On the Water has been one of the constants in Philadelphia’s underground music scene, and after 17 years with various LPs and EPs under their belt, the band are set to release new music via the city’s leading lights in all things DIY, Strange Mono.
Led by vocalist Fletcher VanVliet, the latest incarnation of On the Water sees the singer joined by Robin Carine (lead guitarist), Lucas Carine (drums) Aubrey VanVliet (bass), Evan McGonagill (cellist) and frequent collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Jesse Sparhawk.
All have been involved since the band’s second full-length album, Cordelia (2015), and the nucleus remains on their forthcoming LP Return, which is set for release on September 5. It marks a first for Strange Mono, for there is nothing on the label quite the meandering odyssey that is On the Water.
Exclusive to Sun 13, be the first to listen to the band’s lead track from Return, Mr. Mystery.
On Mr. Mystery, through woodsy thrums and zany guitars, Fletcher sings, “I shed my skin / shape shifting”, which is kind of the embodiment of this band. A collision of wandering folk, hard-rock and metal that somehow reaches the frontiers of psychedelia, and while Mr. Mystery may not immediately suggest these things, on Return, by and large, On the Water make the impossible actually possible, blurring the lines in rather interesting ways.
Return is out September 5 via Strange Mono. Pre-save here and pre-order from Bandcamp.
