Fans of Sunny Day Real Estate, Dashboard Confessional,
Jimmy Eat World will flip for new Lost Causes album, out June 10. Watch
now via NPR-affiliate KXT.
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Jared
Putnam of The March Divide as photographed by
Short Eared Dog Photography.
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The March Divide | In The Press
“Impressively hooky.” — American Songwriter
“Relentlessly catchy.” — Under The Radar
“Bittersweet beauty.” — Impose
“Putnam’s vocals pop.” — PopMatters
“Hits the mark again and again.” — The Big Takeover
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PLAY, POST & SHARE
The March Divide | “Tension In The Air”
[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfiAVLf9_nU
[STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/TheMarchDivide-TensionInTheAir
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“Putnam’s
urgent melodies, wrapped in just-slick-enough production, draw you in and keep
you there. “‘Tension In The Air’ is
one of The March Divide’s best
examples of this trick to date.” – The
Big Takeover
About the music video for the song, recently
premiered by Dallas NPR-affiliate
KXT, Putnam says, “The song is about
needing a break from the mundane. We all have our own thing, and life can become mundane for a lot of
reasons. So, we made a video about what that break might look like if you’re a
puppet with no morals or self-control!”
Hector Gallardo of Subharmonic
City Productions, the director of the clip, and de facto puppeteer
explains, “This puppet is inspired by the movie ‘Labrynth,’ and was made by a group of very talented artists here
in El Paso, Texas.”
Gallardo continues, “Growing up with ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘Fraggle
Rock,’ I always loved what they did with these puppets, but until I did
this myself, I always took for granted what goes into making those shows. Some
of these shots are honestly torturous. You have to really contort your body to
not end up in the shot!”
“In the scene with the band, everyone
at the bar was super happy to meet and party with the puppet. They kept asking
what his name was and I realized we never gave him one. That night, he was
forever known as Maurice.”
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The March Divide
Lost Causes
(Slow Start Records)
June 10, 2022
Track Listing:
01. I Wanna Hate You (STREAM)
02. Tension in the Air (STREAM | VIDEO)
03. I’m Not Perfect (STREAM | VIDEO)
04. Dover Cir
05. Corduroy
06. Giving Up
07. Virginia (STREAM)
08. Mont Del Dr
09. King of The Lost Cause (STREAM)
10. This World is Gonna End
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The March
Divide | Live
06/02/2022: San Antonio, TX @ Fralo’s
06/03/2022: Cibolo, TX @ 1908 House of Wine & Ale
06/04/2022: Boerne, TX @ Gather Boerne
06/05/2022: San Antonio, TX @ Fralo’s
06/06/2022: San Antonio, TX @ Sternewirth Sessions
06/09/2022: Wichita Falls @ The High Dive
06/11/2022: San Antonio, TX @ The Point Park
06/17/2022: Fort Stockton, TX @ Zero Stone Park
06/18/2022: Wichita Falls, TX @ O’Briens
06/23/2022: San Antonio, TX @ Fralo’s
06/24/2022: Fort Stockton, TX @ The Old ‘76
06/25/2022: Clovis, NM @ Red Door Brewing
07/07/2022: San Antonio, TX @ Fralo’s
07/08/2022: Boerne, TX @ Gather Boerne
07/09/2022: Cibolo, TX @ 1908 House of Wine & Ale
07/21/2022: Wichita Falls @ The High Dive
07/22/2022: Tyler, TX @ ETX Brewing
08/05/2022: Corpus Christi, TX @ Art Walk
08/23/2022: Red River, NM @ Noisy Water Winery
08/24/2022: Albuquerque, NM @ Noisy Water Winery
08/26/2022: Ruidoso, NM @ The Cellar Uncorked
08/27/2022: Alamogordo, NM @ 575 Brewing
08/28/2022: Cloudcroft, NM @ Cloudcroft Brewing
09/02/2022: Alto, NM @ Enchanted Vine
09/03/2022: Ruidoso, NM @ Lost Hiker Brewing
09/04/2022: Las Cruces, NM @ T or T Brewing
+++
PLAY, POST
& SHARE
The March Divide | “I’m Not Perfect”
[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ougIiJ1TFmA
[STREAM]: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/TheMarchDivide-ImNotPerfect
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“An open nod
to the 1990s rock that was on the radio a lot after Kurt Cobain died, but it
doesn’t sound like a retread. It sounds inspired.” – Central Track
“When it came to making the video for ‘I’m Not Perfect,’ I’ve always enjoyed
working with Hector Gallardo of Subharmonic City Productions,” says Jared Putnam of The March Divide about the video for the first single from his
upcoming sixth album, Lost Causes (June 10, Slow Start Records).
“If a song brings out a tough memory or emotion that you’re just not ready to
deal with, Hector can put visuals to
it that will make you look and keep you from turning away.”
