Steve Hartlett, formerly of Newtown, Connecticut three-piece band Ovlov has a new solo project called Stove. When Ovlov disbanded, Hartlett repurposed the songs he had written for their sophomore album for his own new project. The result is Is Stupider, a full-length debut album with heavy Dinosaur Jr. vibes, due out November 20th on Exploding In Sound Records.
"Jock Dreams" and "Wet Food" were the first two singles off the record, and today Stove is sharing "Lowt-Ide Fins" with us. It's one of Is Stupider's quieter songs, but it rips with arguably more passion than anything else on the album. The track has a charming kind of sadness to it, but it's also filled with frustration—seasoned and filtered friends wash off the scaly ends/ sun rays he never sends, Hartlett sings. "Lowt-Ide Fins" is one of those really special songs that makes you feel feels even when you're not exactly sure why. Maybe it's got something to do with this fishy metaphor that feels strangely familiar, especially when Hartlett warbles, you will change my hands, fins to swim in sand. Hartlett told The FADER over e-mail that the track is about "someone who promised me fins instead of limbs, but when we got to the beach, they just chopped my limbs off and left me in the sand with nothing but a pair of flippers." Hartlett knows there's humor to be found in some of life's shittier situations. And what does Steve Hartlett do when he feels like he's been left to flop around in the sand with no limbs? He gets up and writes "Lowt-Ide Fins." Sometimes those irritating pangs of frustration and helplessness lead to strength.
Listen to "Lowt-Ide Fins" below, and pre-order Is Stupider here.
TOUR DATES:
11/07 - Portland, ME @ Brown Haus *
11/08 - Winooski, VT @ The Monkey House *
11/09 - Montreal, QC @ Quai des Brunes *
11/10 - Ottawa, ON @ House of Targ *
11/11 - Toronto, ON @ The Silver Dollar *
11/12 - Wyandotte, MI @ The Rockery *
11/13 - Chicago, IL @ The Beat Kitchen *
11/15 - Milwaukee, WI *
11/16 - Champagne, IL *
11/17 - Dayton, OH @ Blind Bob's *
11/18 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups *
11/19 - Cleveland, OH @ Mulhall's *
11/20 - Philadelphia, PA *
11/21 - Doylestown, PA @ Siren Records *
11/22 - Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn w/ Bueno & Infinity Girl *
11/23 - New Haven, CT *
11/24 - Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East (upstairs) w/ Rick Maguire (Pile)
* w/ Dirty Dishes
