Abbreviations
ABBREVIATIONS | “TURN ON YOU” (SINGLE) | RED ZEPPELIN RECORDS | JUNE 18TH, 2021
Bio:
Abbreviations is a rock band from Dallas.
Also a pop band, an alternative band, and a supergroup (of sorts) i.e. members Ashley Leer (Guitar / Vox), Matt Leer (Guitar), Chad Walls (Bass), and Tony Wann (Drums) have played in many of the city’s most active bands over the years.
Staying active makes you strong, makes you super. “Turn On You,” the upcoming debut single from Abbreviations (Red Zeppelin, June 18th) radiates understated power.
No wonder that producer Stuart Sikes (himself a Grammy®-winning superpower for his work on Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose, in addition to his credits with The White Stripes, Modest Mouse, Phosphorescent, Cat Power, and many more) signed on to helm “Turn On You.”
The oomph of Walls’ concise bass playing, the interplay of the Leer’s melancholy guitar lines, the subtle crack of Wann’s snare, and Ashley’s hypnotic vocals all come together to leave you wanting more and wondering when.
“It’s about that moment where you realize you have feelings for someone other than the one you’re with,” Ashley says of the tune. “Are these feelings real? ‘Turn On You’ feels like a love song, and it is, but it’s also about the guilt for having those feelings.”
The song is deeper than most dream pop songs will go, typically awash in too much dream to be this lucid. Ashley naturally comes from a place of authenticity when it comes to lyricism, but it was not always that way.
“I had previously only written lyrics when I was forced to do so, usually the day before we recorded,” she explains.
However, in 2016, when she found out that her father (a professional bassist who taught her the guitar) only had a year to live, writing became the way to cope.
“I needed to write songs about all these thoughts exploding in my head. I had never really thought about death, and it made me take a step back and reflect on my life, the people I hurt, and the people I loved. Suddenly, I had plenty to write about.”
With lyrics no longer forced, Ashley’s candor in her writing and performance makes the first effort by this supergenre supergroup (stated influences range from The Jesus Lizard to Drake, Fugazi to Joni Mitchell, Sonic Youth to Broadcast, The Police to The Beatles) more memorable.
Abbreviations is clearly more than just a rock band from Dallas.
“Turn On You,” the first single by Abbreviations, is out June 18th on the female-owned and operated McKinney, Texas-based label Red Zeppelin, a recent outgrowth of the beloved local record store.
NEWS:
PRESS QUOTES:
“Radiates an understated power... all coming together to leave you wanting more.”
“A Texas indie band that merges haunting melodies, rich spaced-out guitar tones and somber lyrical themes... merges psychedelia and dream pop into their sound, pulling from each member’s rich history in the local music scene.”
Abbreviations (L-R): Chad Walls, Ashley Leer, Tony Wann, Matt Leer. Photo Credit: Leyton Cheek. Click for hi-res.
Abbreviations (L-R): Chad Walls, Matt Leer, Tony Wann, Ashley Leer. Photo Credit: Leyton Cheek. Click for hi-res.
“Turn On You” single cover art. Click for hi-res.
“Trick” single cover art. Click for hi-res.