Persistent Vision Records announces the July 11th release of Pygmy Lush's TOTEM.
Recorded and mixed by Converge's Kurt Ballou in 2016, the album has remained unreleased for nearly a decade. Active again now after a long hiatus, the revitalized band has made the decision to unearth this lost masterpiece.
Stream the first single, "February Song," here: https://youtu.be/leDxRQ-sP8o
Pre-order the album, here: https://persistentvisionrecords.com/products/pygmy-lush-totem
Pygmy Lush was founded in Northern Virginia in the mid-2000s by brothers Chris Taylor and Mike Taylor as an experimental offshoot of their band Pageninetynine. Beginning with the debut album, Bitter River, released on Robotic Empire in 2007, Pygmy Lush's output ranged from Pageninetynine-caliber screamo, to fragile Americana; from the basement show to the campfire and back again, the songs all hit with equal conviction.
Following the release of 2011's Old Friends album on Lovitt Records, Pygmy Lush faded from view, reemerging in 2024 to many fans' surprise and delight. Reentering the limelight by way of an NPR Tiny Desk Concert in August 2024, the newly reignited band was a standout of the inaugural Dark Days Bright Nights festival in September of that year, and went on to wow the crowd at this year's Roadburn.
With an appearance at Toronto's Prepare the Ground festival booked for May, and shows in the works with the likes of Young Widows, Pygmy Lush now prepares to reveal the long-buried TOTEM. Mike Taylor explains why this nine-year-old masterpiece has not yet seen the light of day: "Frankly, we lost momentum shortly after recording the album. It was a very transitional time for Pygmy Lush where we were trying hard to figure out what this group wanted to do."
He describes the upcoming 2025 release of TOTEM as a necessary step in Pygmy Lush's progression toward its next phase: "I personally have wanted to release TOTEM as a document of this era of the band, in order to continue moving forward."
While TOTEM's belated release might give the Taylors a sense of closure on the past, it is more than a snapshot of bygone days. It is a monumental work of art that feels absolutely fresh and vital in 2025. A feast for the ears and the heart, TOTEM is an engrossing display of musical freedom, backed by authentic emotion. There are songs that rage, songs that rock, and songs that cruise hypnotically. From bruising noise rock, teetering on the edge of hardcore, to meditative refrains that roll along like trains through moonlit valleys, it moves in its own ways, unhindered by genre.
"The album became a bridge between the two completely different sounds of the band, the quiet and the loud," states Mike Taylor. "It was very collaborative. We were all trying out as much stuff as we could. It’s a very eclectic album." He offers up Born Against, PJ Harvey, and Brian Eno as three reference points. First single "February Song" is a heavy, haunting lullaby that ravages, serenely, evoking the quieter moments of Sonic Youth and Pavement alike.
The common denominator beneath TOTEM's songs is the urgency, the realness, fueling every note and lyric. Chris Taylor states: "The lyrics desperately look for answers that aren’t there, and deliberately mock themselves. We sing and we write and we play, as the world becomes more and more obviously horrific. We admire, or argue over, the patterns of our battle flags while the fort is burning."
Furthermore, TOTEM's rich, warm production unites the disparities into one whole. With longtime collaborator Kurt Ballou overseeing the recording and mixing at his hallowed GodCity Studio, mastering was handled by the great Carl Saff (Bambara, Bonnie Prince Billy).
The cover art, created by Paul Nitsche, consists of hand sculpted organic elements and mixed media collage, photographed using traditional tintype photography and darkroom methods. Nitsche is known widely for his artwork for Dazzling Killmen's Face of Collapse album.
With TOTEM set to be released to the world on July 11th, the path is cleared for whatever Pygmy Lush chooses to do next. "Yes, we will be writing new music ASAP," declares Mike Taylor.
Tracklist:
1) House of Blood (Butch’s Monster)
2) It Wasn’t a Compliment (Martial Law Blues)
3) A Little Boy and His Bulldozer
4) Algorithmic Mercy (Prayers Printed Directly into a Shredder)
5) A Famous Jock (The Rest of Us)
6) February Song
7) Band-Aid on a Bullet Wound
8) The Puppeteer
9) Post-Punk in the Wrong Hands
10) Artistic Blood / Blanket Out the Sun (in a world of better things)
11) Nonsensical Whimper
TOTEM recording lineup:
Chris Taylor - vocals, bass
Mike Taylor - guitar
With TOTEM set to be released to the world on July 11th, the path is cleared for whatever Pygmy Lush chooses to do next. "Yes, we will be writing new music ASAP," declares Mike Taylor.
Tracklist:
1) House of Blood (Butch’s Monster)
2) It Wasn’t a Compliment (Martial Law Blues)
3) A Little Boy and His Bulldozer
4) Algorithmic Mercy (Prayers Printed Directly into a Shredder)
5) A Famous Jock (The Rest of Us)
6) February Song
7) Band-Aid on a Bullet Wound
8) The Puppeteer
9) Post-Punk in the Wrong Hands
10) Artistic Blood / Blanket Out the Sun (in a world of better things)
11) Nonsensical Whimper
TOTEM recording lineup:
Chris Taylor - vocals, bass
Mike Taylor - guitar
Mike Widman - guitar
Erin McCarley - bass, vocals
Andy Gale - drums
2025 lineup:
Chris Taylor - guitar, vocals
Mike Taylor - guitar
Erin McCarley - bass, vocals
Andy Gale - drums
2025 lineup:
Chris Taylor - guitar, vocals
Mike Taylor - guitar
Mike Widman - guitar, bass
Johnny Ward - guitar, vocals
Andy Gale - drums
Upcoming shows:
May 30 - Toronto, ON @ Prepare the Ground (w/ Baroness, Yob)
June 8 - Richmond, VA @ The Warehouse (w/ Young Widows)
Discography:
TOTEM (2025, Persistent Vision Records)
Demos / B-Sides (2016, Self-Released)
Old Friends (2011, Lovitt Records)
Cold World / Guilt 7" (2011, Lovitt Records)
Split w/ Turboslut (2009, Exotic Fever)
Mount Hope (2008, Lovitt Records)
Bitter River (2007, Robotic Empire)
Live photo by Michael Thorn
Johnny Ward - guitar, vocals
Andy Gale - drums
Upcoming shows:
May 30 - Toronto, ON @ Prepare the Ground (w/ Baroness, Yob)
June 8 - Richmond, VA @ The Warehouse (w/ Young Widows)
Discography:
TOTEM (2025, Persistent Vision Records)
Demos / B-Sides (2016, Self-Released)
Old Friends (2011, Lovitt Records)
Cold World / Guilt 7" (2011, Lovitt Records)
Split w/ Turboslut (2009, Exotic Fever)
Mount Hope (2008, Lovitt Records)
Bitter River (2007, Robotic Empire)
Live photo by Michael Thorn