Abracastabya

Three years into its existence, Abracastabya has unleashed Knees Together Ankles Crossed, an open wound of an album that smolders, swells, and suppurates dark anxiety and desire."

The Onion AV Club, Localized: Denver

“The act’s distinctively eclectic style nods to Helium, with layers of textured electronic and acoustic sounds, and stark yet emotionally rich lyrics delivered by Welter, whose vocals are tinged with the same type of defiant vulnerability Tori Amos displayed on Little Earthquakes.”

Tom Murphy, The Westword

Abracastabya is an independent band based in Colorado Springs, Colo. Its genre-straddling music builds haunting piano and organ melodies on a template of cello, dreamy guitars and rock beats.

The band’s first full-length album, the self-released Knees Together Ankles Crossed, provides a mix of waltz beats, carnivalesque dirges, indie rock and a few stripped-down acoustic pieces. Audiences and critics have described Abracastabya (abra-kuh-STAB-yuh) as “creepy carnival music,” “art fag,” “experimental indie rock” and “shoegaze.” The four BFFs experiment and create a balance of sound, invention and poetry, while trying not to take themselves too seriously.

Geoff Brent’s spacey guitar sways from mellow to intense, while David Grimm’s drums provide a powerful foundation. “The alchemy between Lauren Langley’s strings and Willow Welter’s voice and keyboards is as unique as it is achingly breathtaking,” writes Jason Heller of the Onion AV Club, Denver. The keyboard- or guitar-driven songs build to climaxes with ambivalent resolutions.

After three years together playing live (at places ranging from dive bars to art galleries), with acts including Rasputina, Edith Frost, Black Moth Super Rainbow and Appleseed Cast, Abracastabya hit the studio with Bill Douglass, who has recorded and produced work by Bauhaus, The Flaming Lips and Smashing Pumpkins.

Their full-length album, “Knees Together Ankles Crossed” is available on iTunes, at CD Baby, Click here, Independent Records, or any of their shows. Some songs are available for download above.