Indie Rock / Power Pop artist THE PERSIAN LEAPS Release New Single ‘Sweeps’ ahead of ‘Drone Etiquette’ LP Release on October 1st
See The Graham Coath Interview Drew Forsberg From The Persian Leaps
St. Paul – Minneapolis, Minnesota – indie rock / power pop outfit THE PERSIAN LEAPS are back with the second (and final) single from their ‘Drone Etiquette’ album. ‘Sweeps’ uses the television industry as a metaphor for desperation and failure. “They decided when we leave / They’ll put the whole thing on TV / And the ratings will determine our return.”
The Spill Magazine says this is “a little bit of R.E.M., a little bit Lemonheads. A dash of The Smiths, a hint of The Replacements. They appeal to fans of Throwing Muses and Tom Petty equally. They are the all-reaching, down to earth, good American indie rock that so many seek”. And if you enjoy a good rant about Trump, there’s more in the first single “When This Gets Out”.
Hear ‘SWEEPS’ https://thepersianleaps.bandcamp.com/track/sweeps
Hailing from St.Paul – Minneapolis, Minnesota The Persian Leaps has gone through various lineups but has always surrounded principal songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Drew Forsberg. Embedded on a magnetic alternative rock foundation, the latest musical output continues The Persian Leaps’ tradition of producing power pop earworms with midwestern charm and an inherent element of 90s ‘college rock’.
“The song ‘Sweeps’ uses the television industry as a metaphor for desperation and failure. I started with the main riff and these lines and then built a song around them: They decided when we leave / They’ll put the whole thing on TV / And the ratings will determine our return. I’m not sure if it still matters during the streaming era, but “sweeps week” was a period when broadcast television networks would go all-out to achieve the highest possible ratings so they could charge more for advertising. Sweeps inspired some cheap, crazy, desperate stunts over the years – like the “Happy Days” episode where Fonzi jumps over a shark on water skis, which led to the phrase “jump the shark,” says Forsberg.
“The exact subject of the song is open for interpretation. I wasn’t thinking about a romantic relationship when writing this song, although you could certainly interpret it that way. Usually, however, these things are about the band and my struggles with success and achieving wider recognition for the Persian Leaps. That’s the story I’d like to go with—”last release, we were on top of the world but this time around, things aren’t going well and we’re one bad review away from cancellation.” Of course, we were never actually on top of the world, and the new EP is FANTASTIC, but I’m entitled to take some artistic license. Nevertheless, just to be safe, buy “Drone Etiquette” and help send our ratings through the roof.”
The band-name ‘The Persian Leaps’ came to Forsberg in a daydream during a college Greek Archaeology class. Writing solo music under that name for years, he finally assembled a band in 2012, releasing an EP every autumn until 2017. NME Magazinedescribed their debut ‘Praise Elephants’ EP (2013) as “celestial guitar jangle”. From their sophomore‘Drive Drive Delay’ EP in 2014 to their fifth ‘Bicycle Face’ EP, their music has been widely praised. Delivering one perfect power pop cocktail after another, they eventually released their 18-track‘Pop That Goes Crunch’ anthology in 2018.
That year, the Leaps returned to their roots as a studio project, releasing the‘Electrical Living’ LP in 2019 and the‘Smiling Lessons’ EP in 2020 together with Jon Hunt, a musician and graphic designer who did the cover artwork for most of the band’s releases to date. During the 2020-2021 pandemic, Forsberg recorded ‘Drone Etiquette’ EP as a solo effort, primarily due to lockdown limitations.
As of September 17, ‘Sweeps’ will be available exclusively via Bandcamp, where the lead single ‘When This Gets Out’ can already be found. On October 1, the full ‘Drone Etiquette’ album will be released on CD and online platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. It is already available for pre-order via Bandcamp.
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