"Esfandiari's anguished vocals! summon heartbreaking ghosts, treasured memories, faded photographs on a wall." - Pitchfork
In her work as the vocalist for King Woman, Kristina Esfandiari takes on a powerful, defiant stance against a backdrop of nocturnal doom rock. But in her ever-evolving solo endeavor Miserable, she removes the armor and reveals her vulnerabilities. The polarizing scope of Esfandiari's work under the Miserable moniker is aptly demonstrated on two EPs forthcoming from Sargent House: the brand new Loverboy EP and a reissue of the highly sought after Dog Days EP (out together on October 26th).
Loverboy's first single, "Gasoline" (streaming today via FLAUNT), is the record's closest approximation of pop, though the ode to an old relationship's stalemate is charged with minor key melodies and crashing guitar chords until it exudes a forlorn aura.
https://www.flaunt.com/content/flaunt-premiere-miserable-gasoline
A somber and stormy affair, Loverboy was written during Esfandiari's brief residency in Brooklyn and it captures the songwriter during a personal nadir. But beyond the inevitable loneliness stemming from a cross-country move, there was an underlying fury in the four songs. It was a record born out of navigating past traumas and addressing the ugly side of humanity in a cathartic manner. And it was a record that seemed to write itself, with Esfandiari stating that the foundations for the songs came to her suddenly during a flight back to NYC. "I had chills running down my body for a couple of minutes," she says of the moment of inspiration. "I wrote all of the lyrics out on napkins. I could hear how I wanted everything to sound." The songs came easily, but getting them out into the world was a different story. The four songs had to be completely re-recorded after a freak accident destroyed the hard-drives and back-ups of the album's audio files, forcing Esfandiari to continue ping-ponging between coasts.
Dog Days, originally released as a limited edition cassette back in 2015, was a much different outlet for Miserable, written while Esfandiari was still living in San Francisco. The EP was born out of a week-long bender in Brooklyn. "It was my first stab at writing upbeat pop songs," Esfandiari says of the record. And indeed, there's something comforting and nostalgic in the shimmering dream pop of Dog Days. It's an upbeat record filtered through late-night atmosphere. The EP has been remastered for Sargent House by Heba Kadry (Björk, Beach House).
The period between the writing of Loverboy and Dog Days was a tumultuous time for Kristina Esfandiari, but things seem to be falling into place in 2018. She recently relocated to LA and found a new backing band for Miserable made up by Sarah Green (bass), Juli Lydell (second guitar), and Jess Lankford (drums). Now, Miserable is on the road in anticipation of the Loverboy / Dog Days release - pre-orders are available here, and check out tour dates below. More news soon.
https://smarturl.it/MSRBL_LBY-DD
Miserable, on tour:
August 2 Los Angeles, CA @ Resident *
August 3 San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside *
August 4 Oakland, CA @ Eli's Mile High Club *
August 5 Sacramento, CA @ Blue Lamp *
August 6 Chico, CA @ Duffy's *
August 7 Portland, OR @ Black Water *
August 8 Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore *
August 9 Seattle, WA @ Vera *
August 10 Reno, NV @ Holland Project *
September 1 Fresno, CA @ Strummers
* w/ Death Bells, Fearing
Miserable, Loverboy / Dog Days Track Listing:
1. Loverboy
2. Gasoline
3. Cheap Ring
4. Pain Farm
5. Hotel
6. Fever
7. High
8. Kiss
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