Rei Clone

Q. When did Rei Clone start? Tell us about the history...
We are pretty new, we started writing back in June of 2015. It was just me (Abe- Rythm guitar/ vocals) and Johnathan Domingo (drummer). In July, Zach Palmer (lead guitar) joined, shortly after we found Nirmal Madhavapedi (Electric Violin). We started getting serious about writting music then, and we were set on finding a female vocalist. After a lot of searching, we found Crystal, who recorded vocals and played bass on our debut EP, and first couple of shows. Unfortunately, we have parted ways with Crystal, but are still on good terms. We found our new bassist/ vocalist Charlie. You can here her on our newest demo recording, Ready to Die on our soundcloud.

Q: Who are your influences?
Our influences come mostly from 90s alternative and punk, but we also take a lot from the Japanese/ Asian shoegaze scene. Some of our biggest inspiration comes from bands like Sonic Youth, Lush, My Bloody Valentine, Kinoko Teikoku, Mass of Fermenting Dregs, Hatsune Miku, Slowdive, Radiohead, The Pillows, New Order, Fugazi, the list goes on.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Its hard to put a top five together, especially since we all come from different musical backgrounds, 5 of the albums we talk about a lot are:
Sonic Youth Daydream Nation
My Bloody Valentine Loveless
Kinoko Teikoku Whirlpool
Radiohead Ok Computer
Fugazi In On the Kill Taker

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Playing live is always fun for us, even at smaller shows. In fact, I can say that house shows are probably the best, because of the accessibility to the audience, though, we enjoy playing just about anywhere. I can be a little sarcastic on stage, but that's my sense of humor, and our fans get it. Its just us goofing off, with people watching.

Q. How do you describe Rei Clone sounds?
As far as our sound goes, we really like to blur the line between shoegaze and punk. We have very dreamy, warm songs, with the pace and bite of a punk song.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
When we are recording demos, its very casual for us. Sometimes we will lay down a demo track right after we finish writing a song. The studio is a very comfortable place for us as well, I guess I really don't have much to say about it. I kind of just feel at home, its really not a big deal. I can't really say that we have a process.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
We have a lot of friends we would like to plug, but some of our favorite new acts right now are: Smith+Robot, Whimper, Smoked Solid Dairy, Shut Up Sidney (they're not super new, but whatevs), Big Hand//Big Knife, Hans Geiger, Bad Times (also not super new, but we love Bad Times), the list goes on.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
The band we'd cover, surprisingly enough, is Dead Kennedys. Me and Zach have even talked about it before. Our sound is very different, but me and Zach are both big DK fans.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We have big plans for the future. In June we will be recording our second studio EP, and will be getting started on a full length album. We also want to tour very soon, we are looking at the west coast right now. I think our biggest goal is to tour Japan one day. - The Blog That Celebrates Itself

Rei Clone -- "Smallpox Champion."
RIYL: Fugazi, but if they sounded a lot more like My Bloody Valentine.
What else you should know: Yesterday, Dangerous Minds posted a link to "Shoegazi," the shoegaze tribute to Fugazi. It was put together by Brazilian label The Blog That Celebrates Itself Records, and features an appearance by some locals. Track 6 is none other than Denton's Rei Clone with their take on "Smallpox Champion." That band's also working on a new EP that'll be out sometime in the next few months. - Central Track - Cory

In other news, the current relocation process for Michael Briggs and his Civil Recording studio hasn't slowed down his release schedule any. He's passed along a trio of new projects this week. First up is Whimper, a new outfit that includes members of Two Knights, New Science Projects and Big Knife. The band just released its debut EP, which you can hear below.

Denton hardcore band Neander Valley Boys' new Civil recording represents that band's first stab at professionally capturing its sound. See how they did below.

And new "anime-shoegaze" band Rei Clone also recorded its debut EP at Civil. You can also hear that one below. - Central Track - Corey Graves

Where were you when you first heard the otherworldly opening track to My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless? How about when you first absorbed the kaleidoscopic chords of Souvlaki by Slowdive? The ranks of these classic, opulent shoegaze opuses that whisk you away on shimmery clouds of reverb could very well be joined by the self-titled EP of an emerging, ambitious Denton act: Rei Clone.


