Prairie Pavement Drops New Single 'Even Split' and Eyes B-side Release on Forthcoming Cassette
- matt smith
- 16 hours ago
- 4 min read
If you’ve ever been to a Prairie Pavement show, you already know the group is arguably one of the best live bands on the Buffalo scene.
With a palpable on-stage chemistry, the band has built a sizeable following through its animated, high-energy performances which generate a contagious positive vibe.
The hype that surrounds the group is well-deserved; it’s earned every bit of it. Yet its reputation for fun and showmanship notwithstanding, Prairie Pavement’s success is rooted in its significant talent — a talent that continues to evolve and grow.
The band’s new song, ‘Even Split,’ which dropped today, serves as Exhibit A.
The single, which can be heard HERE, is a master’s class in songwriting. Dreamy, melodic, textured and exceptionally arranged, the music traipses along a sonically unique landscape brought to life by contemplative and emotive lyrics.
Extra encouraging for Prairie Pavement fans is the band’s plan to augment its new single with a limited cassette-run to be made available in the near future through the group’s Bandcamp page.
The cassette will offer a B-side track titled ‘Five Dollars in My Jorts,’ a catchy, bright and fast-paced tune featuring some excellent guitar work and a tight, driving rhythm.
Prairie Pavement is comprised of guitarists Jack Chadwick and Sal Constantin, who share vocals, Owen Shotwell on bass and Dylan Lumb, drums.
1120 Press recently caught up with the band to discuss its new music and what else lies ahead for the group. We thank them for their time.
1120 PRESS: Thanks very much for speaking with us and congratulations on the new music. How do you feel now that ‘Even Split’ is dropping for people to hear? We know from our conversation behind the scenes that the band feels the song is special; what in particular has you feeling the way you do about it?
PRAIRIE PAVEMENT (answering collectively): It’s been a while since we’ve released any new music, especially with our current lineup, and we’re super happy to have a new song out for everyone to hear. Stylistically it’s quite a bit different from a lot of our other material, and we really tried to make the sonic character of the recording reflect that. We tried out some strange mic techniques, percussion things, all that kind of stuff. The arrangement is a kind of beautifully organized chaos, and we all spent a lot of time working on our own individual parts which definitely paid off. We also tried to be more cohesive with the promotional materials and visuals and everything, which was a lot of fun to work on!
1120: Of course, this is often the case with music, but when we listen to ‘Even Split’ it seems that, lyrically, it’s one of those songs that people are going to be able to relate to, and apply their own experiences, whatever they may be. It seems to be a very personal song, but at the same, universal. What can you tell us about the inspiration behind the song?
JACK: Lyrically, I ended up capturing my thoughts on the changes going on in my life and in my friend’s lives too. Sometimes you outgrow people, or vice versa, and it can get confusing. So, I wanted the lyrics to reflect that.
1120: As we understand it, the band will be issuing a cassette run for this single with a B-side, which is pretty cool. What inspired the band to purse that approach; what was the thinking behind that decision? You don’t see that too often.
OWEN: We’re all big proponents of physical media, so it was an easy choice to do some kind of release. You always have to kind of consider which projects are worth the effort of making a physical release for, and it wasn’t a difficult decision to go in that direction with ‘Even Split’ at all. Cassettes are a cool format all around, and I think it makes a little more sense for a single because you can order cassettes that just have less tape on them, versus using an entire CD for one or two songs.
The B-side is on there for a couple of reasons. First, it’s just not something you see very often these days, so we wanted to give it a shot. We’ve also had the B-side tune, ‘Five Dollars in My Jorts,’ kicking around for a while, and this release felt like the right opportunity to sneak it in as a bonus track. It’ll probably see a wider digital release at some point, but for now it’s a cool little extra for anyone who grabs a copy. Also, DIY shit is cool.
1120: We’re not asking here for you to respond with that sort of stereotypical “big-things-coming” answer, but in general, what’s ahead for the band in the near future that either you guys are excited about or to which your fans can look forward?
PRAIRIE PAVEMENT: We’re always working on writing new music and we’re looking to record some more soon. Touring has also been another thing on our radar in recent times, so we’re hoping to travel some more. There is plenty more music, fun, shows, and merry PP times right around the corner.
1120: Thank you for speaking with us. Is there anything else you want to say about the single, the cassette run or anything else we haven’t touched on?
PP: We’ll have 25 copies of the cassette and some new merch available soon, which anyone can pick up at our shows and on Bandcamp. Big news for fans of physical PP! All of us also have side projects to keep up with in between PP activities, shout out Bob Smith Quartet, PNS Records, and Owen’s recording stuff!
SAL: Watch the “Whiplash” short film. It’s very interesting compared to the movie.
JACK: Don’t eat the yellow snow.
OWEN: When a quirked up white boy greets you with “yellow,” thou shalt respond with “orange.”
DYLAN: I hope everyone has a good morning.