Constantine Anastasakis AKA: Blonder will release his new EP Crystal Ball on April 24th. For the album, Blonder enlisted frequent collaborator and producer Aaron Maine (Porches) and Waylon Rector (LA session player: Phoebe Bridgers, Talk in Tongues, A.G. Cook) to help bridge modern production techniques and to add a more psych rock-tinged approach to pop songwriting. Recorded in Chinatown, Brooklyn and Long Island, NY, and mixed by Justin Gerrish (Vampire Weekend) and Erin Tonkon (David Bowie’s Blackstar), the Crystal Ball EP sees Blonder leaving the 70’s studio vibe of his past release and returning to his pop-inflected origins.

The EP was partly influenced by a New Years celebration on LSD; a first-time, safe & low dose helped produce a chapter turning experience where mid-late career Beach Boys and Beatles began to make sense. This led to the epiphany that Constantine wanted to start experimenting more with psych rock elements to make his collection of music more of an immersive experience. The 6 songs on the Crystal Ball EP deal with themes of sobriety, substance abuse, romantic musings, and a critique on the notion of a “career” in music. The record features additional production by Joey Valley of New York outfit Wet and guest vocals from The Voice winner Chloe Mk.