Debut Album The Original Faces Is Out September 4th Via Kranky.

“The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley,” goes the Robert Burns poem on which John Steinbeck based his classic novella Of Mice and Men. The same can be said of Grouper offshoot Helen. Originally conceived as a thrash metal project, the Portland, Orgean based quartet have ended up closer to the fuzz/dream-pop with the first track (‘Motorcycle’) from their debut album The Original Faces. Not that anyone at Overblown is complaining.

Consisting of Liz Harris (Grouper), Jed Bindeman (Eternal Tapestry), Scott Simmons, and Helen, the group craft a raucous and yet soothing din on ‘Motorcycle’. As one would expect from a project involved Liz Harris, the track is somewhat unconventional, especially when compared to other bands of a similar ilk. Keep an eye out for their debut album The Original Faces, which is out on September 4th via Kranky.

The Original Faces artwork:

The Original Faces track-listing:

01 Ryder

02 Motorcycle

03 Covered in Shade

04 Felt This Way

05 Pass Me By

06 Right Outcome

07 Allison

08 Dying All the Time

09 Grace

10 City Breathing

11 Violet

12 The Original Faces

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