When you realise what’s before your eyes
The American-Swedish indie-pop outfit I Am a Rocketship have released their new album ‘Lies and Legends’, their most ambitious offering to date, following well-received singles ‘Fever Dream’ and ‘What’s This For’.
Based in Atlanta, I Am a Rocketship is a duo comprising Eric Weissinger and L E Kippner, who mix smooth impressionistic lyrics and rock guitar with a dash of Dirty South beats and psychedelic bombast.
Both raised on folk and classical music, the two later discovered bands such as Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, Massive Attack and Sigur Ros. Suckers for a pop hook, I Am a Rocketship is a self-contained duo, who write, record and create art and videos without the involvement of other contributors.
The new ‘Lies and Legends’ album is their most ambitious collection to date. These ten songs are about the appeal, in trying times, of lies and legends over reason and love. They give people hope, a feeling of belonging, and frequently, a license to do terrible things in the name of their belief.
“When facts are scary, people turn to belief. I guess these are songs about faith, how it can be comforting, but blinding,” says guitarist and programmer Eric Weissinger.
All the music on the ‘Lies and Legends’ album was recorded on a notebook computer during early 2021 – a very productive year for the band given the amount of time spent under lockdown, with late 2020 also bringing their ‘oRAnGE’ EP, a release laced with frustration, sadness and rage over the rise of authoritarianism and accelerating environmental collapse.
In April 2020r, I Am a Rocketship released their ‘Ghost Stories’ LP, which were preceded by, ‘Mind Grafitti’ (2019) and their debut offering ‘Mission Control’ (2016).
In his past incarnation, Eric Weissinger would back up various artists, opening for bands such as The Wedding Present, The Black Crowes, James, Cracker and Portastatic. But everything changed upon meeting L E Kippner – cellist, scientist, radio DJ and singer for Swedish synth-pop duo Neobox. At first, forming Hitchcock Blondes in Ohio, they relocated to Atlanta to make a fresh start as I Am a Rocketship.
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