Abbreviations “isn't taking any shortcuts,” says Central Track. 15 years on North Texas scene results in band’s striking debut single “Turn On You,” out now.

Stuart Sikes (The White Stripes, Modest Mouse, Phosphorescent)-produced cut merges “psychedelia, dream pop, haunting melodies, rich spaced-out guitar tones.”
 
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Abbreviations (L-R): Chad Walls, Ashley Leer, Tony Wann, Matt Leer. Photo Credit: Leyton Cheek.

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Abbreviations | “Turn On You”
 

 
“Haunting melodies, rich spaced-out guitar tones and somber lyrical themes...,” says MXDWN, describing Abbreviations in its premiere coverage of the band’s debut single “Turn On You,” out now. “Merges psychedelia and dream pop into their sound, pulling from each member’s rich history in the local music scene.”
 
Dallas-based music discovery website Central Track interviewed the band on the day of the release of “Turn On You,” and concludes that Abbreviations “isn't taking any shortcuts.” Read the story here.
 
[STREAM]: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/Abbreviations-TurnOnYou
 
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Abbreviations | Live
 

 
07/30/2021: Dallas, TX @ Double Wide (Red Zeppelin Records Night w/ God of Love, Bayleigh Cheek)
 
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Abbreviations | About
 

Abbreviations is a rock band from Dallas.
 
Also a pop band, an alternative band, and a supergroup (of sorts) i.e. members Ashley Leer (Guitar / Vox), Matt Leer (Guitar), Chad Walls (Bass), and Tony Wann (Drums) have played in many of the city’s most active bands over the years.
 
Staying active makes you strong, makes you super. “Turn On You,” the upcoming debut single from Abbreviations (Red Zeppelin, June 18^th) radiates understated power.
 
No wonder that producer Stuart Sikes (himself a Grammy®-winning superpower for his work on Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose, in addition to his credits with The White Stripes, Modest Mouse, Phosphorescent, Cat Power, and many more) signed on to helm “Turn On You.”
 
The oomph of Walls’ concise bass playing, the interplay of the Leer’s melancholy guitar lines, the subtle crack of Wann’s snare, and Ashley’s hypnotic vocals all come together to leave you wanting more and wondering when.
 
“It’s about that moment where you realize you have feelings for someone other than the one you’re with,” Ashley says of the tune. “Are these feelings real? ‘Turn On You’ feels like a love song, and it is, but it’s also about the guilt for having those feelings.”
 
The song is deeper than most dream pop songs will go, typically awash in too much dream to be this lucid. Ashley naturally comes from a place of authenticity when it comes to lyricism, but it was not always that way.
 
“I had previously only written lyrics when I was forced to do so, usually the day before we recorded,” she explains.
 
However, in 2016, when she found out that her father (a professional bassist who taught her the guitar) only had a year to live, writing became the way to cope.
 
“I needed to write songs about all these thoughts exploding in my head. I had never really thought about death, and it made me take a step back and reflect on my life, the people I hurt, and the people I loved. Suddenly, I had plenty to write about.”
 
With lyrics no longer forced, Ashley’s candor in her writing and performance makes the first effort by this supergenre supergroup (stated influences range from The Jesus Lizard to Drake, Fugazi to Joni Mitchell, Sonic Youth to Broadcast, The Police to The Beatles) more memorable.
 
Abbreviations is clearly more than just a rock band from Dallas.
 
“Turn On You,” the first single by Abbreviations, is out now via the female-owned and operated McKinney, Texas-based label Red Zeppelin, a recent outgrowth of the beloved local record store.
 
Members of Abbreviations are available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.
 
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Abbreviations | Links
 
FACEBOOK : INSTAGRAM : SPOTIFY : APPLE : RED ZEPPELIN RECORDS
 
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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact
 
WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL