Los Angeles-based songwriter David Schaefer has been a part of the DIY music scene since early adolescence, working with a range of artists from Phoebe Bridgers to Girlpool, and has recorded under the moniker French Negative. Making a clean break from that project, Schaefer has adopted a new name, Okay Embrace, where he crafts an experimental brand of pop featuring a verbose lyrical style and intricate, interlocking guitars.
Working with Justin Pizzoferrato (Dinosaur Jr./ Pixies) at Sonelab Studios, Schaefer recorded the first Okay Embrace album during his two years at Hampshire college. Titled Moving/Improving and set for release on the 16th November, there has been a sneak peak of the record already with lead single ‘Drought (Song of California)’. The Alternative described it as a homage to California with “delicate, embracing textures and a multitude of winding guitar parts,” while Earmilk labelled it “a whirlwind of guitar shredding and emotions.”
We’re lucky enough to be able to share a new single ahead of the album’s release later this year. ‘Moving’ picks up the thread from ‘Drought (Song of California)’, though while the latter sees its various intricacies coalesce into something of a slow burn rise, ‘Moving’ employs a springy, playful vibe from the off. The guitars bounce through the track like dodgem cars, skidding and shooting behind Schaefer’s frantic vocals, the track finding deep lulls before kicking back into rhythm. The delivery has a breathless quality, like the words of a person who has withheld their feelings for too long, the mounting pressure breaching some threshold and spewing forth in manic flow.