Never ones to fit squarely into the mold, Baltimore rock band Underlined Passages are about to release their new record, Neon Inoculation, in a way that defies the norm. As an experiment, they threw out the rule book and recorded the album as a series of singles released on Spotify, culminating in a full-length. In addition, they sequenced the record in the spirit of the traditional cassette mixtapes that the band members listened to in their youth.

Underlined Passages told the Big Takeover they chose the unconventional release method so their audience could choose which experience best fits their listening style and mood. Accordingly, the duo is releasing two different versions of the record on two separate digital platforms.

Curious how the experiment turned out? Well, right now you can catch a stream of the first round, which the band is calling Neon Inoculation (Mixtape), exclusively with us. Underlined Passages are making the album available later today as a YouTube-only release.

Neon Inoculation (Mixtape) is designed for the listener to engage music the way they would with a traditional record. Via YouTube, the listener can take in the sequence as one long movement with interspersed mini-songs and interludes/bagatelles — a shout-out to the lo-fi indie cassette mixtapes that preceded Internet 2.0 and social media.

Listen to Neon Inoculation (Mixtape) in its entirety right here:

Underlined Passages percussionist Jamaal Turner told the Big Takeover: “We wanted to try something new while we were in pandemic mode like everyone else and have fun experimenting.”

While the release of Neon Inoculation (Mixtape) is experimental in nature, its songs are a far cry from what indie fans commonly associate with “experimental music.” Rather, Neon Inoculation (Mixtape) is a breezy, easygoing affair, one that offers warm comfort to music lovers struggling through the pandemic.

Michael Nestor, guitarist and vocalist for the band, expressed his excitement for the release of Neon Inoculation (Mixtape).

“Jamaal and I spent lots of time on the phone in late 2019 talking about how we wanted to start trying out new things with the band, after making two records that seemed like they were bookends on a particular version of our sound,” he told the Big Takeover. “I hope people who listen to this get as much joy as I did after waiting for it all to come together as a whole, only working with it in bits and pieces during the process of recording it.”

The record is a keyboard-infused, shoegazey, pandemic-fueled reflection on what many went through and still feel today. The songs call to mind late-‘90s/early-‘oughts indie pop à la Nada Surf and Sunny Day Real Estate. Music connoisseurs might also detect notes of late-‘80s sophisti-pop/synth-pop and indie-pop reminiscent of Johnny Hates Jazz, Level 42, the Style Council and the Ocean Blue.

Underlined Passages give us a little hint at what influenced them on this record in the title of the second track, “The New Sincerity.” The term references the music scene in Austin, Texas, from 1985-‘90, centered around counterculture alternative-rock bands. Underlined Passages consider themselves kindred spirits of musicians from that scene.

Neon Inoculation (Mixtape) was recorded/engineered by Frank Marchand (Sugar, the Thermals) and mastered by Alan Douches (the Promise Ring, Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective).

For more on Underlined Passages, check out:

Spotify
Instagram
Band website