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Today I’m thrilled that a DIY band from the 2000s is back with a new single on their upcoming album, Set of All Sets. The one and only noise punk with two drummers, Parts & Labor. They’ve also been called noise rock, noise pop, experimental rock, and industrial, to name a few. They are heavy in the best ways. One of which is politically raging against the machine. The 79-minute double album is out on Friday, July 10th, via the fabulous Ernest Jenning Record Co. label. Some are calling it apopcalypse pop.
Parts & Labor was co-founded by Dan Friel (keyboards, guitars, vocals) and BJ Warshaw (bass guitar, vocals) in Brooklyn in 2002. Current 2026 lineup drummers Christopher Weingarten (originally in the band from 2004-2008) and a friend of SWT, Joe Wong, was the last to join the current lineup, joining in 2008, respectively. The band released five studio albums and two EPs in their original time together, starting with their debut Groundswell (JMZ Records, 2003), Stay Afraid (Jagjaguwar, 2006), Mapmaker (Jagjaguwar, 2007), Receivers (Jagjaguwar, 2008), and Constant Future (Jagjaguwar, 2011) along with Escapers One EP (Brooklyn Beats, 2007) and Escapers Two EP (Ace Fu Records, 2008).
The new album’s press release summarizes the bands original run well, noting, “In their decade of existence they released five albums and carried the Minutemen’s “jam econo” torch through relentless, van-destroying tours across the U.S., Europe and Japan, playing shows with Mission of Burma, The Fall, TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Battles, Melt-Banana, Lightning Bolt, Titus Andronicus, Oneida and many more. Their final bow, held at Brooklyn’s 285 Kent in February of 2012, was a cacophonic send-off that united Weingarten and Wong on one stage and ended with the audience tearing the stage to pieces.” If you’re a fan of any of those bands or the jam econo mindset, you’re in the right place at SWT. We’ll always have a soft spot for them.
And what have these Parts & Labor guys been up to since 2012? The press release continues, “During the following 14 years, Dan Friel has released eight albums for avant-rock lodestar Thrill Jockey: four toy-keyboard scuzz-pop solo excursions and four LPs with his interstellar power trio Upper Wilds. Joe Wong has become an in-demand film and TV composer, penning the music for Emmy-winning shows like Russian Doll and Master of None, alongside releasing a pair of psychedelic pop solo outings. BJ Warshaw has been co-running a multidisciplinary artist retreat, LEVEL, in a former Boy Scout cabin in Chapel Hill, NC, since 2016. Christopher Weingarten has maintained a formidable career as a music writer and recently launched the all-star “artisanal white noise” app Fuzzzel.”
Warshaw also noted, “If some certain quantum theories are true, everything that might exist, does exist through parallel universes. Grappling with that feels simultaneously full of promise and struck with grief, that anything is possible, but also that this is the universe we’re stuck with.”We wanted to turn towards promise, to build this thing against so, so many odds. To fight against our own inertia and fraying hope.”
The result is a double album nearly 80 minutes long, heavy on synth, riffs, double drums, and impressive hooks. An industrial vibe that will remind some of NIN, others of Melvins or HEALTH in good ways. To my ears, it’s not too much of anything; it’s just the right amount and talent level of all sounds combined. Sometimes that’s feedback loops; other times, robotic or futuristic; other times, anthemic in a rock-genre way. Sometimes thrashing about, other times more calm, and it all works together, flowing from one part of the song, one track to the next. Never drone on too long. Often, the songs are percussive, but Weingarten and Wong work wonderfully together rather than on top of each other. And the band as a foursome remains a tight-knit group.
Now that we’ve talked a bit about the band’s past and present, let’s explore the reason we’re here today. To spotlight the song, “Seamripper.” I heard it recently and knew the song served not only as a nice intro to the album but also to the band in general. A band with great timing, as SWT continues its Singles Spotlight series. “Seamripper” begins heavy and sludgy in the best ways. If you like sludge and synth, you’ll love it. The synth gets all video game-like sounding for portions of the song, especially in the first half. The vocals are a nice addition, as well as the analogous lyrics. About halfway into the song, the melody moves more triumphantly before it slows down again and the sludge returns.
The last quote from the press release is from band member Dan Friel, who said,“’Seamripper’ is probably Parts & Labor’s heaviest song. With two drummers, and Chris Weingarten back in the band, I was excited to do something inspired by the Melvins/Big Business albums, but the sludgy dungeon synth riff became something else entirely. I don’t think it sounds much like anything else we’ve done, and I like to think it doesn’t sound much like anyone else either.” Right on. Don’t let the verbiage dungeon synth scare you. It’s fantastic. But don’t take my word for it, take a listen to the song “Seamripper” for yourself.
(All credits and rights to Parts & Labor)
The cover art for Set of All Sets:
The track list for Set of All Sets:
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Endless Cycle Pt. 1: Repetition Nil
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Endless Cycle Pt. 2: Edges of Forgetting
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Many Worlds
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Descending
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Haunted Limbs
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Seamripper
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Arterial Material
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Anti-Lions and Lemonade
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Descending
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Endless Cycle Pt. 3: Better Run
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Endless Cycle Pt. 4: Working in Storm
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Indecision Tree
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Descending
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Parallel Tracks
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Off By One
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Like They’re Here to Stay
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Set of All Sets
You can connect with and listen to Parts & Labor at the following links:
- Website: partsandlabor.net
- Parts & Labor YouTube Topic: Check out the topic of the band Parts & Labor on YouTube
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Instagram: instagram.com/partsandlaborforever
- Bandcamp: partsandlabor.bandcamp.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/partsandlabor
Get tickets to see the expanded 6-piece lineup of Parts & Labor on these upcoming tour dates:
July 24th – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon w/ PG14 & HLLLYH (ex-Mae Shi)
July 26th – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill w/ Evicshen & HLLLYH (ex-Mae Shi)
August 7th – Ridgewood, NY @ TV Eye w/ Oneida & Kinski
August 8th – Ridgewood, NY @ TV Eye w/ 75 Dollar Bill & Parlor Walls
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