Young, hip, funny as hell and sharp as tacks, these are the kids you’d want to sit next to at the cafeteria lunch table. Rei Clone is a five-piece that marries shoegaze and punk to an unexpected influence — anime. Everything they do is inspired by the Japanese style of animation; their band name is a reference to Rei Ayanami, a clone of Yui Ikari from the show Neon Genesis Evangelion, and samples from choice anime episodes are peppered throughout the opening songs of their debut EP. Nods to their favorite cartoons even embellish their live performances. “You should see our stage show. We have anime body pillows and figurines,” Abraham Hill, rhythm guitarist and vocalist, explains. “We actually just put a whole bunch of manga on our cabs, our guitar amps.” Plans for incorporating cosplay are in the works, too; Crystal, Rei Clone’s bassist and second vocalist, playfully adds, “I wanna dress like Master Roshi while y’all wear schoolgirl skirts.”

Even more amazing than their inventive aesthetic are the ways in which founding members Hill, Zach Palmer (lead guitar) and Jonathan Domingo (drums) recruited Crystal and their violinist, Nirmal Madhavapeddi. After many frustrating months of waiting to get picked for macho, muscle-obsessed rock bands, Madhavapeddi had nearly thrown in the towel: “Violin doesn’t fit in a lot of genres. Classic rock is not a place for a violin to be.” But after stumbling across Rei Clone’s Craigslist ad for a synth player, Madhavapeddi gave auditioning for them some thought. “I didn’t actually want to be associated with them for a while, because I was like, ‘They’re making anime music?’ ... I mean, I like anime, but I wanna be a rock star. And then I realized that I would probably like their music, so about a month later I was like, ‘Fine, I’ll go with them.’ And then it turned out to be great.” Oddly enough, he was the only person who responded to the synth-player-wanted ad, offering, “I play electric violin, is that close enough?”

Crystal’s introduction to the band was even more bizarre; they drafted her through OKCupid. Rei Clone created an account on the dating site specifically to find a bass player, it being a convenient way to sift through one’s interests: singing, punk music, bass guitar, etc. “Abe messaged me, ‘I don’t mean to be forward, but would you like to be in an anime/punk/shoegaze band?’” Crystal remembers. Although she hadn’t picked up a bass guitar in over five years, Rei Clone’s unusual approach and mutual love for anime piqued her interest, and they tested her chops at a nearby Guitar Center. “We were just trying to convince her it wasn’t a very veiled gangbang,” Palmer chimes in, sweetly. “Yeah, we weren’t just making a very complicated euphemism,” Madhavapeddi adds.

Through some of Hill’s old bands — like Anger House and Good Hank — Rei Clone was able to secure studio time with Macaroni Island founder and DIY maestro Michael Briggs, and after a two-day, cyclonic recording session, their self-titled EP was in the can. Both the writing and recording processes went incredibly smoothly, Madhavapeddi says, with so much “momentum in [the EP]” that it “kind of wrote itself.” Hill laughs, agreeing, “We spent more time choosing pedals than we did writing the songs.”

With support from Denton indie titans such as Briggs and Parker Lawson (Mimisiku, Whimper), the road has been a buttery smooth one for Rei Clone. Help from their Hawaii-via-Houston label, Smoked Cheese Records, has also proven to be indispensable. Serving as a sort of Louis Pasteur to the microscopic anime punk scene, label founder Crona Aukerman’s band, Smoked Solid Dairy, has paved the way for Hill and Palmer’s unfettered expression and creativity. “If they weren’t there, we would have never been influenced to do this,” Hill says, with Palmer adding, “They’re essentially the seminal anime punk band.”

