Voted a Best Bay Area Breakout Band of 2009 on MTV2, San Francisco rock/pop five-piece The New Up has a sound that's described as "Metric with a touch of the Rolling Stones, with a front woman with an addictive, classy, lingering voice" (Behind the Hype), "striking, exotic and brashly coherent indie pop that feel[s] like the sonic equivalent of a thrill ride" (Flagpole Magazine) and "a sensory-driven band, big on textures and big on noise, yet with a sensual soulful awareness that comes through in their melodies and lyrics" (Performer Magazine). Front and center is ES Pitcher's intoxicatingly liquid voice, which earned her a designation as "the bastard love child of Siouxsie Sioux and Karen O" (Sacramento News & Review). Featuring Noah Reid on guitar, Hawk West on flute and automation, Dain Dizazzo on bass and Drew Bertrand on drums, the band delivers captivating live performances that combine uniquely catchy songs with polished chops and inspired musicianship.
The New Up's new album Gold, the final in a series of three releases, drops on October 26, 2010. Recorded at Radical House Studios and The Pleasure Pad in San Francisco, and mastered by Roger Lian (The White Stripes, Madonna, The Killers, Smashing Pumpkins, and The Strokes) at Masterdisk NYC, Gold will be available on the band's store at thenewup.com, in stores across the U.S. via IDC (Independent Distribution Collective), and on iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic and hundreds of other digital sites through IRIS Distribution.
Broken Machine (S/R 8/26/08), the first, critically-lauded EP in the series (Performer called it "an artful sonic balance that's miles beyond the typical indie-rock release") charted on the CMJ Top 200. The second EP in the series, Better Off (S/R 8/19/09), garnered national airplay and earned positive reviews from numerous critics. The Athens Banner-Herald said Better Off "bears a song craft light years ahead of many contemporaries," while Blogcritics said the EP "exemplifies how The New Up has not only grown as a band over the years, but why they can't be boxed into any particular genre" and "proves The New Up is getting better at what they do all the time."
Instrumentation
ES Pitcher: vocals, guitar
Noah Reid: guitar, vocals
Hawk West: flute, automation
Dain Dizazzo: bass
Drew Bertrand: drums, percussion
Discography
Gold: CD due for release 10/26/10
Better Off: EP released 8/18/09
Broken Machine: EP released 8/26/08
Palace of Industrial Hope: CD released in 2007
Streaming Tracks on iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic and hundreds of other digital sites through IRIS Distribution.
Radio airplay: EP Broken Machine debuted and spent several weeks in the CMJ Top 200 in 2008; tracks from"Broken Machine and Palace of Industrial Hope have been played on KFOG San Francisco, Sophie Radio San Diego, WXAV Chicago, KSLU St. Louis, WMSE Milwaukee, CIUT Toronto, CKUT Montreal, KALX and KPFA Berkeley, KPFK Los Angeles, KDUP and KBOO Portland, WPPJ Pittsburgh, KFAI Minneapolis, WORT Madison, WRUV Burlington, KHUM and KUSP in Humboldt County, KZSC Santa Cruz, WBOI Fort Wayne, KOPN Columbia, MO and much, much more.
