Née

Celebrating the vinyl release of its album "Finches," St. Louis electro-fuzz pop band, Née, started the evening off with a roar. Bringing their own light show to set the mood, Nee wasted no time unleashing a wall of sound to surround the beautiful howling vocals of Kristen Dennis. Driven by hypnotic rhythms, wailing guitars and screaming keyboards, Née pumped out a set of songs that had nearly all of the 350-plus attendees singing along gloriously... - KDHX 88.1

Celebrating the vinyl release of its album "Finches," St. Louis electro-fuzz pop band, Née, started the evening off with a roar. Bringing their own light show to set the mood, Nee wasted no time unleashing a wall of sound to surround the beautiful howling vocals of Kristen Dennis. Driven by hypnotic rhythms, wailing guitars and screaming keyboards, Née pumped out a set of songs that had nearly all of the 350-plus attendees singing along gloriously... - KDHX 88.1

Celebrating the vinyl release of its album "Finches," St. Louis electro-fuzz pop band, Née, started the evening off with a roar. Bringing their own light show to set the mood, Nee wasted no time unleashing a wall of sound to surround the beautiful howling vocals of Kristen Dennis. Driven by hypnotic rhythms, wailing guitars and screaming keyboards, Née pumped out a set of songs that had nearly all of the 350-plus attendees singing along gloriously... - KDHX 88.1

Née frontwoman Kristin Dennis moved in staccato breaks between her two synths. She popped her voice off with the whizz-bang of a Bop It toy. Her herky-jerky shoulder shrugs and hand gestures caused the black fur on the coat she was wearing to shake like a live animal... - KDHX 88.1

With a catchy and captivating take on electro-pop and enough smarts to marry buzzy hooks with a kitschy/glam style, Kristin Dennis turned her Née project into a must-watch act on the rise. Her first EP, The Hands of Thieves, presented a gridwork of synths and drum-machine patterns, but Dennis was smart enough to expand on this promising but limited start. Now a foursome with greater emphasis on acoustic percussion and electric guitar, Dennis and her new, fleshed-out band sound bigger, better and darker on the Finches EP. Synthesizers still coat and color every surface here, but the range of sounds has broadened, from the ominous, swooping buzz that kicks off "Spiders" to the high-frequency cut-off squelch that closes "Heavy Boats." David Beeman (Old Lights) and Lex Herbert help fill out the keyboard parts, none of which sounds like it was sculpted much past 1982. Mic Boshans (Humdrum, Union Electric) still mans the electric drum kit, though he's not confined to metronomic beats -- if nothing else, this EP shows how crucial compelling, layered rhythms can be to this beefed-up version of the band.

The five-song EP is available now digitally and soon on vinyl, though the opening track "Pretty Girls" has bounced in and out of eardrums for a while, thanks in part to a choreographed, glitter-bombed video. (Few bands in town are as careful and effective at presenting a representative image as this one.) The song's jilted tone and airy melody provide a nice tension between presentation and effect; it's also proof that Dennis has internalized a few decades' worth of pop and R&B radio hits and can dial up one of her own when she wants to. "Pretty Girls" is the EP's ear candy, but Dennis has something a bit more sinister and apocalyptic in mind elsewhere on the program. The title track seeks to unsettle with Biblical allusions and tales of nature revolting against itself, and Dennis' Auto-Tuned vocals mimic the fearful metamorphosis. "Search Parties" may be the disc's biggest revelation, with Beeman's Afro-pop guitar licks and the modest polyrhythms adding color and depth to what can occasionally be a blinding vision of neon. For the first time, Née sounds like more than the sum of its parts.  - River Front Times

"I was trying on my outfit earlier [for the video release party], which is why I have on a crazy outfit right now. This is not my day wear," Kristin Dennis of Née reassures me about her purple one piece jumpsuit with gold buckled belt as we walked into Native Sound Studio. Dennis is lively as her music and speaks with such inflection and theatrics that she takes on different voices and almost, different personalities in order to get her stories across. It's no wonder that she fronts a pop band designed to enrapture you with epic movements, both musically and physically.

