Chicago’s latest musical act, Shapers, experiments with atmospheric waves, ambient soundscapes, squalling jazz blasts and pulsing Kraut-Rock. Their debut album Little, Big was released last winter to much local hometown praise.
“Father Trout” kicks off the album with a bang that dissolves into “When I Was a Zygote,” which can be downloaded here. With tracks like “Hot Gravy Available” and the fifteen-minute “Mothership Sequins,” the song titles alone make the album worth checking out. Little, Big reveals a band both influence and inspired.
SHAPERS features Zaid Maxwell (guitar/synths/vocals), Steve Reidell (guitar/bass), Amelia Styer (synths/vocals) and Todd Waters (drums/percussion). Onstage, they pummel audiences with their throbbing
performances, entrancing them exciting manipulated visuals and smooth transitions between songs. The songs traverse listeners through heavy soundscapes.
Whistler Records is releasing SHAPERS next missive, Happy Birthday Polywog, on November 16th and the band will be heading to the East Coast to play shows before they head back to their native Windy City. The band plans a full US tour in the spring and will continue to record their next album.
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