November 27th at Flicker Bar
Poppies, Nihilist Cheerleader & Sarah Swillum
9pm | $5 | 21+ Only
♥ Irrelevant Music 2018 ♥

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Poppies is the ever-changing recording project of Brooklyn-based songwriters May Rio and Ian Langehough. Rio and Langehough’s friendship initially blossomed while the two were stuck in an apartment for 24 hours during a snowstorm in the winter of 2016, while bonding over They Live and spiked hot chocolate. Not long into their friendship the pair began recording intimate demos in Langehough’s bedroom, ripe with abstract lyrics and moody instrumentals. Both coming from visual art backgrounds, Rio and Langehough wanted the project to be unbound by the parameters of any genre or live arrangement. Instead, Poppies has taken whatever shape feels right in the moment, but remains unified by the band’s tender arrangements and introspective storytelling. Drawing inspiration from earnest indie acts like Yo La Tango and inventive songwriters like R. Stevie Moore, Poppies has crafted a sound that is as dissonant as it is harmonious. After dozens of home recordings, Poppies began testing out the tracks live with a four piece band, regularly playing shows in Brooklyn’s DIY scene alongside bands like Operator Music Band, Sean Henry, and Anna McClellan. Longtime collaborator Keith Rowland initially filled out the band's rhythm section, and contributed to some of the band's early releases. Now with Ajax Abernathy on drums, Rio and Langehough began recording their proper debut with producer and engineer Hunter Davidsohn this spring.