Dennis and bandmate David Beeman talked about their upcoming release, Finches and the single "Pretty Girls," which was featured in that video premiere, while studio cat Gray Boy licked everyone's ankles and snatched what attention he could. There's a chemistry between Dennis and Beeman that couldn't be denied though their conversation. They joke with one another in ways that only two people who have known each other for quite sometime could get away with. Finches release date is still uncertain, but that's not slowing down the band at all. Dennis has big pop plans stemming from her Michigan background."

Click Link to Read Full Interview - River Front Times

Today’s Fresh Pick on Daily Unsigned, Nee has a musical presence that is very reminiscent of the 80’s, whilst at the same time captures the musical taste of today’s music consumer. Fun, hip and cool! - Daily Unsigned

Hail From: St. Louis
Song: 'Pretty Girls'
Album: 'Finches' [iTunes] [Bandcamp]
Sounds Like: Bat for Lashes, LCD Soundsystem

In Their Words: "We're really excited about our new record and think others will be as well. Making an electronic pop record on all vintage gear without the use of computers was a challenge, but I know we got a truer, groovier sound by doing it that way." -- Singer Kristin Dennis

Listen to 'Pretty Girls' - Spinner / AOL

MP3 Posting and interview at: http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/news/entry/discover_the_undiscovered_nee/

Print Ed. #48 - Filter Magazine

If you’re anything like me, you’ve tumbled down the rabbit hole that is trying to categorize electronic music. It forces you to ask yourself, ‘Is this post-Wonky, standard Wonky, or Post-Post Dubstep?’ I understand the desire to carve a little nook for yourself in the vast ocean of electronic music, but more than likely your introduction to the genre was through the same looking-glass as mine: well-written pop music. Songs: straight, no chaser (or in this case, sans indecipherable vocals or warped sound filters. Which I love as well, by the way). In the late 70's/early 80's, pop music morphed into this addictive amalgam of love and heartbreak on the modern dance floor, and we all revelled in its layers of clicks, bloops, and aching electricity. Brilliant in its progressive melodic and emotional complexity, it was no doubt created with the idea in mind that you should move your body to it. New Order, Depeche Mode, The Human League, Tear for Fears (and more recent favorites like the Junior Boys, Sally Shapiro, or The Tough Alliance) all married traditional pop songwriting with cutting edge music technology to great effect. That potent mixture of synthesizers, drum loops, hooks, and a wounded heart is undeniably powerful, and it’s ability to entice unsuspecting romantics into doomed love affairs still haunts the dark, cramped dance spaces across the globe. With that in mind, I found it fascinating that two of my favorite EPs of 2010 were both respectful of that legacy (and also recorded by artists who currently reside in Saint Louis) – US English (whose What Frontier EP was last featured in our MOTH RECOMMENDS) and of course, Née (a.k.a Kristin Dennis).

The Hands of Thieves EP is notably absent of the (sometimes self-imposed) restraint and icy detachment found in a lot of ”electro-pop”; There’s too much hot blood and vitality coursing through the veins of the orator of these 5 tracks for that. There’s no sense that the songs were written and performed by some debutante suffering from jet lag after DJ gig in Paris. No, this is the sound of a girl landlocked in the Midwest, plagued by bad decisions, thwarted romances, and is swimming in a river of rail whiskey as deep as the Missouri River. Is it so wrong that she just wants to party, dance, and try to forget about how bad her choices of potential suitors has been recently? That acute framework allows emotionally direct lyrics to jaunt past you like, ”If you’ve got a lover, my love, keep her far from me/keep her name off your tongue and teeth/and her smell off your shirt sleeves”, with a rather delightful whimsicality featured in the pulsing opening track “Absolom”. And when she gets the spirit and spits the dizzying, rich prose of the stomping “Magic Love”, she turns the dance floor into her own little congregation, with her lips pressed firmly against a hot, sweat-drenched microphone. And it’s about that time that you start to realize that beneath all these clopping beats and catchy hooks, this isn’t just some hollow music manufactured solely for a mass of uncoordinated bodies- these are songs, and she’s a songwriter. The EP is filled to the brim with the causal, yet potent, heartbreak common in our era of 140-character sentiments and BAC-influenced judgement calls. It shares a tone and atmosphere similar to what worked best on Bright Eyes’ Digital Ash in Digital Urn. And like the best songs written by Oberst, there’s always a new dimension waiting to reveal itself through multiple listens.