Rei Clone’s sound — a lush, harmony-rich and melody-driven potion of punk and shoegaze — perfectly parallels the prismatic, fantasy-filled world of anime from which they draw so much inspiration. In the same way their songs were effortlessly written, almost transcribed by ethereal helpers, the band magically came together, finding the perfect members in the strangest of ways. The future is wide open for this optimistic quintet, with plans of touring the Midwest, West Coast, and eventually, Japan. “And I wanna play an anime convention,” Crystal says, to which Hill adds: “If the director of A-Kon Anime Fest, and any other ones, are reading this…” Palmer finishes, “Please, call us. Boss, please.” - Dallas Observer

It's a new year and our resolution is to introduce you to new music. Heck, that could be your resolution too. All you have to do it follow us and check back occasionally, which is a lot easier than drinking less or not eating carbs, right? Right. So piggyback on our good intentions and check out this sick show tonight at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio in Denton, Tx, featuring music from Rei Clone, Record Setter, Babycrust, and a stripped down version of No Touching performed by Elena Nelson.

We were blown away when Rei Clone released their demos four months back, and things got even more explosive after they recorded a 7 track E.P. with Denton's golden standard, Michael Briggs, the mastermind behind Civil Recording and Macaroni Island (R.I.P.). Rei Clone blends an incredibly original sound of slurred shoegaze and woozy punk with fun, giggly anime sound bites, blending Crystal's romantic vocals on tracks like "Yuki" and "Senketsu" to leave you drifting off into an anime-filled dream world reminiscent of Studio Ghibli landscapes with a Mazzy Star soundtrack. So put down your Cocteau Twins record and that My Bloody Valentine seven-inch to make room on your shelf for Rei Clone, because they're one band you won't soon be forgetting.

The five piece band consists lead guitarist, Zach Palmer, vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Abraham Hill (Anger House), bassist and back-up vocals, Crystal (last name private), drummer Jonathan Domingo and violinist Nirmal Madhavapeddi. They're signed to Smoked Cheese Records and credit the owners band, Smoked Solid Dairy, as inspiration for their creativity and incorporation of anime. As far as the future holds, Rei Clone isn't sure where they're going, yet, but they know they want to tour, ideally with Slowdive or Kinoko Teikoko, and either way they say they're "having a lot of success so far and very thankful for that."

Listen to a few tracks below for a taste of what you'll hear at the show tonight. (Babycrust & No Touching are currently uploading tracks, so check back later for an updated playlist.) - Sad Boys Club

1) Rei Clone - Wet
Texaská pětka Rei Clone si myslím musí potěšit příznivce současné shoegaze scény. Debutové eponymní album spatřilo svět loni 12/12 a najdete na něm celkem 7 písní. Vlivy My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, ale třeba i Pink Floyd či Fugazi jsou na celkové tvorbě kapely znát, ovšem celkový výsledek je rozhodně povedený. Nové EP nazvané Wet vyšlo právě tento týden u Smoked Cheese Records. To obsahuje sice také 7 skladeb, ale vedeno je jako EP, vše rozjíždí pecka Ready to Die. - Serba/Music

Rei Clone -- Wet.
RIYL: Looking at your shoes.
What else you should know: The local five-piece recently recorded its second album at Denton's Civil Recording, and this latest one boasts a wide array of sounds and a dense sonic spectrum. We can't imagine having to mix all that. An independent Serbian music blog just posted their review of the album, which the band was kind enough to throw through Google Translate, and which we were kind enough to copy/paste here. It reads: "Texas fiver Rei Clone think should please fans of contemporary shoegaze scene. Their debut self-titled album last 12/12 seeing the world and you will find it a total of seven songs. Influences My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive , but even Pink Floyd and Fugazi are the overall formation of the band know , but the overall result is absolutely hilarious . The new EP called Wet was released just this week with Smoked Cheese Records. It also contains 7 tracks while , but kept them as EP , everything starts wallop Ready to Die ." Anyway, you can read it in its original language over at Serba Music. - Central Track

