PREMIERE: No Summertime by Blanky
Out 10/9/20 on cassette via Manor Records
By Lilli Marvin
You need to know Blanky. Making “music for musicians” and avoiding any genre-coding, the Kansas-based group joins us on Honey Punch today to premiere their new record No Summertime. Best enjoyed over a cheap drink in a Lynchian, dimly lit cabaret theatre, this album speaks to fans of King Krule’s harsh eccentricity, David Bowie’s anthemic melancholy, and the Jacuzzi Boys’ noisy twang—all while bringing to the soundwaves a fresh take on philosophical dread and making homegrown music with your friends.
Founded by Max Smith and Anthony Cunard while featuring Maxfield Yoder on bass, No Summertime scratches an existential itch that many of us are suffering in the wake of pandemic politics and an Orwellian election cycle. The tracks at times are abrasive, other times deeply emotive, and consistently engaging. Within the vein of old school punk, Blanky seems to capitalize on both social and emotional discontent to produce art that celebrates such sorts of living pains. “When I write songs, I’m trying to engage with something fundamentally human,” Cunard says. Refreshingly, Blanky recognizes that a fundamental part of being human can be depressing—yet where this record’s strength lies is in the band’s ability to move past such negative principles and into a realm of feverish celebration of good and bad alike. “Some of our songs are sad,” Smith says, “but it’s music to help connect people.”
To honor important connections, No Summertime was engineered by Nick Semanchik in collaboration with Cunard and was mixed by Kevin Drew. Santo Rizzolo tracked drums, Joseph Makoviecki bass, and Edward Madill pedal steel. The cover art was created as a collaboration between Cunard and Smith. Manor Records, Kansas City’s DIY record label, is releasing the record both digitally and on cassette. Now, the only connection left to be made is you—check out this exclusive premiere on Honey Punch, and stream No Summertime, out now on digital platforms below!
Also be sure to tune into our Instagram on today for a Blanky takeover on our account and a look into a day in the life of these existential shoe-rockers. Be there!
