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Today, Real Estate release Half a Human, a collection of six new songs that were started and finished in two very different places. As Real Estate's first EP in more than a decade, singer/guitarist Martin Courtney admits that when writing this music, he was feeling weird about being in a band, wondering how the group was still going strong after so many years. But while the architecture of Half a Human was constructed during sessions for their 2020 album, The Main Thing, it wasn't until after the pandemic hit that they revisited the recordings and arrived at a renewed commitment to their future.
In trading the material back and forth remotely, the members of Real Estate found new ways of working together during lockdown, further exploring the emotional landscapes they've been perfecting since their start. On Half a Human, the band cements themselves as indie rock lifers, and moments like the wistful crescendo of the title track will "remind you exactly why you fell in love with their suburban yearning" (Stereogum).
Listen to Half a Human, out everywhere via Domino:
https://smarturl.it/HalfAHuman
Watch a psychedelic series of FISK-directed videos for each song, inspired by old winamp visualizers and created through radical editing of candid footage from each band member: https://smarturl.it/HalfAHumanYT
Earlier this week Real Estate gave fans the chance to experience Half a Human a couple days early, in a live-streamed variety show called ZOOMIN' WITH REAL ESTATE. From their homes, the band hung out with viewers on YouTube, Facebook and Twitch. Before debuting the EP in full, Martin Courtney and Alex Bleeker performed songs solo, Julian Lynch gave a rundown of his guitar rig, and keyboardist Matt Kallman set the mood with some background music. Revisit the event here: https://youtu.be/ac7ZNvC8aVU
Though the past year might be the longest time Real Estate has spent off the road and away from each other, Half a Human "embraces the jammier side of the band" (Aquarium Drunkard), showcasing some of their most intuitive and interpersonal arrangements to date. "Half a Human" has long been one of Real Estate's favorite songs to play live, and "In the Garden" builds a bridge between The Main Thing highlights like "Paper Cup" and the sound of the band's next era. Throughout the rest of the EP they tackle thorny subjects of aging, connection and loss of innocence with lush instrumentation, even as lyrics evoke images of complicated emotion, allusions to the aftermath of 9/11 ("D+"), and more.
Half a Human is available digitally and on 1000 copies of a limited edition 12", which includes a special, heady essay from Matt "MV" Valentine, written about his appreciation for the EP. He says, "This is a garden state of mind, grail overfloweth. Sonic palisades for the synapses." Order it from Domino Mart or the band's store here.
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