See
the “I’m Not Perfect” video via Ghettoblaster Magazine here.
Texas-based music discovery website Central Track says
of the song, “Fort Worth-based Jared
Putnam has a soft spot for ‘90s pop rock. ‘I’m Not Perfect’ might be an open nod to the 1990s rock that was
on the radio a lot after Kurt Cobain
died, but it doesn’t sound like a retread. Compare it with songs from August
and Everything After (Counting
Crows) or New Miserable Experience (Gin
Blossoms) and it sounds inspired, but not taking direct lifts from those
records.”
Putnam elaborates, saying, “I’m Not Perfect” came out completely different than I had
initially imagined. Writing sad songs about loneliness comes very naturally to
me and this song was an idea that would check that box. When my producer, Mike Major listened to my rough demo,
he heard it as a full-on rock song. It wasn’t until I heard the bass and drums
that I realized I wasn’t seeing the forest for the trees. Something that was so
obvious to everyone, but had been hiding behind in the blind spot of my comfort
zone.”
+++
PLAY, POST & SHARE
The March Divide | “I
Wanna Hate You”
[STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/TheMarchDivide-IWannaHateYou
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“Lost Causes carries an intentional
tribute to 90s indie-ROCK (capitalization intentional!) and for me, ‘I Wanna Hate You’ is the perfect song
to kick it off,” says Jared Putnam
of The March Divide about the
opening cut of his sixth album (out June
10 via Slow Start Records.)
Listen to the song at the link above or via New Noise Magazine here.
“I just didn’t hold back on that theme at
all with this one. I wanted everything I miss from the songs I grew up with;
driving verses, big power-pop choruses, and yeah, even rippin’ guitar solos.
While it’s a breakup song, the opening line, ‘I’m awake, for the first time in
a long time’ was meant to plant the seed of the throwback to come.”
“I’m awake, for the first time in a long
time/ I’m afraid, to find out what all I’ve missed,” Putnam sings on the tune, a solid example of the kinds of songs
that have helped him build a loyal following for his candid lyrical style, which
can vary from tongue-in-cheek sarcasm to almost too self-effacing.
+++
PLAY, POST & SHARE
The March Divide | “King
of The Lost Cause”
[STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/TheMarchDivide-KingOfTheLostCause
+++
“King
of The Lost Cause” was
the least put together song going into making this album,” explains Jared Putnam of The March Divide.
“All I really had was a bad phone
recording of an idea, we had already scheduled the studio time, but I knew that
I didn’t want to leave this idea out of the mix. As it turns out, the song is
an obvious expression of the anxiety that come with writing songs for a
living.”
Hear
“King of The Lost Cause” now at Spill
Magazine or at the link above.
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The March
Divide | About
I wanna hate you. I’m not perfect. Giving up. King of
the lost cause. This world is gonna end.
Jared Putnam is a funny guy. No, really, he is. Don’t let the
negative words above, which comprise five of the ten song titles on Lost
Causes (oops, he did it again!), Putnam’s
sixth album as The March Divide,
fool you.
Being able to laugh at yourself is one of the tenants
of comedy and Putnam’s greatest
strength has always been to take his everyman, self-effacing character and wrap
it in urgent melodies backed by just-slick-enough production to draw you in and
keep you there.
It’s why over the years music critics have called his
songs “impressively hooky” (American
Songwriter) with “classic pop hooks” (The
Big Takeover) where his “pop sensibility comes entirely to the forefront” (Under The Radar).
As a next-door neighbor who you would actually like to
know, Putnam doesn’t try to overstay
his welcome, either. Even though he is a prolific songwriter, after the release
of his appropriately titled fifth album cinc in April of 2021, he figured he
was tapped out of ideas for a while.
Instead, he started making the best distillation of
his talents to date. As Putnam tells
it, inspiration returned as he was just out doing Dad stuff.
“I was driving my kid to school and Gin Blossoms came on the radio. I’m a
forever fan of Gin Blossoms, but
this was ‘Hey Jealousy,’ which
commercial radio has been running into the ground for 30 years.
“But in that moment, it was the greatest thing I’d
ever heard! The hooks, the subject matter, and all the rest were as they’d
always been, but I was struck by how it was put together. In that moment, that’s
what made the song great.”
Putnam has spent years deconstructing pop songs in an
attempt to discover the formula. This “Hey
Jealousy” epiphany may have been destined, because the blueprint of the
connection Putnam realized while
just doing Daddy duty allowed him to build Lost Causes.
“I’ve always been fascinated with dissecting what
makes a song great and trying to find the catalyst for the chemical reaction
that emotionally connects us to where a handful of tunes are run into the ground
for 30 years,” he says of the rarefied air that a timeless hit song occupies.