Wet is as packed with woolen textures and reverb-soaked hooks as a log of Nutraloaf is dense in essential vitamins. Akin to those tiny dollar store capsules that shed their plastic shells and expand into primary-colored sponge dinosaurs when submerged in water, Rei⋆Clone's latest EP is a glass vial filled with a highly unstable compound of visceral fuzz-rock guitaristry, murky vocal harmonies and gusts of violin that resemble distant whale songs. It's a coupling of My Bloody Valentine's muggy atmosphere and the gale-force aggression of Perfect Pussy - an aesthetic match made in shoegaze heaven, but one that produces cyclonic results. Opener "Ready To Die" is an immediate torrent of cymbal splashes and trebly chords pouring down on your windshield, the air a pea soup green cloud of cirrostratic strings and gloomy feedback. Standout "Cat Planet Suicide" is perhaps the most memorably anthemic cut of the bunch, drowning woozy vocals in undulating waves of Nickelodeon slime, though this a record best consumed in a single sitting to cushion the impact of its condensed dream-pop taste. When the Third Impact strikes and you're forced to head to your underground bunker, bring a few nonperishable cans of powdered Rei⋆Clone along with you. Few records pack as much dreaminess into as little time as Wet does, and its timelessly washed-out tone earns it an expiration date that's eons into the future. - Half-Gifts

Each week, we take a survey of the local music scene and try to determine which acts in town are really putting in work and seeing it pay off. Which bands have the most intriguing shows coming up? Which bands are getting the most press around town? Which bands have accomplished the most notable feats of late? Based off these criteria, our music writers submit a list to be weighted and compiled into a master list revealed each week in this here space. We like to think it's fairly revealing. Check out our previous Buzz Rankings here.

While there's no more surefire way to start up a disagreement than to bring up the upcoming election, a person we can pretty much all get behind is Leon Bridges.

His latest record was pretty cool, right? See, no arguments there.

Even the outgoing POTUS agrees with that fact -- so much so that President Obama went ahead and made Bridges the commander in chief of his summer playlist.

That's enough to make Leon our vote for the buzzing-est act in town for the week. It marks his 22nd time atop our weekly, local music power rankings, too.

Closer to home, Norah Jones and the Dixie Chicks earned most of the local press' love this week -- the former for releasing a new single and announcing a hometown show at Denton's Oaktopia fest this fall, and the latter for putting on an amazing display at Gexa last weekend.

On a similar grand note, Daniel Hart's music will be heard nationwide this weekend when that Pete's Dragon remake that he scored hits wide release. Andrew Tinker wrote a song for the soundtrack, too, though it's performed by the Lumineers. On a similar note, Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon's Stranger Things soundtrack comes out tomorrow, too.

On the live front: The World Famous Tony Williams has a pretty killer new event/showcase he's kicking off this weekend at RBC; 88 Killa celebrated the release of his new EP at Spinster; and Drakulas, Sealion and Party Static tore up Three Links in remarkable fashion last weekend.

(Also receiving votes: Miranda Lambert, Koolquise, War Party, Fishboy, Rodney Parker, The Texas Gentlemen, Drakulas, DJ Sober, Natural Anthem, Bella Carmichael, Blue, The Misfit, Dead Vinyl, Castro, Lizzie Boredom, Brandon Marcel, Nick Pratt, Sunbuzzed, Bitch Bricks, Tawaine Hall, Jason Burt, Field Guide, RTB2, Claire Morales, Ghoulfive, Pseudo Future, VVOES, Loafers, Rei Clone, Birds of Night.) - Central Track

What brought Rei Clone together as a band? Did you have a clear idea of the sound you wanted to strive for when first starting out?

Yes, we did have a set sound that we wanted to achieve. From the outset we were heavily influenced by 90's shoegaze like Slowdive, Chapterhouse, and mbv. When our violinist Nirmal joined we realized that we could kind of put our own twist on it though. We also knew from the beginning that we wanted female vocals in the mix so that was a factor in selecting members.

What was your first completed composition? Which installment in your discography are you the most proud of? How do you feel you've evolved artistically since your self-titled debut?

