Mind Wipe

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Discerning listeners may be aware of The Special Pillow, esteemed purveyors of a full-spectrum, string-driven sound encompassing concise ’60s-flavored pop gems, dreamy hallucinogenic reveries, and pulse-pounding propulsion redolent of your favorite antipodean indie upstarts of the ’80s. Since 1995, the Hoboken, NJ, band have trafficked in catchy and confounding songcraft that has earned them notable fans such as Yo La Tengo, who have covered the group’s classic “Automatic Doom”

But what of the Space Monster? Some malevolent entity from the cosmic beyond or the void itself? Are we talking about outer or inner space? And is the monstrosity manifested as too much space or too little? 

The Special Pillow Meets the Space Monster is the latest in a series of acclaimed EPs, following in the wake of Mind Wipe (2022) and World’s Finest (2020). It is named in honor of the 1965 science-fiction potboiler, Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster, the soundtrack of that cinematic milestone being the source of the featured cover song, “That’s the Way It’s Got to Be,” originally performed by Scotland’s beat titans The Poets and an underground hit for The Special Pillow in the summer of 2023.

Once again, the group recorded at Brooklyn’s Deep Dive studio with longtime engineer Mitch Rackin. The band consists of bassist and songwriter Dan Cuddy (ex-Hypnolovewheel); Katie Gentile (Run On) on violin and viola; Peter Stuart (Headless Horsemen, Tryfles) on a remarkable selection of guitars; and Eric Marc Cohen (Fly Ashtray, Autobody) on drums and percussion.  That creative core is augmented throughout by vocals from Debby Schwartz and, on “Fond and Foggy,” the dynamic and distinctive horn work courtesy of Steven Levi (The Scene Is Now) and Cheryl Kingan (TSIN, 75 Dollar Bill).

Praise for The Special Pillow and Mind Wipe

“A dose of psychedelic sunshine from New Jersey’s veteran astral travelers, Mind Wipe continues their steady diet of quirky pop tunes sprinkled with hallucinogenic pixie dust. . . . Six hellzapoppin’ toe-tappers, with tongues firmly in cheeks and earwig melodies soldered into your synapses.” —Shindig!

“The Special Pillow’s string-driven synthesis of psychedelia, chamber-pop, and new wave has delighted a coterie of fans. . . . Sonorous layers of sound . . . a haunting, spacey jumble that leaves a lasting impression.” —The Jersey Journal

“While undeniably exhibiting traits that can be described as post-Feelies and Yo La Tengo-descended, the band is so much more, with an incontestable tendency towards psychedelia. . . . Unabashedly melodic, often downright catchy, and frequently baroque.” —The Vinyl District

“Pop songs like taffy—sweet, sticky, and stretchy though less messy. Think of the poppier Shimmy Disc records or Syd’s Pink Floyd (though more wine than acid). . . . in touch with the harsh realities of the contemporary world, but also buoyed by the absurdities.” —Vol. 1 Brooklyn

“Surely there must be a place in this human world for their smart, poetic music.” 
—Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover

Give Up The Ghost

Fond And Foggy

The Special Pillow - Gilded Shrug

After twenty-five years in showbiz, The Special Pillow are right where they started: flying below the radar in Hoboken, New Jersey, creating a distinctive string-driven sound—a heady brew encompassing concise ’60s-flavored pop gems, dreamy psychedelic reveries, and a propulsive drive redolent of the antipodean indie acts of the ’80s. To commemorate their silver jubilee milestone, The Special Pillow has unleashed World’s Finest, an old-school six-song EP laden with catchy and confounding songcraft.

World’s Finest—the follow-up to the Pillow’s acclaimed 2018 album, Sleeping Weird—continues their collaboration with engineer Mitch Rackin. Featured players include bassist, songwriter, and majordomo Dan Cuddy (ex-Hypnolovewheel); charter Special Pillow member Katie Gentile (Run On, Mad Scene) on violin and viola; longtime collaborator Peter Stuart (Headless Horsemen, Tryfles) on a staggering array of guitars; and Eric Marc Cohen (Fly Ashtray, Autobody) on drums and percussion. All the band members contribute vocals, and the celestial choir is enhanced by the dulcet tones of folk chanteuse Debby Schwartz (of P.G. Six. Psych-O-Positive, and solo renown). Multi-instrumentalist Robbie Lee supplies mellifluous embellishments on an arsenal of flutes, and ecstatic and celebratory horns on the title track are courtesy of Steven Levi and Cheryl Kingan (The Scene Is Now, 75 Dollar Bill). Capping off the digital version is a hallucinogenic remix of the single “I Woke Up” via North Carolina noisenik High Tunnels, aka Dan’s old Hypnolovewheel colleague Dave Ramirez.

Charming, idiosyncratic, and overflowing with instant classics, World’s Finest marks a new high point in The Special Pillow’s storied oeuvre.

Praise for The Special Pillow and Sleeping Weird

“The ambition of this release is breathtaking and, amongst the synth squeal, swift punchy psych work-outs and lengthier instrumental avenues, there’s always an underlying sense of melody. . . . A satisfying mixture of creative zeal that still anchors itself to the bedrock of catchy pop. . . . Superb . . . [an] exceptional venture.” —Shindig!

“As electrifying as ever . . . For them, it is a labor of love, an uncontrollable expression that reaches a spiritual level.” —Soundblab

“Still wearing their psychedelic hearts on their sleeves but now with a dark edginess etched in outline . . . an absolute tour de force.” —Terrascope Online

“Chock-full of eclectic goodness, they confirm their status as an essential underground band.”
—Here Comes The Flood (Top 5 Albums of 2018)

The Special Pillow

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