If there’s a unifying theme to Spaceface’s new LP, it’s about savoring moments of whimsy and absurdism in an impersonal world—the sort of world that “wants to translate your love and art into loveless data,” says Jake Ingalls, co-founder of the Los Angeles-based neo-psych collaborative.
Formed in 2011, the original Spaceface featured two former members with ties to the Flaming Lips: roadie/guitarist Ingalls and guitar tech Matthew Strong. But it’s Ingalls and Eric Martin who’ve been the crucial common denominator through three albums. Spaceface’s latest, Lunar Manor, is set for release August 22 on Mothland.
“Spaceface has typically been a big collaborative effort that ultimately gets filtered through my lens,” says Ingalls. “For this record, we made the conscious decision to give Eric the reigns. This is the most ‘Eric Martin’ Spaceface has ever been, and it’s made this effort the most relaxed and fun to do.”
“Be Here Forever,” the follow-up single to Spaceface’s funked-up variation on the Verve’s well-traveled “Bitter Sweet Symphony,” was inspired by a pair of dual obsessions. “It’s a synthesis of what the two of us love the most. Eric loves—and sometimes writes and learns—Burt Bacharach-style music in his free time. I love (synth pioneer) Wendy Carlos and felt particularly inspired by her Switched-On series.”
The video neatly bundles up Lunar Mansion’s joy-at-all-costs mission statement in a strikingly effective visual of a bartender dancing his way through a shift. “It can suck to show up early and do that sort of work, day in and day out,” says Ingalls. “There’s a power to reclaiming that time as your own. That was the vision for the video.”
We’re proud to premiere Spaceface’s “Be Here Forever” video.
—Hobart Rowland
See Spaceface live.