Our very first composition for the band was "Junketsu." That one was written and more or less completed before we had a final lineup. As far as which one we're most proud of, I can't speak for everyone (this is Zach speaking) but I think we're most proud of "Ready to Die." It's a simple song but everybody's individual contribution made it the uplifting and dense piece it is now. Artistically we've become more experimental from our first ep. Tracks like "Dreaming of Nagato" and "Facehugger" are examples. We try to have a balance of noise, punk, and dense layering on all releases but we try and experiment more with structuring and harmonies with each song. We also are trying to do more things with synth as of late. We sort of established that with "Sleeping Christian" and "Cat Planet Suicide" which both have some synth parts on them.

"Cat Planet Suicide" is such a solid cut! Very gelatinous. Rei Clone is pretty outspoken on the 'web about their love for anime - you're self-described "otaku shoegazers", your titles reference various series and characters, and you've even included a sample from K-On (I think) in the intro to "senketsu". Do you feel like anime influences your music as much as it does the band's visual aesthetic?

Abe speaking. That sample is actually from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and yes, watching anime really inspires me when I write music.
I take a lot of influence from j-pop and j-rock, even though I don't think it is super evident in our music all of the time.

Hmm, I could have sworn I'd recognized that clip! I do see some of the J-rock influence in the density of the music and swooping chord changes.
How does your sound translate to a live setting? What bands have you shared bills with that have really impressed you?

We try to sound as good live as we do recorded, though our live shows have their own special qualities to them. As far as our favorite bands to play with, the list goes on, but to name a few:
Smith + Robot
Bad Times
Whimper
Ghost Data
Big Hand//Big Knife
Better Now
Chris Lopez
Ringo Deathstarr
All bands we have played with/adore.

Also, when playing live, we really want an ocean of noise. It should really surround you.

How were you able to get in contact with Smoked Cheese Records about putting out Wet? Smoked Solid Dairy has been a favorite hardcore outfit of mine for some time.

Ive known Alec (ssd front man) since I was in high school. I used to write concert reviews for his website (txpunk.net). He has supported me ever since my first real project, Anger House. Once we discovered we both loved anime, it all exploded from there. I am very grateful for his support and friendship.

What series are favorites among Rei Clone's members?

Still Abe replying, I can't speak for everyone but:
Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Beck
Kill La Kill
Steins Gate
Desert Punk
Evangelion
Dragon Ball
Cat Planet Cuties
Squid Girl
Seinfield
Ghost in the Shell
Akira
The list could go on

Seinfeld is essential
Any plans in the works for future Rei Clone material?

Absolutely. We are very far from being done. We have more EPs and a full.length coming out in the future. Probably sometime next year. Touring as well. - Half-Gifts

What's the most basic Denton Fact you know? Maybe you're thinking Denton is a college town, or Denton is a neat place. But we're willing to bet a lot of you are working with some minor variation on a major theme: Denton is a place for music. It's a fact we're reminded of daily as we traipse past live venues on-and-off the square, drive through our college campuses, or pack ourselves into houses to see musicians we admire.

But what do we listeners really know about the music-making process? Do you ever listen to one of your favorite artists and think, "I wonder how they pulled off that guitar effect? How many people are on this track, and who are they? Why do these vocals sound so insanely tight? What the hell is that incredible noise peeking through the wall of this song?"

We thought so. We wondered too. So we went straight to the source.

Welcome to On The Record, a new monthly roundup that aims to shine the spotlight not just on Denton musicians and artists, but on some of their best friends—their sound engineers, producers, recording studio buds, and record label reps. Who better to answer these burning questions than the professionals who make our favorite albums so clean and pristine? For our inaugural installation, we got some beautiful insight from Brack Cantrell of Dojo Baby Records and Michael Briggs of Civil Recording. Read on and you might learn some sweet secrets about some of your favorite local acts.

"Rei Clone recently released thier new album Wet. The songs are great and I'm very proud of the mix on this album. It's a clear step forward for the band from their previous release, which was also really good. The songs on this record have really good catchy melodies, and the intricate and interesting violin parts really bring it over the top. If you like shoegaze, anime or Whataburger (I hate the latter two), then give this album a listen and go see Rei Clone live." --Michael Briggs, Civil Recording - The Dentonite