…But, I haven’t even mentioned the best part yet. When she dials it down ever so slightly on the last (and title) track of the EP, she knocks it out the park. Seriously, “The Hands of Thieves” (available to download right here) has the ability to be a massive hit (You heard it here first). It’s a song that’s instantly addictive, yet subtle, in the way it incorporate layers of shivering harmonies, fleeting electric guitar, and gently floats you into a climatic wash of feedback. It’s such a fitting ending that you’ll no doubt restart the EP almost instantaneously, laying down the foundation that will soon become the sugar-coated Möbius strip that The Hands of Thieves EP has trapped all of the contributing members of MOTH.

(The fact that this EP is available for your listening pleasure free of charge at http://www.nee-music.com is almost criminal. It also works well as a double-header with another fantastic EP recorded under the namsake of Olga Bell, the Bell EP (available on iTunes). Give it a spin and post your thoughts on our listening stream.) - Music of The Hour

I’ve been looking for something original in St. Louis, something that succeeds where the horrifyingly boring scream-o, tired death metal, uninspired hip-hop, and endless trail of cover bands that are our local treasures fail. That might have been the most pessimistic line I’ve ever written; time to switch gears. Née succeeds. Née is good. Née is St. Louis now.

I was at a bar the other night listening to a pretty decent jazz band when the guy in the chair next to me struck up a conversation about music. I let him know that I like to write about music, he tells me he’s in a band—this conversation has played out hundreds of times. He asks me what I’ve written about lately and I tell him. “None of that is local, man; no one cares about that shit…”

I’m a guy who prides himself on being polite. He was drunk, I don’t drink, so I merely replied, “Show me something that is local that is as good as what I’ve been listening to lately and I’ll write about it first chance I get.” He rattled off the name of a well-ridden cover band, and I sighed and paid for my Red Bull. Two days later, I actually found what he was wanting, something local that was as good as what I had been listening to. Nee’s new EP is called The Hands of Thieves, and it’s brilliant.

Kristin Dennis can sing—that’s what really stands out on first listen. There’s a bit of St. Vincent, some Jenny Lewis, some Kate Bush, yet her voice is a bit wobbly, a bit unsure. Still, she’s not afraid to croon some pretty prostrating “ooooooo”’s, something that takes courage for a female vocalist in 2011 (you can tell Dennis understands what irony is and what it’s not; that isn’t a strong suit for current pop lyricists). It’s in instances like these, the aesthetic contradictions, that The Hands of Thieves reveals its depth. It’s a delightfully clever collection of five songs, at times banal—bleating a cutesy, “Take me out, take me out of this city”—at times rather insightful—“keep your hands to yourself/ I’ve got more love than I can hold”—at times artistic: the last track, “Hands of Thieves,” is wonderfully written, poetic even.

The influence appendix on this EP could be published as its own little chapbook: Patti Smith, Bat for Lashes, The Knife, Rilo Kiley, Mates of State, Rainer Maria, Fever Ray, Feist—those are the obvious ones. Bruce Springsteen and Conor Oberst might be more appropriate: There is a disaffection here that first points the finger at the person in the mirror. This is heartening without seeming self deprecating.

