PREMIERE | Poppy Patica, "Awful Sound"
Live at DC9 with Poppy Patica; photographed by Mike Kimchi.
Cities change. Scenes shift. The moment is never static but an ever moving and evolving construct that we screencap in the banks of memory and heart. One can hold on tight as if never to let the moment pass, yet knowing full well that they, like all things in this life, must pass as new narratives arrive in the succession of their wake. Those historical eras contribute to the shape of our consciousness and the content of our memories — cataloging the good times, the not-so-good times and everything in between.
In a tribute to a beloved former DC venue, Poppy Patica's Peter Hartmann announces the debut album Black Cat Back Stage for House of Joy with a first listen to the peppy "Awful Sound". A heartfelt homage to the bygone scenes and styles of the yesteryears in Hartmann's hometown; he enlists friends Nikhil Rao, Clo, Jeremy Ray and producer Owen Wuerker to make a sound suited for both all of tomorrow's and yesterday's parties. The group embraces that DIY aura from the DC that once was, with tightly held hopes of what it can be, lamenting the inevitable and cringe devolution of things that seeks a mode of inspiration within the throes of entropy. Poppy Patica rocks with the wisdom of music world veterans that have seen and heard it all, searching for a sign somewhere amid the cacophony of noise.
“Awful Sound” is a beautiful send up of the new crowds, the new pop ups, the new players, the new audiences, juxtaposed by everything that is otherwise old hat. Entertaining a creative economy that feels both intrigued and jaded at the same time, Poppy Patica rocks like a Rip Van Winkle character awakening from their slumber to find themselves in a strange and annoying new world. Hartmann and company lament the DC they once knew, the thrill of flocking to a new town yet still holding on to the nostalgia of home (while grappling with all the changes that occur outside of one’s control). “Awful Sound” is a rollicking romp among the once familiar boulevards where brick and mortars that once held personal histories are exchanged for high rise VC-backed ziggurats. Poppy Patica absorbs the arts from the underground upstarts that changed their lives, making a joyful sound that stands out from the monotonous mediocrity peddled by way of licensing for lackluster vaporware offered by nebulous startups.
Peter Hartmann from Poppy Patica provided some exclusive reflections on the inspirations and inception behind the new track:
The song, ”Awful Sound”, is about wanting to live somewhere that makes you feel inspired and fulfilled, but not wanting to take up space in a place where you don't belong.
I was living in DC, booking music and bartending at a venue, trying to hold it down for the hometown and help make some cool stuff happen there, but ultimately I felt like the city held too many memories for me and also was changing in a way that I didn't like. Staying in the city I grew up in felt regressive, like living in the past, yet the city was being turned into a future version of itself that I didn't recognize. I felt guilty both about abandoning my city and about moving to somewhere that I wasn't from. I would go visit friends in other cities and it felt so exciting, but I just stayed in DC.
In hindsight, I'm glad that I stayed in DC for as long as I did, because I had some really incredible times there, but I waited so long to leave out of fear of doing something that felt wrong. I was too paralyzed by the decision to stay or go, so instead I ended up traveling abroad for almost a year while doing my venue booking job remotely. I started writing this song while I was traveling. Something about being alone, so far from home, gave me some clarity to write about what it meant to stay or to go. I met people along the way who shared with me the same kind of story of their cities changing so much and losing the unique character they once had.
When I got back to DC after this long trip, I finished writing the song. Shortly after, I met Nikhil Rao and asked him if he'd play drums with me. I also asked Jeremy Ray to play bass who I knew from playing shows in DC. I reconnected with my old friend Chloe M and asked her to sing and play keys. We performed this song at gigs in DC over the course of 2019 and then recorded it in 2020 with Owen Wuerker, another old friend whom I'd recorded with before at his home studio. I wanted to capture the sound of this full band lineup. The sound of the album was meant to be a hybrid between a glossy pop record and a janky basement show. Juxtaposing the two sounds felt like the best way to portray the themes of these songs.
Poppy Patica’s debut album Black Cat Back Stage arrives May 5 via House Of Joy.
Pre-save “Awful Sound” here.