Eric Copeland & Josh Diamond Riders On The Storm

Basslines like a clumsy, exuberant puppy. A braid of guitar notes tickling yourneck. The jittery buoyance of a marimba, so cartoonish you can picture itsunblinking technicolor eyes. A snare that cracks like every friend knocking onyour door at once. These are the fragmentary beats and visions that JoshDiamond and Eric Copeland spent the last two years exchanging, themagnetic, romantic, completely unashamed chunks stacked into the bubblingdelight of "Riders on the Storm."These two are, yes, known for vastness, transcendence, and suffocation. Ericis a founding member of Black Dice, weaponizers of volume, misdirection,and alien language. Josh is a founding member of Gang Gang Dance, whosehaunted, murky explorations drag listeners to infinite, irreversible revelations.Given these pedigrees, it's natural to anticipate their collaboration as an itchy,opaque monolith. Within the shit and terror of 2022 it's even understandableto yearn for something like that. But "Riders" with its light heart and wiggle andsquirm is actually the record we need."It's intentional," confirmed Josh of the record's lightness: "just wanting tomake the opposite of what's going on outside." Eric reinforced this feeling ofliberation and inversion, recalling the freedom of sharing unfinished ideas, oftrusting Josh's creativity. "Nobody was vying for anything," he explained, "wewere just trying to do it for each other." The completed exchange of soundunrolls like a laughter-filled conversation, Josh and Eric each banking on theother's improvements and re-configurations. The most remarkable thing aboutthis trust, this generosity, is how their pair have managed to invite listenersinto it, making everyone a part of this free-spirited dance."Riders on the Storm" is the first full length collaboration between JoshDiamond and Eric Copeland, following their contribution to Mary Staubitz andRuss Waterhouse's 2020 `Distant Duos' project. It was recorded and mixedwith the guidance of Ivan Berko (Hidde...