Back in high school I ran a small punk zine called Cheap CD Reviews. With a basic HTML editor and free hosting from Tripod, I was able to post my 15 year old thoughts online and eventually record labels starting (foolishly) sending me promos. One of the first large packages I received was from Tooth and Nail Records. I remember thinking I was both the luckiest and the best 15 year old con man in the world. That idea went away pretty quick after I realized that all the cds were actually pretty bad to ho-hum. There was this one strange album, however, called Regulate the Chemicals. It was by this band Twothirtyeight. At the time I remember thinking it was this weird emo-ish rock music that sounded a little different than the rest of the cds I had- I realized I loved it. This moment was the beginning of my love affair with the band’s music. My affection for the band has carried over past their break up and now on to lead singer Chris Staples’ new project Discover America.

After Twothirtyeight disbanded in 2003, Staples began recording music in his own studio and gathered enough material for his debut record Psychology. The album was released on Tooth and Nail last year and, although it lacked the stand out guitar work that defined Twothirtyeight, it was a cool little electronic pop album. Recently Staples has posted a new demo on his Myspace, giving us our first taste of what he has been up to since his album was released. The track is called ‘The Day You Were Born’ (although I’m guessing that title is tentative) and it keeps up the same playfulness and cool shown on Psychology. Take a listen then go ahead and check out the full length. Afterwards I’d recommend you buy the entire Twothirtyeight discography, but you know, that’s just me.

Discover America - The Day You Were Born

And as a bonus:
Twothirtyeight - This Town Will Eat You

And don’t forget to check out this interview we did with Chris a long long time ago.