In their bio, Telemarket discuss how the band’s music takes its inspiration from their name. A “marketplace of noises” they call it—a constant churn of hazy melodies and mutated sounds. To that end, perhaps one can also look to the press photo above for further clues into the group’s ethos. In it, we see the four members captured in a state of ghostly flux. Yes, there are some sharp lines and a clear delineation of shapes, but they are encased in a gauzy halo of shadowy movement and translucent silhouettes. It’s at this intersection—the one between the corporeal and the dreamlike—where Telemarket’s new EP finds its fulcrum.

EP cover for You deserve a hard day's work after a long night's rest.

Take the opening two tracks, for instance. “Timid Talk” is a rousing barnburner of a song, all scampering guitars and ramshackle garage-punk energy. Vocalist and guitarist Adam Wayton shows himself to be in confident command, his raspy tenor slinging the song feverishly forward. But that initial whirlwind rush soon dissolves into a murky lurch as “Woke Up on Time” searches for its footing. It takes a minute for the track to find its momentum, but when it finally does kick into a sprint, the reverberations it leaves are more misty and muted. For Wayton, the song remains a personal favorite, as well as a clear indicator of where the band has moved since releasing their 2018 debut What’s Behind You?

“I wanted ‘Woke Up on Time’ to be this indie and shoegazey ode to ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun,’ one of my favorite Beatles tracks,” he says. “Our last EP was quite a bit more lo-fi, so this time around we wanted to still capture the swirling, noisy, chugging sound we love, but in a more hi-fi and tangible way.”

That dichotomies both kinetic and atmospheric should form the heart of this EP is not especially revelatory. All good bands explore the tension inherent in contrasts, and Telemarket are far from alone in their marriage of the visceral to the spectral. But there is something in the way the group navigates this union that’s uniquely captivating. Even the group’s more brooding numbers (see especially the dreamy balladry on “Filing Teeth”) ring with punchy clarity, while propulsive cuts like “Nine Stories” charge forward with chest-swelling urgency.

Throughout the EP, drummer Jack Colclough and bassist Hunter Pinkston keep the grooves nimble yet taut, never allowing the music to dissolve into abstraction or to spin wildly out of control. Meanwhile, Will Anderson layers in splashes of organ, piano, and synth, providing greater depth and texture to the EP’s morphing contours. It’s a delicate balance, in part because the surfaces Telemarket travel upon never seem to fully materialize. Here, change is always lurking around the next corner.

Given its title—You deserve a hard day’s work after a long night’s rest.—it’s not surprising the EP delves into themes of frustration and anxiety. But whether it’s issues of social stress and personal identity (“Timid Talk”) or fears of missing out and facing regret (“Nine Stories”), Wayton and company approach their subjects with impassioned honesty and vulnerability. The result is a record that tugs firmly at your heart and guts, even as it seeks to lift your spirits.

“Songs like ‘Woke Up on Time’ and ‘Filing Teeth’ take a more personal stream of consciousness approach to outline some of my feelings during the end of my past relationship, dealing with feeling unmotivated and unfulfilled in my work and personal life, and facing some early 20’s existential dread,” Wayton says. “I think the EP does a good job at dealing with these issues in a head-on way, as I think it’s important to keep your head up, facing your demons with humor, confidence, and positivity. I think the energy in these tracks reflect that.”

Ahead of its official release tomorrow, stream You deserve a hard day’s work after a long night’s rest. in its entirety below.

Telemarket will celebrate the release of You deserve a hard day’s work after a long night’s rest. on Sat., Nov. 9 at a house show alongside Calico Vision, the Hernies, and Hoyas. Music starts at 10 p.m. Donations recommended.

More Info
Web: telemarketmusic.com
Bandcamp: avenuenoiseandsound.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @telemarketMusic
Instagram: @telemarketmusic