HANDS AND KNEES // RED HOT MINNOW // CASSETTE+DIGITAL JUNE 23rd

RED HOT MINNOW ALBUM ART
RED HOT MINNOW PURCHASE LINK
HANDS AND KNEES PHOTOS: KNIFE / HOUSE

Red Hot Minnow is Hands and Knees’ newest creation, due out on cassette via Primordial Sounds this summer [LINK]. The physical medium is integral to this release; all the songs were laid to 8-track cassette tape, with the exception of opener “Pinwheel” which was recorded to 4-track. That process yielded the Massachusetts quartet’s followup to 2011’s Wholesome LP, the vinyl self-release that garnered affection from just about every local publication from The Globe to The Phoenix.

Think of Red Hot Minnow as a Stax release to Wholesome’s Motown sheen. At its center is Hands and Knees’ signature Americana turbo-pop, but things are a bit rough around the edges. This is intentional, as it adds just the right amount of bite to Nick Branigan’s drumming on “Gracie”, just the right amount of grease to Scott Hoffman’s guitar on “Cool”. Songs were written around increasingly busy schedules involving newlyweds and newborns. In fact, guitarist Joe OK wrote “Sagapow” for his wife and first played it at their wedding; “Monsters” is for bassist Carina Grenham’s baby boy. Recording was also a family affair, as this marks the first Hands and Knees release to feature guest musicians, all close friends and members of Boston’s music community.

Boston blog-turned-label Primordial Sounds is releasing Red Hot Minnow on a first-edition of 100 cassettes, all coming with a free digital download. Once all cassettes are sold, the album will be available for digital purchase via iTunes, bandcamp, and more. Order a copy via Primordial Sounds, or pick up a tape at the Red Hot Minnow release party: Saturday June 23rd at Lorem Ipsum Books in Cambridge’s Inman Square with Happy Jawbone Family Band and Fedavees.

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FEATURED PRESS for WHOLESOME
“The group’s strength — besides a flair for well-turned hooks and dash of grand drama — lies in the sweet and sour contrast of [singer/guitarist Joe] O’Brien’s and bassist Carina Kelly’s voices… There’s lots to love here, and Wholesome more than measures up.” 
-The Boston Globe 

“Hands and Knees have crafted an record that sounds as if it was drafted in different decades but on the same equipment… This quartet are, ladies and gents, one of the best pop bands in New England. Definitely One to Watch in 2011.”
-Ryan’s Smashing Life

“…the self-released Wholesome is earmarked to be one of 2k11’s finest releases”
-The Boston Phoenix

“In fact it seemingly picked up where… Et tu, Fluffy? left off, delivering more great hooks, more toe-tapping finger-snapping singalongs, and perhaps more dynamic range than we’d seen from them – a remarkable feat.”
-Boston Band Crush

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