New York six-piece Gnarcissists have announced a new EP, ‘Paradise Aquarium’, out November 13 through Killphonic Records. The first single, ‘Hi’, is out now with a new video.

The song was written during a period when vocalist Matthew Orr was spending a lot of time in hospital. That routine, and the strange comfort he began to associate with being there, became part of the song.

“Written during a period where being in the hospital had become almost routine,” Orr says. “There’s something surreal about being alone in a room full of machines.”

He describes the song as coming from a point where pain itself could begin to feel reassuring.

“The song came out of that strange space between wanting to disappear and wanting to feel something, where even pain can start to feel comforting because at least it proves you are still here.”

‘Paradise Aquarium’ was made during a difficult stretch for the band. Orr had been diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder after a serious accident, while illness, loss and changing relationships were all feeding into the writing.

It also changed the way Gnarcissists worked. Earlier songs had often grown through improvisation and live performance, but much of ‘Paradise Aquarium’ was written in a more controlled studio setting.

The EP was recorded at Sean Lennon’s home studio and produced by Ben Romans Hopcraft.

Gnarcissists began in a Brooklyn squat in the late 2010s, originally with Orr, Matt Tillwick and Jerome Peel. The current six-piece also includes Baby Delgado, Ben Arauz and James Hernandez, with members having played in or around Malice K, Pretty Sick, Navy Gangs and Taraneh.

Over the years they have shared stages with The Voidz, OSEES, Viagra Boys, Gibby Haynes, Fcukers and Surfbort.

‘Paradise Aquarium’ runs to six tracks: ‘Earl Grey’, ‘Hi’, ‘WOW’, ‘Space Ghost’, ‘Olive’ and ‘Baby Doll’.

The songs deal with wanting closeness while feeling increasingly removed from the people and places that once felt familiar. There are breakup songs, darker jokes and some fairly uncomfortable images, but the smallest details often say the most.

Headline credit: Jenna Murray

Gnarcissists Instagram / Bandcamp / YouTube