salamander

On tooth/waste EP, salamander’s first ever release,the eclectic musical sensibilities of pea jay and Leo Frampton are channeled into four songs which are equal parts experimental and catchy. The two songwriters, who met while attending SUNY Purchase in 2019, immediately decided to begin collaborating on music, playing their first show together as “salamander” within their first month of friendship. pea jay’s expressive use of digital production combines with his unconventional approach to guitar to emphasize texture, while Leo Frampton’s sense of melody and affinity for contagious hooks make the tracks appetizing to a wide variety of audiences, giving each song  a classic sounding pop appeal. The two singers trade off lead vocals and harmonies while playing multiple instruments in the recordings. Their signature approach results in inventive song structures that stand out to most ears. These tracks were brought to Arden Yonkers (Wild Pink, Matthew Danger Lippman) who recorded them in Catskill and Buffalo NY. The songs water and toothpaste foodwaste were recorded during the Covid quarantine days in Arden’s highway-side apartment in the Catskill mountains, which was connected to a junk shop owned by his landlord. The sessions featured hushed harmonies and delicate acoustic guitar. A year later, the band traveled to Arden’s new house in Buffalo, New York enlisting the bassist Alex Beach for her signature noise-influenced bass tone and inventive technical playing to record the louder more industrial tracks Total Information and NBA. The EP was mastered by award-winning engineer Sarah Register. As of 2022 and beyond, salamander is a three piece with drummer Ben Verde, who will be an essential part of an upcoming LP which is currently in the works.