Boston cello-pop duo the Wrong Shapes were victimized by a unique brand of vandalism last week outside Club Passim in Cambridge, the site of tonight’s record release party. Apparently their show poster, featuring a wolf over a glass of whiskey and designed Tyler Littwin, was so appealing to the eye, a show-goer ripped it right off the wall. He or she broke the unspoken rule of not taking down posters for shows that have not yet passed — and rightfully felt guilty as fuck afterwards.
“Hey dudes, I stole your poster from the vegan place next to Club Passim?,” the culprit wrote to the Wrong Shapes in a confessional email. “I’m sorry, but I’m from Maine and it was so damn cool. Yes it was selfish, but at least I’m letting you know so you can get another one up above that toilet. And really, it’s a badass poster. My compliments to the creator. You know thievery is the highest form of flattery. Some people say imitation, I guess, I dunno…”
Given the criminal resides “up north,” it’s unlikely he or she shows up to Passim tonight, when the husband-and-wife duo release their new LP, Reverse The Phase. Over the years and across previous mastheads we’ve spilled a bunch of digital ink on the husband-side’s other projects, from the glammy MEandJOANCOLLINS to the trippy wonder-pop of Future Carnivores, but here Bo Barringer displays a more delicate side, and is carried in sweet harmony by the cello-playing of Rachel Barringer.
The marriage both musically and by law certainly makes for a different approach to songwriting.
“I think the biggest difference between the Wrong Shapes and other projects is that it’s far less awkward (and more satisfying) to kiss and make up after band squabbles,” Bo Barringer tells Vanyaland. “That, and your wife is far more honest with you when you’re fucking things up.”
There’s little fuck-up on the new LP, led by the gentle chamber-pop swirl of lead track “A Thousand Foxes” and the early-morning mysticism of “Actual Girls.” Our favorite track, “Easily Swayed,” gives off some Bowie-around-the-campfire vibes (if, you know, you roll with the types who bring cellos out into the woods).
Check out the entire LP below — as well as that damn poster that inspired criminal activity.
