Releasing August 22 via Last Gang / MNRK

Travels to an Iron Age Nightclub on “Bog People”
Single + Video Out Now

Today, Yeasayer co-founder Anand Wilder announces his sophomore solo album Psychic Lessons, coming out August 22 via Last Gang / MNRK. Known for shaping the experimental indie pop of the 2010s with the critically-acclaimed Brooklyn band, Wilder taps back into the psychedelic rock and electro-pop that made the group so successful for an LP that finds him continuing to expand upon his genre-bending sound. Also today, Wilder releases new single “Bog People,” which uses fuzzy guitar, distorted vocals and a booming drum machine to wonder what gets lost to time and what remains – all inspired by a visit to the British Museum which houses the Iron Age remains of the Lindow Man aka “Pete Marsh.” The song arrives with a neon-drenched official music video, which combines Wilder’s ‘90s roots (see: the fisheye lens) with the frenetic energy of the indie sleaze era. 

Pre-save/pre-order Psychic Lessons

Listen to “Bog People”

On the song, Wilder shares: “Walter Fancourt and I had made this sort of ’90s sounding boy band inspired beat with screechy synth bends, so I just laid three chords over it and really went for it in a ‘90s alt-rock vein. And I hope the video captures some of that fisheye lens, VHS-style, '90s fun. Directed by Patrick Drummond (Starcleaner Reunion), with some extra footage shot by my seven-year-old daughter Zazie and childhood friend Bernard Feinsod, I wanted it to look like a ‘90s Beastie Boys video or something. We shot the nightclub dream sequence at the Rodeo Bar, where I DJ vinyl Third Tuesdays of every month. 

So it’s kind of like a conversation between a know-it-all museum tour guide and a horrified museumgoer with scraps of anthropological history describing all these little details from what we think we know about this ritual sacrifice, combined with my poetic conjecture trying to get inside the minds of the people. Was it a punishment or a reward? Were the onlookers jealous or hysterical? And who is being offered up for sacrifice today.” 

In May, Wilder shared the first single “Appointment in Samarra” and its kaleidoscopic music video directed by Jordan Fish (MGMT, Chairlift) that was featured at BrooklynVegan, who called it “as hallucinatory as the song itself.” The track, along with the entire LP, was co-produced by Wilder and lauded multi-instrumentalist Jachary (L’Rain, Tasha). The duo brought on Walter Fancourt (a guest saxophonist on Yeasayer’s Amen & Goodbye) to help write and record, creating what Wilder refers to as a “DIY Compass Point Studios” – the historic Bahamas recording studio where Grace Jones, Brian Eno and Talking Heads made some of their best-known material. 

The collaborative nature of the LP resulted in a record that mixes genres like chillwave, psych-pop, reggae and country to create a wholly original sound rooted in the synthetic palettes of the 1980s. Thematically, the songs teeter from the small troubles of personal life to explorations in mythology and ancient history and character-driven satires of contemporary life. 

Wilder expands: “I just want to keep making records in a reeling music industry. This one’s about drawing inspiration anywhere I find it — myth, history, anthropology, satire, life’s little indignities, or a pink keyboard my wife found on the street.”

The upcoming album follows his 2022 solo debut, I Don’t Know My Words, which – comparatively – found Wilder taking the spiritual exercise of going solo seriously. Stripping his songcraft down to the studs, he recorded every note himself. The hard work paid off, earning praise from Stereogum, NPR Music, Consequence and many more. Since then, he’s released the 2023 ambient album Cannibalizing The Conductor and two tracks with Maia Friedman celebrating Last Gang Records 20th anniversary. He’s also kept busy touring throughout the US and performing DJ sets at the Crown Heights bar King Tai. Most recently, he performed two sold-out shows at Brooklyn’s Sultan Room with Delicate Steve. Stay up to date on Anand Wilder tour dates at anandwilder.com.