This is what made the Omaha/Saddle Creek phenomenon important in the early 2000s: They were disaffected, yes, but they wanted to know why, so they looked inside instead of belaboring the tired old “fuck the system” lament. It was an original ethic at the time, and it was quickly lost when Bright Eyes became popular. Née revisits that bravery on this EP, but she turns the dial up a bit. She’s not whiny—you’d better be ready to dance. Née is a fundamentally beat-driven act: Think LCD Soundsystem rather than Rilo Kiley. It’s the mix of sincerity and fronting, smarts and contrived but self-aware sassiness that makes this release a great one.

| Braden Abbott
- Playback STL

?If Née wasn't the sparkliest band in St. Louis before today, it sure as shit is now. The band just released a video for "Magic Love" off its debut EP, The Hands of Theives, and it features front woman/mastermind Kristen Dennis, drummer Mic Boshans and four of their friends doing a single-shot choreographed dance routine. "We shot it without a crew or any budget - although I guess I did spend $20 on sequins at Hobby Lobby," says Dennis. Watch below.

(http://www.vimeo.com/kristindennis)

The video was shot last week at Off Broadway. "We worked hard on it and I love it... with all it's endearing mistakes and glitches," says Dennis. "Those things made it kinda perfectly precious."

The video opens with Dennis, Kimber Hall and Lauren Keefer, who collaborated on the choreography. There are leaps, sways, hip-shakes, arm-waves, struts, handstand splits and eventually they are joined by Dave Beeman, Boshans and Lex Herbert for lifts and spins. Everyone falls on the floor, takes a bow and prances off stage. Make sure you stick around for the credits.

"We watched some Junior High dance competitions on the youtubes. Those were probably our main source of inspiration," says Dennis. "That and Robyn's song "Call Your Girlfriend," which we listened to multiple times at every practice to get amped up."

Née is fresh off a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund an upcoming full-length - expect more on that later this year.

Dennis also released a video for EP standout "Absolom" to considerably less fanfare - it's comprised entirely of video footage she shot over the past year, mostly out of a car window, and was meant as much as a way for the song to be streamed as anything else. Given the circumstances, we found it incredibly effective. Moving, even. Funny how these things work.


(http://www.vimeo.com/kristindennis)
- River Front Times

Today, local electronic pop favorite Née releases new single “Pretty Girls.” How fitting (see frontwoman Kristin Dennis, above).

“Pretty Girls” is the single from Née’s forthcoming EP – and a new direction from Dennis’ last EP, The Hands of Thieves. Perhaps it’s the Robyn influence. Perhaps its the involvement of Dennis’ band, which includes drummer Mic Boshans, multi-instrumentalist David Beeman, and synther Lex Herbert. Whereas Hands was dominated by Dennis’ higher vocal register and straightforward organ/synth riffs punctuated by electronic drum pad kicks, “Pretty Girls” is a faster, more bass-driven, multi-layered track. You’ve still got Née’s signature vox – a rare gem nuanced by both a haunting melancholy and an undeniable stimulus to your dance reflexes.

“Unlike the last EP, we’re doing everything on analogue, vintage gear,” says Dennis in a note to Eleven. “Although by definition synthesizers are inorganic, the way the sounds are coming through into the new songs feels much warmer and, well, organic than the last EP. There’s that ever-present hint of white noise, electricity, and the accumulated particulates of age that provide a backdrop for the melodies.”

We at Eleven are feeling the electricity. You can, too, here:

neemusic.bandcamp.com

Track: “Pretty Girls,” by Née
Recorded: at Native Sound by David Beeman and Kristin Dennis
Mixed: at Native Sound by David Beeman and Kit Hamon
Available: In CD form with screen printed artwork (Dennis at Native Prints) and a BONUS remix by Adult Fur ($2) will at the Mud House, Apop, Foam, and The Royale, among other local spots. Streaming and downloadable ($1) from neemusic.bandcamp.com.
Favorite line: “The heat of blood created chemistries to bond the two of us.” Yum. Science. Made sexy. OR: “You know I probably broke a hundred hearts by now.” True words.
- Eleven Magazine

Last night's lineup at Plush was synthesizer and pop-hook heavy, performed with a playfulness straight from the '80s.
My first time seeing a show at Plush, I was impressed by the sheer size of the venue/restaurant. The vibe was right for the show with sleek decorations, upstairs and downstairs bars and plenty of space to get down.

