 Jordan Jeffares began writing songs under the guise of Snowden (derived from the Joseph Heller novel ‘Catch 22’) during his senior year of college. Between studying and preparing for grad school, Snowden as a bedroom project began to expand, both literally and figuratively. Jeffares recounts, "I'd been volunteering at hospitals a lot and decided that there was something else I needed to do before I sold myself to the professional life. I had to give everything I had to music for a while so I could say I tried." Jeffares returned to Atlanta after graduating and postponed grad school in the hopes of transforming Snowden from bedroom project to band. With the help of his brother, who had been playing early Snowden demos at a rock night he DJed, he quickly found four like-minded musicians eager to bring the bedroom demos to life. In 2004, Snowden self-recorded and self-released their first EP, six songs saturated with reverb and delay. The reaction was overwhelming as the EP charted in the Top 30 lists of most college stations that added it to rotation. Blogs such as Stereogum, Coolfer and Gothamist became quick fans, and Snowden made a name for themselves up and down the East Coast, playing live often enough in New York to be mistakenly labeled a New York band. Snowden continued through 2005, sharing the stage with The Arcade Fire, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Xiu Xiu, Elefant and The Unicorns to name a few. The band also entered the studio to begin work on their debut album, Anti-Anti, which was recorded by Erik Wofford (Octopus Project, The Black Angels) at Cacophony Recorders in Austin, with additional tracks recorded and mixed by Jeffares and Snowden on their own. Following the completion of Anti-Anti, Snowden signed with Jade Tree in early 2006, with a Summer release date planned for the album. Anti-Anti integrates the ethereal guitar resonance and dynamic percussion reminiscent of bands like RIDE, NEW ORDER and early CURE, with the volatility of contemporaries such as THE YEAH YEAH YEAH’S. The debut album captures Jeffares and company elevating their trademark sound into an unpredictable mix of dirty pop soundscapes. It is the definitive call of Snowden, a brand of post-shoegaze melodies amidst a sea of reverb heavy distortion and hypnotic, layered complexities. And though it all comes from one bedroom, the saturated sound of Snowden has left the confines of its figurative house, poised to captivate, move and infect all that it encounters. Snowden will be promoting Anti-Anti on the road throughout the remainder of 2006. |
