Copyslut Introduces The Decade With Their Full Length Album “Sex, Death and Other People’s Money”
Listen to the Full Album Here
Art by: Reiko Rasch
January 7, 2020 - Oakland cabaret rock band Copyslut is starting the decade off strong, delivering fans their debut album “Sex, Death, and Other People’s Money” on January 24th. The album follows the release of “Neon Razberries”, “Makers Mark” and “The Offering”, which were instant hits in 2019. Recorded at Airship Laboratories in Richmond, CA, Copyslut’s album coins a sound all its own with soaring vocals, theatrical-like song structures, powerful guitar riffs and experimental saxophone. Members Chatz of Love, Ray Zamora and Eli Maliwan co-produced the album with Grammy Award winning arranger, producer and engineer Nahuel Bronzini, who’s previous work includes Fantastic Negrito’s “Please Don’t Be Dead”.
The album is a true 70’s homage with their rocking musical style, visual art done by a traditional artist, and by using only analog inputs while recording. It has a vintage feel and grittiness while still feeling polished and refined. Their songs each have captivating colors that are unique to the music that comes out of the Bay Area and Oakland. Guitarist Ray Zamora reflects on the experience, “The live room in Airship had a magical vibe to it- having hosted several Bay Area bands over the decades, it had customizable lighting that we tailored for each track we recorded. Makers Mark was a deep and angry red, Afterglow a golden hue, and Psychopomp a similar aqua-seafoam landscape you can find on our album artwork by Reiko Rasch. It really helped us channel our intentions while we recorded the songs.”
The album spearheads a larger conversation around connection, self-love, healing and what it means to be someone who straddles the edges of culture and society. They brought in close friends and fellow musicians to guest on their album, with the intention to recreate the close-knit community vibe they came up in. You’ll hear crooning cello, flute, mandolin, slide guitar, sax, piano, rhodes, and more creating a rich landscape that captures their intersecting identities, genre fluidity and what it feels like to see them live. They didn’t hold back. Ray’s groovy riffs sets the vibe while Chatz’s vocals reach through the recordings and bring you into the worlds they create.
“Recording ‘Sex, Death, and Other People’s Money’ was a magical experience. We were able to camp out in the studio in two different stretches of time. We did over a week of basic tracking and 5 days of overdubbing. I had my vocal booth completely tailored to my quirks and needs. I made an altar with stuffed animals from childhood, stones, albums that have inspired me, and twinkle lights in front of heavy dark blue curtains. I was in a little bubble and I would get naked, meditate and bare my soul in the booth. I focused on reaching out through the microphone into the world on the other side. I would visualize myself in my different stages of life and I visualized reaching the people who need to hear these words too. We wrote these songs for ourselves and our own healing first. It was a trippy experience reliving, revisiting and invoking the emotions I felt when we first wrote the songs. There was an integration of the traumas and losses that came from some of the heavier songs and a powerful balancing growth that came from the lighter songs. Everything started to feel a little more ‘right sized’ in my life. I can't wait to hit the booth with album number two.” - Chatz Of Love Lead Singer
Nahuel remarked while working through the songs during pre-production, “There are no filler songs on this album, each song is so intentional and deep with meaning. Each song matters so much to the message of the album.” The 12 tracks celebrate identity, love, sex, loss and the radical healing pleasure of music. The name of the album, “Sex, Death, and Other People’s Money”, is inspired by the transformative energy of the astrological house of Scorpio, and covers most of the themes present in the songs. It is ultimately an ode to our community of Edgewalkers, those of us who straddle various edges of society, which includes LGBTQ+, sex workers, drug users, mixed race folks, and many more.
Track Listing + Moods Below:
Afterglow {Sex Positive song about Fisting / Surf Rock}
Makers Mark {Mixed Race Identity / Heavy Grunge Rock}
Kitchen Sink Gin {Nonmonogamy love song /Experimental Groovy Rock}
The Offering {Healing, Transformation, & Mental Health / Theatrical Polka Rock}
Hooker Homecoming {Sex Worker Money Making Spell / Country Campy Twang}
Slower Than God {Self Discovery and Gentle Love / Hard Rock Jam}
Fancy {Feminist Story / Sex Work/ Cover Song}
Sorry {Transformative Justice and Accountability / Doom Rock}
Right By You {Healing the Inner Child/ LGBTQ Surviving Mormonism / Post Hardcore}
Neon Razberries {Non-Conformist Love Anthem / Drop Top Summer Jam}
Psychopomp {Acid Rock / A love letter to our community affected by overdose}
Captain Josephine {Ode to Babies of the Future / Post Rock Lullaby Jam}
