The foundation & phantasmagorias of Figure Eight
Introducing Oakland’s rising aesthetes — Abby & Nash of Figure; press photo courtesy of the artists.
Since the humble beginnings of this media hub, we have continuously and consistently been in praise of the perpetual state of artistic proliferation found in the scenes of our East Bay neighbors in Oakland. Joining the ranks these creative radicals is the emergence of the duo Figure Eight, who wowed us at the end of 2022 with their debut drown EP. Giving the world the razor sharp economy of three blessed and blissed as all get out tracks, they immediately captured the attention of the mind’s musical theater that seeks to witness crescendos of unbound melodic mountaintops awash in the aura and garb of unrelenting, uncompromising dissonance. Figure Eight themselves create case studies in the discipline of achieving indelible harmonies deep within the throes of chaotically controlled discord.
Figure Eight’s EP drown kicks off with the title track, a testament to the indefatigable spirit of the Bay Area being home to the hotbed of the world’s most wondrous, dreamiest and most entrancing musical productions. Abby & Nash make 2023 feel like 1993 all over again, narrowing their scope to re-energize an era when there was an arms race in the independent artistic sectors to create works so mesmerizing, so monstrous on scales that no one had ever quite experienced before. Casting new sonic shapes carved from the melted, molten ore of Creation Records wax classics from the time-span of 1990-1993 respectively; drown attacks the senses in the most furthest and most sublime manners of aural witchcraft.
Heavy world quaking future classics like “nothing, really” cleverly deceives the listener in title alone as the track drops you into the charging and chugging netherworld of electric clouds and Abby’s trademark operatic delivery. Furious and firm rhythms stay planted on course as the guitars roar against tense synths as Figure Eight transports the audience to an alternate underground that feels both apocalyptic and yet ethereally energizing all at the same time. The finale “untitled” leaves the EP open ended, alluding to what a full album from them might entail. The duo opens up a new sense of sensational space that materializes from the atmospheric ether, like a portal swirling like a stargate that invites you to enter a slipstream of the artists’ own designs and orchestrations. Join Abby & Nash after the jump as they share an exclusive collection of just some of their favorite things:
Channeling frequencies with Figure Eight
Figure Eight started as a bedroom project when we were living in Davis, CA. We recorded a ton of bad demos during the pandemic and sat on them for almost two years. It’s only been in the last few months that we’ve been actively practicing with a band and putting together releases and whatnot. We both have super strong influences from a ton of different places, but the vision for Figure Eight has always been pretty concise and specific from the both of us from the start.
Jejune, “Grayscale” [Live]
This song is sick–and check out the drummer’s goatee and sunglasses. There’s a resurgence of skramz and emo in our local scene here in the SF Bay Area (shoutout to Outhouse Collective) and we’re down as hell. Our music sits in neither of these categories but we definitely take inspiration from these genres, especially bands like Endive and Jejune, both aesthetically and sonically.
Laraaji in the grocery store
Look at him. Absolute Bliss. Can’t go wrong with some triple washed baby spring mix.
CBD spliff
A nice CBD spliff hits so good. Add in some chamomile or rose petals, why not.
Jeff Buckley & Elizabeth Fraser, “All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun”
This song comes up a lot for us, it’s kind of our guilty pleasure. When we were driving back up to Oakland from LA one time, we went down a rabbit hole reading the Jeff Buckley/Elizabeth Fraser love story and this song inevitably came up. It’s a total pop song but their two voices together sound insane.
Sesame bagel with cream cheese
The daily breakfast for both of us. We need this every morning or it’s bad news.
Follow Figure Eight on Instagram and catch them on the following live dates with fellow Oakland-based luminary — Softie:
