Apple Core, by Spencer Hoffman

Apple Core

by Spencer Hoffman

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1.	Apple Core 06:04	buy track
2.	All Time Lowe 03:30	buy track
3.	NOTAFLOF 04:07	buy track
4.	Song of Ignorance 05:45	buy track
5.	Spencer Hoffman, Floating Action - French Diseases 04:22	buy track
6.	Painting Something 02:59	buy track
7.	Out of the Running 04:49	buy track
8.	Catatonia 06:41	buy track
9.	Fight No More 05:11	buy track

about

Spencer Hoffman wasn't handling the pandemic well. He was grinding his teeth in his sleep, so much so that he cracked his molars and was only able to eat soft foods while dental surgeons were still on lockdown. A record deal had fallen apart when the pandemic hit. A beloved producer he wanted to work with kept avoiding him.

So he made the personal record that he always wanted to make, not concerned with whether or not there would be a world to receive it on the other side. The goal was to just keep his head on straight. He regressed to a sort of twin language, a way of speaking directly to himself as a form of comfort. He started recording new songs on a tape machine not just for the sound, but to escape the oppressive lights of the computer screen.

The resulting album, Apple Core, sounds nothing like the cold isolation of quarantine. Rather, the gorgeous melodies and literary references are a celebration of the togetherness of humanity. After completing an albums worth of songs, they found their way to Melina Duterte (Jay Som) through a mutual friend who went to work on mixing the album. “Melina and the community around me really championed the record and made me feel that it was worth pursuing and sharing,” says Spencer.

"All these pieces of the moon/ I can't carry them anymore" he sings in the opening track, and it sets off a rumination on all the ways our fractured self-image is thrown back at us. Hoffman is the steady hand on the tiller as we sail into turbid waters. The music has the sweet languid vibe of a Cass McCombs, Vetiver or Cotton Jones, with an added sharp literary sensibility culled from Mary Shelley and Ursula K. Le Guin. It's the kind of record you can put on and slip into like a bath.

Hoffman sings in "Song of Innocence" how he dreamed of experiencing a failure that was so obvious and definitive that he could accept letting go of his musical dreams forever. Fortunately, instead of letting go of that dream, he sailed us right into it.
-Nick Jaina

credits

released October 21, 2022

All songs written and recorded by Spencer Hoffman in his apartment in Echo Park during the lockdown of 2020, except where guest musicians recorded themselves remotely.

All songs mixed by Melina Duterte and Spencer Hoffman.
Spencer Hoffman - vocals, guitar, twelve string, bass, drums, percussion, mellotron, wurlitzer, organ, piano, violin, mandolin
With guest appearances by:
Rob Mills - drums and percussion on track 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7
Louis Cohen - synths on track 1, lap steel on track 1 and 9
Jesika Gatdula - vocals on track 1 and 6
Mason Hoffman - guitar on track 5
Tyler Wolter - bass on track 7
Seth Kauffman - mellotron, guitar and background vocals on track 5
Matthew Zuk - guitar on track 7
Aimée Niemann - violin on track 8
Elijah Egbert - cello and bass on track 8

Special thanks to Kasra Mirblouk and Kaitlyn Paik for being early supporters of this project. Thank you to all the musicians who imbued these tunes with your immense talent. Thank you to my band who has since interpreted these songs live. Thank you Mary and Percy Shelley, William Blake, William Carlos Williams, James Baldwin, Mary Oliver and Ursula K. Le Guin among others on the shelf for your companionship during dark times. And a very special thank you to Jesika Gatdula who was always a room away while I made this record, whose support makes everything possible and who lent her beautiful voice to my songs on and off the record.

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Spencer Hoffman Los Angeles, California

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Spencer Hoffman recommends:

Songs From The Secret Beach
by The Secret Beach

This record was recorded by my friend Micah under similar circumstances as Apple Core (and with similar equipment). Playing with Micah this year inspired me deeply and this record feels like home. Spencer Hoffman
go to album
Stars
by Ryan Pollie

This record is Ryan coming into his own as a producer. It's at once nostalgic and novel. It's your new best friend who it feels like you've known forever. Spencer Hoffman
go to album
The Dynamite Man
by Lou & Co.

Lou and I took frequent long walks together during the making of Apple Core and this record. It was one of the things that kept me sane during the pandemic. Lou is a gem and this record is primo. Spencer Hoffman
go to album

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