The germ of “Hard Work” dates back more than a decade to a cluster of ideas the Disappearing Act’s Bob Blumenfeld recorded on acoustic guitar with a simple electronic percussion loop.
“I remember being really excited about its subtle complexity when I wrote it in a single take,” says Blumenfeld, who was jazzed enough to pitch it to longtime cohort Salim Nourallah for the band’s 2015 LP, Born To Say Goodbye.
Childhood friends from El Paso, Texas, Blumenfeld and Nourallah debuted their Dallas-based recording project in 2010, leaning heavily into their love of new wave, glam and art rock. They later found a kindred spirit (and studio rat) in John Dufilho, who’s been a major factor in the group’s two most recent releases, including the upcoming Proof Of Existence and its lead single.
For whatever reason, “Hard Work” failed to make the cut back in the day and didn’t resurface until years later, when Blumenfeld created a piano part and Dufilho worked out a proper arrangement. Nourallah, meanwhile, added lyrics.
“I overheard someone saying it was hard work pretending to care about what their partner was saying to them, and it struck me as extraordinarily selfish and comically outrageous,” says Nourallah. “It was perfect fodder for a Disappearing Act song.”
We’re proud to premiere the Disappearing Act’s “Hard Work.” Proof Of Existence is out July 24 via Happiness (A Record Label).
—Hobart Rowland