Joining Putnam
under The March Divide banner for Lost
Causes are friends Ernie Garcia
(long-time player with El Vez and Javier Escovedo) on bass and Jason West on drums.
“Our mutual love of Cheap Trick has always made Jason
the perfect drummer for my songs,” Putnam
says. Lost Causes was mixed and mastered by Mike Major (At The Drive-In,
Coheed and Cambria.)
“Mike also
produced a lot of great bands around the southwest,” Putnam explains. “It wasn’t lost on me that Gin Blossoms are from Tempe and have a very staple southwestern
sound. Mike knew what I was going
for.”
Lyrically, the songs on Lost Causes pick up where
the last single from Putnam’s
previous album left off. At the time, he had started to write in a more stream
of consciousness style, even making a promise to himself not to change his
words.
“It’s pretty satisfying to just say what you want to
say, without worrying about how cool it sounds,” he said at the time.
This is why Putnam’s
humor shines brighter than ever on Lost Causes.
I wanna hate you. I’m not perfect. Giving up. King of
the lost cause. This world is gonna end.
We have all felt these things, but putting them in
song, or voicing them at all could seem whiney or at least cynical and
pessimistic.
Not so, with Putnam,
who has become a master of this somewhat sarcastic craft. Instead, these songs
are relatable confessions in a candy coating.
“Writing sad songs about utter loneliness comes very
naturally to me,” he says. “These kinds of songs are very therapeutic for me to
write.”
These sad songs are the ones that most connect with Putnam’s growing audience, especially
those overseas that have propelled tunes such as his 2019 release “Secrets,” to just-shy of a million
Spotify spins.
“I’m Not
Perfect,” the first single from Lost
Causes, started out as one of these “downer” tunes, but in sharing his
early demo with his collaborators, Putnam
was pushed to make it more, while keeping what makes it The March Divide. The tune opens Lost Causes and is a
total success.
“Even though writing these types of songs is
therapeutic for me, it’s also a rut,” Putnam
says. “Emotionally, I got so much more out of working on ‘I’m Not Perfect’ by working with others. I’m hopeful that the fans
who crave these songs from me will too. Maybe we can all get out of our sad
bastard rut together.”
He’s a funny guy.
Lost Causes,
the sixth album by The March Divide,
arrives on June 10 via Slow Start Records preceded by the
singles “I’m Not Perfect” (March 18), “Tension In The Air” (April
8), “I Wanna Hate You” (April 29), and “King of The Lost Cause” (May
20.)
Jared Putnam of The March
Divide is available for interviews. Contact Josh
Bloom at Fanatic for
more information.
+++
The March Divide | Links
ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : BANDCAMP : SPOTIFY : APPLE
: SLOW START RECORDS
+++
Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact
WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
Lost Causes
(Slow Start Records)
June 10, 2022
Track Listing:
02. Tension in the Air (STREAM | VIDEO)
03. I’m Not Perfect (STREAM | VIDEO)
04. Dover Cir
05. Corduroy
06. Giving Up
07. Virginia (STREAM)
08. Mont Del Dr
09. King of The Lost Cause (STREAM)
10. This World is Gonna End
06/03/2022: Cibolo, TX @ 1908 House of Wine & Ale
06/04/2022: Boerne, TX @ Gather Boerne
06/05/2022: San Antonio, TX @ Fralo’s
06/06/2022: San Antonio, TX @ Sternewirth Sessions
06/09/2022: Wichita Falls @ The High Dive
06/11/2022: San Antonio, TX @ The Point Park
06/17/2022: Fort Stockton, TX @ Zero Stone Park
06/18/2022: Wichita Falls, TX @ O’Briens
06/23/2022: San Antonio, TX @ Fralo’s
06/24/2022: Fort Stockton, TX @ The Old ‘76
06/25/2022: Clovis, NM @ Red Door Brewing
07/07/2022: San Antonio, TX @ Fralo’s
07/08/2022: Boerne, TX @ Gather Boerne
07/09/2022: Cibolo, TX @ 1908 House of Wine & Ale
07/21/2022: Wichita Falls @ The High Dive
07/22/2022: Tyler, TX @ ETX Brewing
08/05/2022: Corpus Christi, TX @ Art Walk
08/23/2022: Red River, NM @ Noisy Water Winery
08/24/2022: Albuquerque, NM @ Noisy Water Winery
08/26/2022: Ruidoso, NM @ The Cellar Uncorked
08/27/2022: Alamogordo, NM @ 575 Brewing
08/28/2022: Cloudcroft, NM @ Cloudcroft Brewing
09/02/2022: Alto, NM @ Enchanted Vine
09/03/2022: Ruidoso, NM @ Lost Hiker Brewing
09/04/2022: Las Cruces, NM @ T or T Brewing
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