Brooklyn-based Public Practice have announced the release of their debut album Gentle Grip on May 15 via Wharf Cat Records (Gong Gong Gong, Bambara). Today Public Practice share the first taste of the album with the single “Compromised.” Of the track the band’s Sam York says “’Compromised’ deals with the moral gymnastics that many of us struggle with daily just to be a human in this world. How do we balance our desire for material pleasures with our need to be seen as moral and good? What’s more important, the shoe or where it came from? How it was made or how it looks? I am no shining example and I struggle with this constantly.” The video for “Compromised” was directed by Josie Keefe and Jonny Campolo (Pill, P.E.) and they note, “Inspired by luscious lips, dazzling eyes and manicured hands of the past, we recreated layouts, postures, and makeup techniques from vintage cosmetic advertisements. The video splits the body into eyes, lips, and hands – bringing the artwork of Public Practice’s music to life.”

Inspired by influential New York bands like Liquid Liquid, and ESG the foursome are inclined toward music that sounds rough-hewn. “We were thinking about classic New York dance albums, and the thing that stuck out is that many sounded like they were recorded in less-than-ideal situations,” McClelland says. “There was always something about them that felt somewhat home-cooked.” McClelland has spent the past few years constructing a home studio with carefully chosen and occasionally hand-made equipment in an effort to recreate that “cobbled together” sound. Three quarters of Public Practice are engineers as well as instrumentalists, so their collection of gear combined with the recording rig McClelland built allowed the band to record Gentle Grip largely at their own hybrid practice space/studio in Brooklyn. “Having a space and setup that is unique, you’re always going to have more of a signature sound,” McClelland explains. They spent the better part of 2019 playing with sounds, riffing on McClelland’s demos, and recording a number of songs live to tape. Although a handful of sessions occurred in traditional recording studios, the band’s autonomy and ability to record themselves imbues their music with a sense of freedom and gives it a distinct character. Their setup and recording process led to a home-cooked sound; a record that is purely Public Practice.

York – who pens virtually of the lyrics – explores ideas about navigating the act of creating, relationships, and capitalism. Gentle Grip is a record, ultimately, about the truth of self. “You want to live a lie,” York sings on today’s single “Compromised,” “You don’t want to pick a side / You don’t want to compromise…” As York puts it, “No one’s moral compass reads true north at all times. We all want to be our best green recycling selves, yet still want to buy the shiny new shoes— How do you emotionally navigate through that? How do you balance material wants with the need to be seen as morally good?”

Public Practice
Gentle Grip
track list
Wharf Cat Records

1. Moon
2. Cities
3. Disposable
4. Each Other
5. Underneath
6. See You When I Want To
7. My Head
8. Compromised
9. Understanding
10. Leave Me Alone
11. How I Like It
12. Hesitation

Pre-order Gentle Grip here.

Public Practice
tour dates

March 13 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom w/ A Place To Bury Strangers (New Colossus Fest)
March 28 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere w/ The Automatic and Shopping
April 4 – Jersey City, NY – White Eagle, w/ Parquet Courts
April 5 – Ardmor Music Hall, PA, w/ Parquet Courts
May 4 – Southampton, UK – Heartbreakers
May 5 – London, UK – Electrowerks
May 6 – London, UK – Rough Trade East evening instore
May 7 – Manchester, UK -Yes
May 8 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club, w/ Bambara
May 9 – Glasgow, UK – KNice N Sleazy,
May 10 – Edinburgh, UK -Sneaky Pete’s
May 12 – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds
May 13 – Bristol, UK – Louisiana
May 14 – Brighton, UK – The Great Escape