Pre-order of I Can't Have It All. You get 2 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
Purchasable with gift card
releases May 24, 2024
$10USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Includes digital pre-order of I Can't Have It All.
You get 2 tracks now
(streaming via the free Bandcamp app
and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the
complete album the moment it’s released.
shipping out on or around May 24, 2024
Purchasable with gift card
$20USDor more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
"I Can't Have It All" compact disc features all twelve tracks in a small more pocket sized format!
Includes digital pre-order of I Can't Have It All.
You get 2 tracks now
(streaming via the free Bandcamp app
and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the
complete album the moment it’s released.
Frontwoman Yea-Ming Chen has masterfully curated her self-proclaimed “pop record”, weaving melancholy narratives with catchy hooks in a sound that is more indie pop leaning than anything the Rumours have done before. The fuller-sounding production is heavily influenced by groups like Yo La Tengo, Camera Obscura and other early 90’s underground college radio favorites. “I Can’t Have It All” marks the band’s continued evolution past their early days as an outlet for Chen’s sparse and intimate songs.
Alongside her characteristically beautiful imagery, Yea-Ming’s songwriting remains as introspective as ever, but “I Can’t Have It All” reflects a changing point both creatively and personally in the songwriter’s life. Written during a difficult period in which she struggled to identify and painfully shed a “false-self" imposed by the outside world, the album follows the personal and relatable journey of accepting loss and making changes. “I realized one day that I have spent most of my life pretending to be someone that other people wanted me to be, and that was probably the source of my anxiety and depression,” recalls the songwriter. “So I made changes that were really hard and I experienced a lot of grief in letting go of situations that held a lot of power over me emotionally - even if it wasn’t intentional - and I became someone that is closer to who I want to be. In that transition, I discovered that it is completely possible to experience total sadness and extreme happiness simultaneously within the same body." These complex feelings are clearly reflected in the new record - especially in ‘Pretending’, ‘Somebody’s Daughter’, ‘I Can’t Have It All' and ‘Ruby’.
Produced by Chen, the album was mostly recorded and sculpted in her home studio after basic tracks were recorded with Meric Long (The Dodos) at Tiny Telephone Studios and Mike Walti at Wyldwood Studios. As usual, the record is performed by Yea-Ming with the help of long-time Rumours collaborators Eóin Galvin on lead guitar, lap steel and backing vocals and Sonia Hayden on drums and percussion on several of the tracks. New Rumours members Jen Weisberg (Hits) and Luke Robbins (Latitude) also make their debut and appear on bass and drums throughout the record. “I Can’t Have It All” is a new album with a new line-up and a new perspective, signifying Yea-Ming and The Rumours’ entry into a new era.
credits
releases May 24, 2024
Recorded by Meric Long at Tiny Telephone Recording
Additional Recording by Mike Walti at Wyldwood Recording Studios (I Tried to Hide, Before I Make It Home)
Additional Recording by YM
Mixed by Jasper Leach
Additional Mixing by Mike Walti (I Tried To Hide, Before I Make It Home)
Additional Mixing by Rob Good (How Can I Leave)
Mastered by Matt Bullimore at Terror Castle in Christchurch, New Zealand
Lyrics by YM
Yea-Ming Chen - Guitar, Vocals, Keys, Bass
Sonia Hayden - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Eóin Galvin - Lead Guitar, Lap Steel, Vocals
Luke Robbins - Bass (Pretending, Pretending Reprise), Drums (I Tried To Hide, Before I Make It Home)
Jen Weisberg - Bass, Vocals (I Tried To Hide, Before I Make It Home)
Jeff Moller - Bass (I Can’t Have It All, Somebody’s Daughter)
Jasper Leach - Organ (Pretending), Percussion, Vocals (Alice Sings)
Dreamy, intricate guitar pop from Oakland's Absent City; splashes of accordion, sitar, lap steel, and mandolin add textural richness. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 26, 2020