Maryland experimental pop artist Gabriel Walsh, known as The Earthly Frames, continues to expand his sonic universe with Vanity Pressing, the latest installment in his decade-long Rainbow Table album series.
You get the record when it arrives September 8, with the first single, “Gallows Girls,” and the second single, “Birthday Effect.”
You’ll hear a daring shift into accessible pop without losing his signature experimental edge as Vanity Pressing examines “the double-edged nature of solipsism, the tension between depression and aggrandizement.”
You can credit vocalists Shirley Kudirka, Aloysius Fortune, Katherine Koherence, Busayo Oninla, and longtime collaborator Graham Hopkins on drums, and mastering by Timothy Stollenwerk, as the project blends synthetic textures with organic instrumentation for what critics call “hypnotic, energetic, and unlike anything you’ve heard before.”
You get the lead single “Gallows Girls” featuring Busayo Oninla showcasing Walsh’s retro futuristic pop instincts, while “Birthday Effect” highlights Shirley Kudirka’s ethereal vocals against lush, layered production. Together, these tracks preview a full album that’s as accessible as it is complex, an artistic leap forward in the Rainbow Table’s violet chapter.
You should note that Maryland-based Gabriel Walsh has been creating music as The Earthly Frames since the mid-1990s, building a catalog that blends retro and modern styles, meticulous craftsmanship, and fearless experimentation. His ongoing Rainbow Table series seeks to create a full-length LP for each color in the ROYGBIV spectrum, and following the indigo-themed Infranyms (2022), Vanity Pressing represents the violet spectrum and his boldest statement yet, an album that bridges avant garde sensibilities and hook-laden pop.