album. [7] First, in early 2019, was a split EP with the band Commander Salamander titled Holy Split, consisting of two new songs from the band. [7] Second, on May 30, 2019, the band released their third EP, Gen 3. [4] The EP's title is an allusion to the third generation of games in the Pokémon series of video games. [4] The song's lyrical content is not necessarily about Pokémon - the song "Ruby" was even originally called "Sophie" and intended for the Holy Split EP. [6] [4] However, there are allusions to the series, and all of the songs' titles are references to Pokémon games - "Ruby" for Pokémon Ruby , "Sapphire" for Pokémon Sapphire , "Emerald" for Pokémon Emerald , and "XD Gale of Darkness" for Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness . [4] [7] The two chose the subject matter as a "love letter" to the series, with it being important to both of their childhoods, and something they bonded over as band members. [4] [6]

The band next turned to completing their debut album. Heagy continued to write material any time he had free time from his 50-hour a week job, and would present it to Doherty when he would return from being away from college. [7] After a few months, Heagy realized that he had accumulated over 35 rough song ideas; knowing they could only finance a single album for their debut, the duo split the material into two main groups. [7] They separated 15 of the strongest songs of a similar thematic and conceptual nature to create their debut album, and the remaining 20 were left for a potential future album of more varying musical stylings. [7] The material kept for the debut album were themed around the concept of their ideal utopia, countering the typically negative lyrical content found in emo music with more positive content, and allusions to the pop culture of their childhood and past. [10] [11] The resulting album, Somewhere City was released on November 15, 2019. [12]

The album was well received by music publications, with the band beginning to get recognition beyond their local scene. Pitchfork described Somewhere City as "[embodying] the sound of emo in 2019", [13] and the Chicago Reader asserted it "set the tone for emo's next decade" and was "one of the best emo albums of 2019". [14] The band toured for approximately three months in support of the release, with Heagy noting that the band began playing bigger venues with higher enthusiasm after its release. [7] [15] While the COVID-19 pandemic halted touring, then band continued to livestream performances. [15] One particular performance done in place of a live show at Bowling Green's Summit Shack, was moved to being livestream through the video game Minecraft . [15] Attendance was so high that it crashed the servers, leading to the live EP release Origami Angel Broke Minecraft. [15]

With the band's newfound success, but inability to tour, they focused on developing a follow-up album. [15] They developed the diverse material set aside from the Somewhere City sessions. The duo had recorded 20 demo songs and had a rough outline for the album around the time of Somewhere City's release. [7] [15] Heagy described the album's music direction as "half Somewhere City 2 and half "experimental...[ The Smashing Pumpkins ] Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness if the songs were about 60% as long". [15] Heagy noted that he knew that the album would likely be interpreted to be about the COVID-19 pandemic, but was entirely written prior to it in 2019, and was only recorded during the pandemic. [7] [15] On March 25, 2021, the band announced their sophomore double-album Gami Gang , releasing the lead single "Neutrogena Spektor" the following day. [16] Gami Gang released on April 30, 2021, with reviewers generally believing they had released a very different, yet equally good, album as Somewhere City. [17] Exclaim! concluded that "With so much happening, it's inevitably not as musically or thematically concise and poignant as Somewhere City... [but Gami Gang is] like a room full of toys: You can pick up wherever you want and play for as long as you like, and you're bound to end up with a smile on your face. [18] Post-release, the band spoke of touring in support, but only sparingly when and where it was deemed safe for people to be together during the COVID-19 pandemic. [15]

Further EPs and The Brightest Days (2022–2023)

On September 30, 2022, the band surprise-released a new, three song EP, Re: Turn, followed by a second three song EP, Depart, four days later. [19] The releases showed even further extremes for the band's sound than illustrated in Gami Gang. [20] [19] With Re: Turn, the band explored a stripped down, mellow sound of acoustic guitars and drum machine that was created to sound like "coffee shop friendly indie pop". [11] [21] Depart, on the other hand, consisted of three songs in a frantic, dissonant hardcore music style. [20] [21] The two had been recorded in secrecy during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The duo had always planned on recording some more mellow content found in Re: Turn, and Depart was recorded as a counterpoint to the release, as both a way to make sure their ideas for heavier music were not wasted, and as an outlet of their frustrations and fears about the COVID pandemic. [20]

On June 16, 2023, the band released a mixtape The Brightest Days . [21] [22] The release had been written during the initial 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, and later revisited and recorded in August 2022. [23] The release sees the duo grappling with the loss of summers of their youth, something they specifically felt with the lockdowns. [24] Unlike prior releases, where they would take songs to create a theme, with The Brightest Days, they started with the theme, and then wrote songs around it. [24] The album's uncommon length of 22 minutes across 8 songs - longer than an EP but shorter than a typical traditional studio album - lead the band to label it a mixtape instead. [24] Like their prior albums, the mixtape was well-received, with Paste concluding that "these eight songs that are over as quickly as they begin. But that's a vital part of the appeal. What's fleeting can also be memorable." [21] The band embarked on an international tour following its release, including North America, the United Kingdom, and Japan. [24]

