Heather Trost - Petrichor

"It’s hard to not get jaded about music itself when one deals with the ins and outs on a daily basis of what remains of the music industry. And then, well, you know how it is--when presented with music that’s actually fresh and unique, or simply flipping good, not only are we reuinited with the reason we all are grinding away here, but it’s very difficult to not resort to superlatives."

So we will do our best to stick to the facts here. But just do yourself a huge favor, and let this album wash over you, right now."

Third Man Records is "chuffed" to present us with the New Mexico-based artist Heather Trost’s second - or possibly third depending on your maths - solo full-length album. Petrichor is fresh, unique, and really flipping good.

Sonically, this modern psychedelic pop music is as experimental as it is accessible. Petrichor was recorded between 2018 and 2019 by Heather Trost and her husband Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel) at their home studio. The two are community activists in New Mexico, urban gardeners, and full-time musicians.

Trost has an impressive body of work, notably in collaboration with husband Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel) on their own record label Living Music Dupli-Cation, and their dazzling and uncategorizable Eastern European folk-influenced band A Hawk And A Hacksaw, where she sings and plays violin, autoharp, keyboards, and other instruments. In the last two decades, Trost has toured and recorded with dozens of artists, including Jospehine Foster, Thor and his Friends, Claire Cronin, and the Swans.

Fans of A Hawk And A Hacksaw might be surprised at how different Trost sounds; she describes the difference as working in “two different languages.” Trost explains that “recording music and writing songs reminds me of making a collage or a quilt.” When I was young I laid in the sand of a dry river bed in the desert sun/ I’ll think of you in the canyon, winter won’t last so long/ Petrichor I feel your shadow in the morning air -- “Petrichor“.

These seven lush, beautiful songs defy easy categorization, gleefully mixing elements from multiple genres--but it’s never to impress you or show off. You might not even notice how smart the record is until a fifth listen, a testament to how much work was put into the futuristic and shimmering record. “ We all can have a hard time holding on to a shred of hope.

With Trost’s 'Petrichor', we have a record that sounds like the soundtrack to what might come next, on the off chance that what comes next really doesn’t suck. “Even though shit had yet to hit the fan when I wrote these songs,” Trost says, “2019 also felt like such a crazy year in terms of what was happening in the world, I felt like I needed to remind myself to have joy and love in my heart. It’s something I meditate on a lot, especially when it seems like the world is ending.”

"As the rain renews the thirsty soil, let Heather Trost's 'Petrichor' soothe your soul and wake up your ears. Swirling vintage keys, propulsive drum beats, and the sweetest of voices bloom and grow here." - Naomi Yang, Galaxie 500.

With help from Greg Butera on guitars and Rosie Hutchinson on background vocals.

P.S. The album title 'Petrichor' is the smell that rises from dry ground after rainfall.

SIDE 1:
1. Let It In
2. Love It Grows
3. Tracks to Nowhere
SIDE 2:
1. I'll Think of You
2. Jump Into The Fire
3. VK09
4. Sunrise