(NEW YORK, NY) -- Tea Eater, NYC art punk band fronted by Tarra Thiessen of Gustaf and Sharkmuffin, didn't expect to create an anthem that would unite the nation, but that's what they've accomplished with their latest single. Titled "Fuck the DMV," the song touches on a universally shared sentiment: The Department of Motor Vehicles is truly the worst.
Inspired by Thiessen's experience of the DMV wrongfully suspending her license during the COVID lockdown, "Fuck the DMV" captures the frustrating journey of discovering whether her license was actually suspended or not. The music video was directed, shot, and edited by Emily Hughston using a 360-degree camera, features Thiessen psychedelically glitching in and out of the DMV, taking her driver's test (with bandmates Vram Kherlopian and Lindsey Ann Lawless as DMV employees), and having her license photo taken in front of the iconic Florida DMV sign that reads, "If you want a better picture, bring a better face.”
This single marks the second release from Tea Eater's upcoming debut LP, Obsession, which was recorded in the summer of 2021 at Chase Park Transduction Studios in Athens, GA. The album was produced by Drew Vandenburg (Bambara/Faye Webster/Of Montreal) and features Thiessen on guitar and vocals, Vram Kherlopian on bass, and Alex Tuisku on drums. Thiessen's vocals were produced by Vanessa Silberman at A Diamond Heart Production in Brooklyn NY.
"Fuck the DMV" is OUT NOW via A Diamond Heart Productions/Amethyst Trax (Symphonic Distribution) and La Fam Recordings. Tea Eater will celebrate the release with a beach show on August 12 at Rippers in Rockaway, Queens, with Wild Yaks and Skorts. The full Obsession LP will be available on October 6, 2023.
No one’s more fun in the post (or present) apocalypse than Tea Eater. Fronted by Tarra Thiessen of Gustaf and Sharkmuffin, the New York City-based art punk band’s made significant waves with frenetic performances, surf-rock-on-Neptune grooves and sucker punch tracks about hating the DMV. Their debut LP Obsession, produced and mixed by Drew Vandenburg (Bambara/Faye Webster/Of Montreal) brings a new whirring power to their sound, an invitation to shed your baggage and transmute your neurosis into something worth dancing about.
The earliest Tea Eater tracks were written after a cross-country drive from LA with members of Gustaf in March 2020, when Thiessen submerged herself in meditation, Twin Peaks: The Return and the expected existential crisis. During the summer of 2021 Tea Eater’s debut LP was recorded in Athens, GA with Vram Kherlopian on bass and Alex Tuisku on drums. The result? A soundscape with deliciously crunchy riffs, sci-fi-tinged guitar solos, ethereal harmonies and cheeky lyrics that off-set any real ennui.
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(LINCROFT, NJ) -- Brookdale Public Radio 90.5 The Night will participate in the fifth annual Public Radio Music Day on October 23, 2024. The day brings together noncommercial public radio stations, artists, and fans to recognize public radio's essential community service and unique role in the music industry locally and nationally. 90.5 The Night will honor the occasion online and on-air by celebrating the music from New Jersey communities all day long.
(NEWARK, NJ) -- This Fall, AG Touring and Mammoth, Inc. proudly present the Rod Wave - Last Lap Tour. This large-scale multi-city outing will feature Rod Wave headlining 36 of North America's top arenas coast-to-coast. The tour will kick off on October 19 at Desert Diamond Arena in Phoenix, AZ visiting major markets across the country, including Newark’s Prudential Center on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 with special guests Moneybagg Yo, Toosii, Lil Poppa, Dess Dior and Eelmatic.
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![Tea Eater releases "Fuck the DMV"](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2023/DMV-Aug13.jpg "Tea Eater releases "Fuck the DMV"")
