Today, we’re premiering a brand new single, “Distant Dam,” from Boston-based indie rock band Pimmer. The band was established earlier this year by songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Sanford Schaffer.
Pimmer has also released their debut LP, Halcyon 303, which functions as an anthology of collaborations that took place over 15 years with close friend and Grammy Award-winning engineer Ducky Powell, who sadly passed away in 2023. Production values improved with each record and the music developed from meandering alt-country in the mid-2000’s to full-throttle crystal-crunch-noise-pop by 2020.
Schaffer shared the following regarding “Distant Dam,”:
“The song was prompted by an economics article I read in a newspaper years ago… The notion that power for the lights and heat we all enjoy in our homes comes from a sort of ‘neverland‘ was bemusing to me. The image of a distant hydro-electric dam emerged… Lyrically, it discusses travel across the USA, between big cities, while acknowledging the immense power required to keep our way of life going. Meanwhile, the narrator, who has a more rootless existence, is holding court. