North Carolina sure has been producing a great deal of super artists as of late – The Veldt, The Mystery Plan, Crooked Ghost, Polly Panic, and Morning Bells, to name but a few.

Today we present you another rocking contribution to the national music scene from Raleigh.Music stalwarts Lazaris Pit will be releasing their new Coniphers album, preceded by the lead single, which we are premiering today – ‘You Don’t Tag Me In Memes Anymore’. This is a modern-day break-up song, often detached from the moments that make life worth living and musing on the deeper workings of it all with the grim reality that someone important has moved on.

The B-side ‘Cloudsculpting’ showcases another facet of this album, evoking the image of spending a dreamy tranquil day, gazing up at the clouds and imagining what it might be like to live peacefully high up in the fluff and blue sky.

Lazaris Pit takes us on a journey to the past, while firmly grounded in the present – their raucous live aesthetic summons the spirit and vibe of Dinosaur Jr., Weezer, The Dubrovniks, and Green Day, with a dose of wit from Ween or Sultans of Ping. This is the sound that has become a classic college rock staple for a good reason – the same reason why ‘Memes’ and ‘Cloudsculpting’ should be your daily wake-up call or motivation music.

Formed in June 2017, this self-named “pack of cosmic dogs” consists of Ely “Salted Sweet Cream” Yarbrough (guitar and lead vocals), Cameron “Sugarfoot” Preston (bass), and Jon “Dok Tok” Castro (drums and backing vocals).

‘Our album ‘Coniphers’ is named after a brother of ours lost along the way. Included are 8 tracks of the good stuff, heady grooves and sweet pop tunes, funk breakdowns to zero gravity ambience…. 42 minutes of rock n roll,” says Cameron Preston.

“Lead track ‘You Don’t Tag Me In Memes Anymore’ is a microcosm of the album as a whole, embodying our familiar Lazaris Pit sound. Is ‘Memes’ a pop song with a punk twist or is it a shoegaze song with some pep in its step? We aren’t quite sure what to call it, but we know it has been lighting up faces whenever mentioned and burning down dance floors when played live,” says Ely Yarbrough.

Coniphers was recorded live in studio from November 2019 to January 2020, showcasing a band playing like a pack of hungry dogs, sinking their teeth into a meaty T-bone for the first time in ages. Recorded and mixed by Artem Smirnov at Common Thread Studios in Raleigh with additional engineering and creative input from Michael Graziano and Matt Graham, this album was mastered by Alexander Kretov at Ummagma Studio.

Lazaris Pit freely improvises a dreamy blend of punk, funk, soul, psychedelia, reggae, jazz, noise, and ambience into a one-of-a-kind dance party. The result: a mind meld of musical tapestries that take the listener on an emotional journey through time and space, and ourselves in the process.

They’ve brought their unique brand of rock-n-roll far and wide, having played shows up and down the east coast and southeast from Philly to Atlanta and New York to New Orleans, their sound filling large festival fields, historic college campuses, and the most intimate of dive bars and clubs.

Noting music aesthetic and sound inspirations in the sense of a launch pad rather than as blueprints, Lazaris Pit counts Fugazi and Grateful Dead among their inspirations, as well as classic R&B, Phish, Curtis Mayfield, Cream, Pink Floyd, Ween, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Primus, Flaming Lips, Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, and Yo La Tengo.

As of April 24, ‘You Don’t Tag Me In Memes Anymore’ will be available everywhere digitally. The full Coniphers album will be released on May 22 and can already be pre-ordered via Bandcamp

CREDITS
Recorded and mixed by Artem Smirnov at Common Thread Studios, Raleigh NC
Additional engineering and creative input from Michael Graziano and Matt Graham
Mastered by Alex Kretov at Ummagma Studio
Album artwork by Nicole “Henry Gozoozu” Boyle
All lyrics and music by Lazaris Pit (Yarbrough, Preston, Castro)

Also check out this live rendition of “You Don’t Tag Me in Memes Anymore”, performed in Athens, Georgia.

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