Ecce Shnak - Prayer on Love
NYC-based outfit Ecce Shnak presents 'Prayer on Love', the second offering from their forthcoming 'Shadows Grow Fangs' EP, slated for release on February 7 via Record Man, Records. A pensive track, its guitars richly textured, its snare drums rattling, 'Prayer on Love' sees frontman David Roush’s vocals at their most distinctively beautiful. With it, they have shared a video directed by Brooklyn-based cinematographer Milton Walker.
“‘Prayer on Love’ is our most whole-grain rock song to date," says David Roush, "It’s a meditation on the nature of love and its diverse manifestations. It honors the complexity of love without declaring that it ‘is all we need'. The last verse is a celebration of the unique love in each person, all of our flaws notwithstanding: ‘Still my love is a star / Still my love’s a precious opportunity / and a miracle / flowing down the river of consequences and circumstances / and a self-same being.’”
This follows their powerful single 'Jeremy, Utilitarian Sadboy' about 19th Century English philosopher Jeremy Bentham, combining math-metal, post-rock and choral anthems in just 150 seconds.
Recorded and produced by Jeff Lucci at the Art Farm (NY), their debut EP was mixed by Nicholas Vernhes (Animal Collective, Deerhunter, The Fiery Furnaces, Dirty Projectors, Wild Nothing, The War on Drugs) and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Greg Calbi (John Lennon, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, Tom Petty, Todd Rundgren).
If there’s a fine line between wild-eyed, inspired genius and utter, irrepressible insanity, that’s where you’ll find Ecce Shnak, teetering on a neon tightrope. With Roush as composer, bassist, and one of two singers, he is joined by Bella Komodromos (vocals), Chris Krasnow (guitar), Gannon Ferrell (guitar), and Henry Buchanan-Vaughn (drums).
This group subverts notions of style, playfully but reverently embracing multiple forms from across the spectrum, frequently within a single tune, while addressing weighty themes and notable trivia with striking articulacy. Roush notes, “Each genre has its own manner of expression, mannerisms, history, motivations, virtues, flaws, limitations, and so on. At my best as a composer and lyricist, I listen to and respect each one, then whatever I take from their souls informs mine, inhabiting it, expanding, and merging.”
'Shadows Grow Fangs' showcases Roush’s incomparable ingenuity and limitless invention over five songs, running the gamut from slow-burning meditations on love’s indispensability to mockery of the web from the perspective of a time-traveling poet – “What the fuck is the internet?!” Of course, this might sound a little ‘zany’, but it’s really not. Not at all. It’s intricately constructed, methodically fashioned, and – while undeniably offbeat – as serious and logical as it’s entertaining.
Talking with Roush is like meeting a thoughtful stranger with extraordinary knowledge of the weird and arcane, a fascination for society and what led us to where we are, and a noteworthy ability to share stories in an enlightening and empathetic manner. Then finally, while you’re still absorbing all the information he’s imparted, he’ll tie the knot to complete this elegant necklace. His narrative style, in fact, is much like listening to an Ecce Shnak song, which frankly makes the band's name perfect. “The meaning,” he concludes is, ‘look at this!’” (‘Ecce’ – Latin for “Behold!”)
The 'Prayer on Love' single is out now, available everywhere from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and Bandcamp. The ‘Shadows Grow Fans’ EP will be released on February 7, 2025.
