Estonian shoegazers, Pia Fraus, unveil another new single off their upcoming album, Empty Parks, scheduled to come out January 20th, 2020 through Seksound. It will be the band's sixth full length, and the follow up to the excellent, Field Ceremony from 2017. Pia Fraus' path goes as far back as 1998. They've been a steady force in the European shoegaze and dreampop scene ever since.
Empty Parks, which is already shaping up as one of the strongest early releases of 2020, was produced and mixed by John McEntire (Tortoise, The Sea and Cake, Stereolab, Broken Social Scene, Teenage Fanclub) at Soma Electronic Music Studios in Nevada City, California, and mastered by Lauri Liivak.
"This is the poppiest album we've ever made," says frontman Rein Fuks. "It's melancholy and happy at the same time - definitely happier than our latest Field Ceremony album. To work with John McEntire was my teenage wet dream. I have been a massive fan of John's work over the years, and I never thought that one day I have a chance to sit next to this guy and make my own record. Of course, it was quite challenging and stressful for me."
"Although the process of making this album wasn't been the easiest, I associate this album relates mostly with the feeling of happiness and positivism," adds vocalist Eve Komp. "The awareness of being able to be hopeful and make jokes about life even if everything seems to going downhill."
The new album also marks the return of drummer Joosep Volk to the band's roster after a long while. He reveals: "Personally, Empty Parks means a lot. It's sort of a homecoming to me. 16 years has past since I last played with the rest of the group and when Rein asked me to return, I never thought twice. Understanding that sometimes things do fall apart and you just have to pick yourself up and deal with it. Life is deviously clever, we just have to endure."
Love Sports finds Pia Fraus taking a bit of a more upbeat, synthpop approach akin to Stereolab, with losing the wistful character of their established dreampop sound.
Pia Fraus are Eve Komp, Kärt Ojavee, Rein Fuks, Reijo Tagapere and Joosep Volk. The band will soon embark on a series of live dates in Europe and Japan alongside Ringo Deathstarr and Bertoia.
Cover art by Kaarel Vahtramäe
Artist photo by Joosep Volk
TOUR DATES
Jan. 17 Tallinn, Estonia - Von Krahli Theater
Jan. 18 Tartu, Estonia - Armastuse saal, Aparaaditehas
Jan. 28 Tokyo, Japan - LUSH, Shibuya (with Bertoia, Seventeen Years Old And Berlin Wall)
Jan. 30 Nagoya, Japan - Tightrope, Aichi (with Ringo Deathstarr)
Jan. 31 Osaka, Japan - americamura FANJ twice (with Ringo Deathstarr)
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