“Oregon doom-folk legends Insomniac Folklore are pleased to announce the release of their latest EP, a narrative-driven collection of songs known as Hands, Lips & Eyes.
These songs were originally intended to be part of a sprawling multimedia performance the band had been plotting for over a decade. After simmering on the back burner for so long, it became clear that the rock opera as envisioned was not coming together any time soon. “As time went on, we realized if these songs were ever going to be released, we should do it now,” said frontman and songwriter Tyler Hentschel.
“These songs are pretty personal to me, maybe even a bit uncomfortable at times,” Hentschel notes. “I think these songs have had the benefit of being reworked a bit and maturing along with me. This project started as a way for me to process my own relationship trauma, that element is still there, but I feel that the initial rawness and hurt has turned to clarity and focus. These are ultimately better songs now and this is the right band lineup to take this on with me.”
On April 11th of 2024 the band entered the studio together to perform the songs live in- studio. “This is our first time doing a live studio recording,” said Hentschel. “I wasnt sure how things would go at first, but everyone really blew me away by their energy and what they brought to the process. I think we captured something really special.” With its themes of love and betrayal, heartbreak, madness and redemption, long-time listeners of Insomniac Folklore will find this album something of a return to form. Newer listeners will appreciate the continuation of the musical journey of 2017’s Everything Will Burn with its complex, heavier sound.
Opening with a haunting vocals-only intro track, our story begins with the scrappy punk attention-grabber “Piss-Poor Song” punctuated by aggressive breakdowns. The long-awaited studio recording of “Halloween” brings the raw passion and energy that have made the song a popular fixture of live shows. Moody “Haunted” and folk-rock creeper ballad “Hands, Lips, & Eyes” embrace a dreamy vintage tone reminiscent of 1960s California. Our story climaxes with the dynamic (and schizophrenic!) “O Lord,” starting with a whisper and building to a meteoric swell of sound. In conclusion, “Passionately” provides an emotional acapella denoument, urging audiences to love well and to weigh the consequences of their actions with care.
We are excited to put this out on vinyl. May people (possibly even you) have asked for it, and we feel this is the best way to make it happen! We are also looking forward to presenting the full band finished product along side the early acoustic demo versions of these songs in this special ‘Devoted Edition’.”