Opening performer Jeffrey Jerusalem swirled synth notes over backing tracks pounding with new-wave beats. The Portland-based artist danced back and forth between a set of floor toms and his synth station, occasionally adding vocals. Sometimes 8-bit video game samples would appear in a tune, with Mario-like coin clips and Casio handclaps. Jerusalem opened his last song with a snippet of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys before launching into a glitch dance number.
While his set wasn't too far removed from a London Calling DJ at times, his monster mash-ish vocals and his mastery of electronic programming made him stand out. To close his solid performance, Jerusalem bleeped out samples reminiscent of a boss battle on the first Nintendo gaming system.

Née started off its party of a set with vigor. Performing catchy, distorted synth riffs over dance beat heavy jams, the St. Louis locals jostled the audience into a frenzy. Most everyone in the venue rhythmically tapped something, whether it was the floor with their feet or a finger on their knee. The cowbell made several appearances, which got that '80s synth pop rolling once again.

Singer Kristin Dennis, front woman for the band, mentioned that she had just gotten out of surgery two days ago. She didn't let any shadow of that show, performing her love and heartbreak songs with youthful energy. Née announced an EP would be coming out in the next few months, with one track ("Pretty Girls") already posted on Bandcamp.
One of the new tracks performed live featured hard bass drum hits, hook heavy licks and more ambient synths. The band masterfully mixed anthemic pop (think the Naked and the Famous) and more low key, vocal spotlighting tunes (think Zola Jesus). After seeing them in the larger setting of Plush, I could easily see Née riding the indie synth wave right up to the crest. Née possesses all the right elements for the rise. With a front woman all sauce and gold in Dennis, and band members David Beeman, Michael Boshans and Lex Herbert sounded right with their chord hits and high energy beats. Solid songwriting reigns over the Née team, displaying an incredible live show alongside smooth recordings for the headphones.

YACHT took the stage last with their mysterious aura still intact. I caught the group a few years ago at festival where they performed as a two piece. This time, YACHT provided a different concert experience with a backing band and video. I hadn't really given their newest album (2011's "Shangri-La") enough listens since its release, but I bet their live sound would be enough to win me over to their newer material.
Still very much into the occult-like designs and thick electronics that made them big with 2009's "See Mystery Lights," YACHT never let the mood get too serious. Although some of YACHT's lyrics -- "The earth is on fire/we don't have a daughter/let the mother fucker burn" -- might seem a bit heavy for such light-hearted tunes, the themes instead serve as a contrasting perspective. YACHT purveys an apocalyptic world that wanders into mysticism and new-age practices, whilst producing the most groove-inducing indie pop songs this side of December 2012.
Like a bit lip that won't stop flowing, YACHT pounded through old and new songs with religious fervor. Main members Claire L. Evans and Jona Bechtolt provided a physical connection with their fans by wandering around the audience while singing. Bechtolt at one point stretched his mic cable to the back bar of Plush, and then proceeded to dance on it -- and then jump off. Some of the songs were like Eurythmics gone totally digital, with limitless synthesizers and peppy bass-hi-hat-snare-hi-hat rhythms.

The crowd exploded when near the end of the set when YACHT performed "I'm in Love with a Ripper," "The Afterlife" and "Psychic City" -- all from "See Mystery Lights." For their encore, they performed "Shangri-La" off their newest record, slowly bringing the raving fans from dancing so hard to simply moving their heads. - KDHX 88.1