For Somerville art, press, and music collective sidebody, it’s been a labor of love getting their second full-length album out into the world. But when they aren’t running a business, book writing, or professional printmaking, the four members of sidebody have found the time to create the labor of love that is full time job, their sophomore LP out today (May 30) ahead of a live show this evening in Medford.
On full time job, sidebody are building on what they started with their self-titled 2022 debut. The album is a through-and-through DIY adventure, full of well-executed musical experimentation and energy. It opens with “he’s dead,” a jaunty rock jam that feels at time like a fresh take on Talking Heads. From there, the synth-y coolness of “quantumly entangled” and the acoustic gentleness of “not dead (in natick),” show the sonic range of sidebody — in less than half the record.
Closing track “sponge time” is simultaneously an ode to chronological distortion and an open love letter to their Somerville roots, kicking off its first verse with an image of the beloved Union Square Market Basket over a shimmery head-bop-inducing instrumental line and crashing cymbals.
“sidebody has always been another dimension for us to be friends in,” the band tells Vanyaland. “Everything we make is a way of creating and exploring that space. For this album, we found ourselves including more electronic sounds and effects, and maybe most importantly, more of each of us — you’ll hear everyone sing lead, and everyone’s voice shows up in every song. The songs on this album are jokes, feelings, theories, and quantum wiggles through sponge time.”
Right over the Somerville city line, sidebody will be celebrating their quantum wiggles, and the release of full time job, tonight at Deep Cuts with help from Mint Green and MBTA announcer Wali Holly as emcee.
SIDEBODY + MINT GREEN :: Thursday, May 30 at Deep Cuts, 21 Main St, Medford MA :: 8 p.m., 18-plus, $20 :: Event info :: Advance tickets