Feeling Not Found (2024–present)

In May 2024, the band released a new single, "Fruit Wine", ahead of their North American tour with alternative rock band Microwave. [25] In July 2024, they released two further new songs and announced their third studio album, Feeling Not Found was released September 27, 2024. [26]

Musical style and influences

Origami Angel's style of rock music is often described as emo, [1] [2] indie rock, [3] [4] pop punk, [5] and easycore. [18] They have been described as being part of the fifth wave of emo, [18] though Heagy has stated it is more accurate to label them as part of a hypothetical "second wave of easycore". [15]

Heagy cites influence from Barenaked Ladies, Yes, Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Weezer, Lil Uzi Vert, and fellow D.C. emo bands like The Obsessives. [6]

Members

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

EPs

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Sky</span> Puerto Rica-born musical duo

Nina Sky is a Puerto Rican-born musical duo based in the United States, consisting of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino. Their debut single "Move Ya Body", released from their self-titled debut album in 2004, was a success, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Their most recent album, Nicole and Natalie, was released in July 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clipse</span> American hip hop duo

Clipse, also known as the Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, mainly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene "No Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Malice was originally known as Malicious, but changed his stage name to Malice soon after the group's formation, before changing it to No Malice once more in 2012 following his conversion to Christianity. Based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the duo was discovered by producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the artists to work in tandem. Williams served as executive and lead producer for each of their albums, as part of the Neptunes and as a frequent guest performer. As key figures in establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast's strongholds in hip hop, the duo's frequent subject matter is based around illegal drug trade.

Gang Green is an American punk rock band originally from Braintree, Massachusetts. Chris Doherty (guitar), Bill Manley (bass) and Mike Dean (drums) started the band in 1980 and broke up in 1983. Doherty reformed Gang Green the following year, and the band experienced numerous lineup changes until its dissolution for the second time in 1992. Doherty has been the band's only constant member and has kept Gang Green active from 2005 onwards. The band was influential in the formation of the East Coast hardcore punk scene, and went on to become one of the forerunners of crossover thrash and speed metal in the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breathe Carolina</span> American electronic music duo

Breathe Carolina are an American electronic music duo from Denver, Colorado. The duo formed in 2007 consisting of David Schmitt and Kyle Even. They later expanded to a full band whose best-known lineup included Schmitt, Even, drummer Eric Armenta, keytarist Joshua Aragon and DJ Luis Bonet. In 2013, Even left the group, while Tommy Cooperman joined that year. Breathe Carolina is currently composed of Schmitt and Cooperman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizen (band)</span> American rock band

Citizen is an American rock band from Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio that formed in 2009. The band currently consists of Mat Kerekes (vocals), brothers Nick and Eric Hamm (bass), Mason Mercer, and Ben Russin (drums). They are currently signed to Run for Cover Records, and have released five studio albums to date: Youth (2013), Everybody Is Going to Heaven (2015), As You Please (2017), Life in Your Glass World (2021), and Calling the Dogs (2023). Considered a part of emo's fourth wave, Pitchfork have described Citizen as "a band their fans can grow up with rather than out of."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EarthGang</span> American hip hop duo

EarthGang is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Olu and WowGr8. They are co-founders of the musical collective Spillage Village, with JID, Hollywood JB, JordxnBryant, 6lack, Mereba, and Benji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gang of Youths</span> Australian rock band

Gang of Youths are an Australian alternative rock band, which formed in 2012. Since 2020, the group consists of David Le'aupepe on lead vocals, rhythm guitar and piano, Max Dunn on bass guitar, Jung Kim on guitar and keyboards, Donnie Borzestowski on drums and Tom Hobden on violin, rhythm guitar and keyboards. They relocated to England in 2017. Founding member Joji Malani, on lead guitar and backing vocals, left them in 2019 to return to Australia. The band's debut studio album, The Positions (2015), received multiple ARIA Award nominations and peaked at number five on the Australian albums chart. It provided the single "Magnolia", which has been described as their breakthrough hit and was certified platinum in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saba (rapper)</span> American rapper and record producer (born 1994)

Tahj Malik Chandler, better known by his stage name Saba, is an American rapper and record producer. He grew up in the Austin neighborhood of the West Side of Chicago. He is a co-founder of the musical collective Pivot Gang with his brother Jerrel Chandler, their late cousin Walter Long Jr, their high school friend Logan Yutters, Jevunte Wheeler (squeakPivot), and Jimmy. He is also one third of the supergroup Ghetto Sage, with Smino and Noname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackbear (musician)</span> American musician and producer (born 1990)

Matthew Tyler Musto, professionally known as Blackbear, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released six studio albums, six EPs, one mixtape and two collaborative albums. Musto is also a member of the alternative hip hop duo Mansionz with singer-songwriter Mike Posner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mom Jeans</span> American emo band

Mom Jeans is an American alternative rock/indie rock band formed in Berkeley, California, in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counter Intuitive Records</span> Independent record label based in Boston

Counter Intuitive Records is an American independent record label based in Boston, Massachusetts, known for working with bands such as Oso Oso, Mom Jeans, Origami Angel, and Prince Daddy & The Hyena. The label has also handled distribution for artists such as The Hotelier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mau y Ricky</span> Venezuelan Latin pop and reggaeton duo

Mau & Ricky is a Venezuelan Latin pop and reggaeton duo formed by singer-songwriter brothers Mauricio Alberto "Mau" Reglero Rodríguez and Ricardo Andrés "Ricky" Reglero Rodríguez, both sons of Argentine-Venezuelan singer Ricardo Montaner.

