In a Brooklyn studio to finish the followup to 2009’s Bible Belt, singer/songwriter Diane Birch passed the time between sessions by discussing musical influences with another group of up-and-coming New Yorkers, The Phenomenal Handclap Band. But the group wasn’t content to recall old tracks around a few drinks or spin some obscure vinyl; Birch and TPHB grabbed their instruments and recorded their take on some classic post-punk recordings.
Growing up the daughter of a conservative pastor, Birch spent her teenage years attending church, listening to hymns, and rebelling against a belief system. A self-described “Goth”, Birch spent her teens cloaked in black, sitting alone in her bedroom listening to bands like Sisters of Mercy, Peter Murphy, and Echo & The Bunnymen — all of which appear on the upcoming collab, The Velveteen Age.
Besides contributing a wicked backbeat, TPHB’s Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand performed production duties alongside S-Curve’s Steve Greenberg, with mixing courtesy of Steve Greenwell. And the transformation process was completed with help from Luke Riverside (guitar), Pier Pappalardo (bass), Patrick Wood (drums), and Quinn Luke (backing vocals).
Below, you can check out their take on Sister of Mercy’s “This Corrosion”, then peep the entire effort’s tracklist. The Velveteen Age will be available December 7th via S-Curve Records.
The Velveteen Age Tracklist:
01.This Corrosion (Sisters of Mercy)
02. Kiss Them For Me (Siouxsie & The Banshees)
03. Bring On The Dancing Horses (Echo & The Bunnymen)
04. Atmosphere (Joy Division)
05. Primary (The Cure)
06. Tarantula (This Mortal Coil)
07. A Strange Kind of Love (Peter Murphy)