Market

On his debut for Western Vinyl, Nate Mendelsohn and his band Market use lyrical maximalism for the powers of good. Where his previous home recorded releases shifted genre restlessly, on "The Consistent Brutal Bullshit Gong" Mendelsohn and his band carve out space for his words to speak through with humor and intensity.

Though he comes from a background in experimental music, Mendelsohn’s ear for pop has prevailed. Certain moments on the album reveal his stranger side, as on the thundering bridge of “Scar,” which sounds like a more unhinged Parquet Courts, or the angular “I Would Do That,” which takes cues from Cate Le Bon. On the whole, though, the band maintains an intention toward directness. Guitars and synthesizers tangle fluidly over top of the rhythm section’s tight bedrock, evoking the clarity of Elliott Smith or Big Thief.

After college, Mendelsohn became an engineer at the Brooklyn studio Figure 8 Recording. Through that community he’s recorded artists like Frankie Cosmos and Wendy Eisenberg, and played with Yaeji, Vagabon, Katie Von Schleicher (who co-produced the album with him), and Sam Evian (who mixed it).

Market's first album, "Not Good at Spending Time Alone" was a collection of bedroom recordings about obsessive thinking and "hygiene". It is featured in James Acaster's book, Perfect Sound Whatever and on his BBC Podcast. A second album, "Yuy", followed in 2020. Market's live form currently features Stephen Becker, Natasha Thweatt, and Duncan Standish.