Save Face is an American rock band from New Jersey. Formed in 2012, the band is not currently signed to any label.

Adam McIlwee, often known by the stage name Wicca Phase Springs Eternal (WPSE), is an American musician from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Beginning his career as a member of the rock band Tigers Jaw, he soon began pursuing a solo career with a sound based in hip hop, emo and witch house. He has worked as a member of collectives such as GothBoiClique, Thraxxhouse and Misery Club. He also played in the indie rock band Pay for Pain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Daddy & the Hyena</span> American punk rock band

Prince Daddy & the Hyena is an American punk rock band from Albany, New York, formed in 2014. They have released three full-length albums and four extended plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retirement Party</span> American emo band

Retirement Party is an American emo group from Chicago, Illinois.

<i>Somewhere City</i> 2019 studio album by Origami Angel

Somewhere City is the debut studio album by American emo band Origami Angel. It was released by Chatterbot Records on November 15, 2019. The lyrics describe a town called "Somewhere City" the lead singer, Ryland Heagy likes to go when he feels sad. Vinyl pressings of the album also feature a map of the fictional Somewhere City.

<i>Gami Gang</i> 2021 studio album by Origami Angel

Gami Gang is the second studio album by emo band Origami Angel, It was released as a double LP by Counter Intuitive Records on April 30, 2021. The album was recorded and completed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<i>The Brightest Days</i> 2023 mixtape by Origami Angel

The Brightest Days is a mixtape by American emo duo Origami Angel, released on June 16, 2023. According to the band, the reason it is called a mixtape is because "the differences between each track on The Brightest Days are what makes it such a special release."

<i>Feeling Not Found</i> 2024 studio album by Origami Angel

Feeling Not Found is the third studio album by American pop punk band Origami Angel. It was released on September 27, 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 Sacher, Andrew (May 17, 2023). "Origami Angel announce new mixtape 'The Brightest Days' (exclusive color vinyl & new song)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "10 perfect summer emo songs, picked by Origami Angel". Alternative Press Magazine. June 16, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Origami Angel: Somewhere City". pitchfork.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jackson, Gita (May 20, 2019). "Indie Band Shows Their Pokémon Love In New Release". Kotaku . Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Origami Angel Master Economy and Energy on 'The Brightest Days'".
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Larios, Alexander (July 11, 2019). "Interview: Origami Angel". Merry-Go-Round Magazine. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Origami Angel on the DIY Recording of "Gami Gang"". reverb.com. June 9, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Shelton, Emily. "DC's New Emo Sweethearts, Origami Angel". WVAU . Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ Shrum, Tony (July 5, 2018). "Album Stream: Origami Angel – Doing the Most". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Origami Angel Somewhere City | Exclaim!".
  11. 1 2 "Origami Angel Broke Emo". Bandcamp Daily. June 20, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Concept albums like 'To Pimp a Butterfly' and 'Blurryface' are saving music listeners The Commonwealth Times". commonwealthtimes.org. December 1, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  13. ↑ Cohen, Ian. "Origami Angel: Somewhere City". Pitchfork . Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  14. ↑ Galil, Leor (January 10, 2020). "Origami Angel help set the tone for emo's next decade with Somewhere City". Chicago Reader . Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Gami Gang: Emo Rising Stars Origami Angel On Their Ambitious New Double Album". Stereogum. April 26, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Origami Angel announce new double album 'Gami Gang," share two new songs". March 26, 2021.
  17. ↑ Jones, Abby. "Origami Angel: Gami Gang". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  18. 1 2 3 "Origami Angel's Easycore-Inspired 'GAMI GANG' Is Pure Joy | Exclaim!".
  19. 1 2 Sacher, Andrew (October 3, 2022). "Stream Origami Angel's surprise hardcore EP 'DEPART'". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 Krueger, Jonah (October 3, 2022). "Origami Angel surprise-release two EPs, share Origins of new song "JUDGE": Exclusive". Consequence. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Origami Angel's The Brightest Days is a Quick, Joyous Ride". Paste Magazine. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Mixtape Review: Origami Angel - 'The Brightest Days'". The Alternative. June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  23. ↑ Vito, Jo (May 17, 2023). "Origami Angel announce new mixtape, unveil single "My PG County Summer": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Solano, Sophia (July 5, 2023). "Origami Angel wrote your East Coast summer anthem, and it's pretty emo". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Origami Angel share Will Yip-produced new song "Fruit Wine"". Alternative Press .
  26. ↑ "Origami Angel Announce New Album 'Feeling Not Found': Hear Two Songs". July 23, 2024.
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.