YO LA TENGO Release We Have Amnesia Sometimes Five instrumental compositions recorded during lockdown Play ticketed broadcast performances this weekend

Today, we’re gathering it all into a single tidy zip file: We Have Amnesia Sometimes. This digital-only collection features five instrumental compositions that Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan, and James McNew recorded over 10 days in late April and early May during socially distanced sessions at their rehearsal space in Hoboken, NJ.

Improvisatory and atmospheric, the music expands upon the moods and processes that informed the trio’s now-more-timely-than-ever 2018 full-length, There’s a Riot Going On.

“If you’ve spent any time hanging out with us at our rehearsal space in Hoboken — that pretty much covers none of you — you’ve heard us playing formlessly (he said, trying to sidestep the word “improvising”).  Most of the songs we’ve written in the last 25 years have begun that way, but often we do it for no other reason than to push away the outside world.

In late April, with the outside world weighing on everybody, we determined that the three of us could assemble in Hoboken without disobeying the rules laid out by Governor Murphy, and resumed . . . “practicing” hardly describes it, because we’ve done no practicing per se, and anyway what would we be practicing for . . . playing.  James set up one microphone in the middle of the room in case we stumbled on something useful for the future. Instead we decided to release some of the things we did right now.”  — Ira.

Initially exclusive to Bandcamp, We Have Amnesia Sometimes is today available to experience via the DSP of your choosing.What’s more, this weekend Ira, Georgia, and James will reconvene at their rehearsal space for two livestream concerts – on Saturday, July 18^th at 11AM AEST and Monday, July 20 at 3AM AEST.

The sets will be unique 30-45 minute performances of music generated in the “formless” style of the Amnesia recordings. Tickets will be $10 and are available to purchase HERE. Proceeds from the event will benefit Brennan Center For Justice.

This fall, Matador will reissue Yo La Tengo’s Electr-o-pura as part of our Revisionist History series. Now in a gatefold sleeve and cut from the original 58-minute master, the new reissue is pressed for the first time on two LPs to ensure the highest quality of audio the album has had on vinyl to date. Pre-orders for the new edition are available now via the Matador store HERE.

Purchase / Stream We Have Amnesia Sometimes: https://ylt.ffm.to/amnesia