Life is Swell

Taking a little break from the No Idea thing I've got going (and trust me, it's a super little break) to talk about a cool release from a cool band on a pretty cool label. 

Drug Church - Swell - No Sleep Records - First Press - Clear W/ Green Haze /550 

This has seen an initial press of 1000 across three variants including the No Sleep Sub Colour, and the pressing info breaks this one down as the most common variant. 

Before we get into colour talks, I want to have a quick talk about the cover photography, handled by Mitchell Wojcik. The art is a little distorted but I believe it's a person walking by a car. The photograph is tied to the reputation of the photographer though, and Wojcik has captured some of the best moments in punk and hardcore. Maybe you've seen the before and after photos of Pat Flynn from the final Have Heart show? That's the importance of this cover art, don't let the fancy screened B-Side and high grade dust cover make you lose sight of what's really going on here. 

Back Cover // B-Side 

Fairly minimal on the design front here, just the things that need to be seen. The dust covers are the same that No Sleep have been using for a quick minute. No Sleep logo on the A-Side and 'Death to False Music' on the back. 

A quick close up of the B-Side. This was drawn up by Cory Galusha and was used as a shirt design that you can still grab from No Sleep. It kind of carries on the creepy, slightly off centre and weird art that has ran through all of the Drug Church releases. Galusha also plays guitar in the band, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's been handling the art from day one. 

Maybe the black variant of this would've allowed a clearer image on the B-Side; but the way the colours bleed in and out of the design are kind of fitting too I guess. Also, this variant goes with the art really well. 

Insert. 

Single sided, single sheet deal. Lyrics, personnel, recording/mixing/mastering/art credits and thanks. The only thing to note is that this was recorded by J. Robbins, and sounds so good. As far as the music is concerned, it feels like the sound is really focused and hits the way that best compliments the structure of the songs. It's strange to say, but you know how Please Remain Calm by Hostage Calm had these weird moments that seemed a little removed from how they really should've been? Maybe a drum sound wasn't quite thick enough, or a vocal harmony fell a little weird? This has none of that. 

Finally 

Stickered shrinkwrap. This is pretty neat I guess, especially for shop buyers who want a rough idea of what you're getting. This is a great example, looking at a sealed copy of this in a shop, you know what colour you're getting if you're in to variants and know ahead of time that it's either black or an online sub colour exclusive up for grabs on this record? You know what you're getting before you really get it. Me personally, shop buying kinds of adds a little surprise to things, so this could bug me a little at times. I'm sure the infrequency of it makes life bearable though... 

Cheers!