Chicago Tribune
“Poison Arrows finally hit their sonic mark”
Time Out Chicago
“The Arrows encompass everything that was great about their previous acts: an intricate, propulsive rhythm section; challenging yet immediate melodies adventurously wrangled out of the muscular flexing; and, when it comes to disheveling song structure, a fuck-it attitude.”
Prefix
“First Class, and Forever combines all of what made Trans-Europe Express and Songs About Fucking classics without sacrificing anything, be it ethics, art, or lifestyle. It’s a virtually flawless album that accomplishes all its goals... if you're a music nerd who likes smart rock 'n' roll that doesn't cater to trends, this album is essential.”
Leo Weekly
“The songwriting and instrumentation is as innovative as it is complex. The album really needs to be heard to be believed; this is not your average indie-rock fare.”
Rcrdlbl.com
“The Arrows are making future music informed by the past in the present, and its up to us to tune in.”
ABOUT:
After two CDEP's, Chicago's The Poison Arrows return with their long-awaited debut album First
Class, and Forever. Guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist Justin Sinkovich (ex
Atombombpocketknife) first released a solo EP entitled Trailer Park as The Poison Arrows in
2004 on File Thirteen. He, drummer Adam Reach, and bassist Patrick Morris (ex Don Caballero)
then began playing together. While completing the overdubbing, editing, and mixing of their first
EP Straight Into The Drift in their studio The Plaza, The Poison Arrows began to write songs
together as a band. After a year had passed, far more than an album's worth of music
materialized.
The Poison Arrows then went into Steve Albini's Electrical Audio Studio A with staff engineer and
long- time friend Greg Norman to record the basic tracks for over a dozen songs. After completing
the basic tracks at Electrical, all of the overdubs were recorded at The Plaza. As the band
continued to finish mixes for First Class, and Forever, the second EP Casual Wave was
completed from the same sessions.
The release of Casual Wave in August of 2008 showed a substantial evolution of The Poison
Arrows into a band. The sounds from Electrical Audio are embraced instead of drastically
manipulated like the previous EP, while overdubs follow structures that were previously decided
upon by live arrangements.
First Class, and Forever takes these Electrical sessions far further with more complex songwriting
and instrumentation. Patrick Morris's bass playing anchors the songs' melodies with complex
compositions and an unusually extensive array of bass effects. Drummer Adam Reach provides
thunderous drumming captured in classic Albini form. Sinkovich instrumentally relies on a maze
of guitar lines and a variety of synthesizers sounds, while his vocals glue together each
meandering soundtrack with a stark delivery of heady prose. Brian Case from The Ponys, 90 Day
Men, and Disappears contributes vocals with Sinkovich on two of the album's tracks "Total
Beverage" and "Twenty Percent Brighter." Eric Chaleff from Sterling, Follows, and Bloodiest
adds striking guitar lines on "Twenty Percent Brighter" as well. The combination of this wide
variety of elements has created a complex and intense post-progressive neo-surrealist ten-track
album.
The Poison Arrows have toured in the Midwest and East Coast with the likes of Battles, Holy
Fuck, Boris, Bellini, Lords, Department of Eagles, Enon, Thalia Zedek, Indian, Born Ruffians, All the Saints,
Cadence Weapon, Dianogah, Shipping News, School of Language, Cursive, Young Widows, and many more. They will be
touring extensively for the release of First Class, and Forever.
The band has also been featured in a number of publications including Blender, XLR8R,
Skyscraper, Maxim, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, Time Out Chicago, Rhapsody.com, Rcrdlbl.com, Prefix, Ghetto
Blaster, Livedaily.com, and Popmatters.com
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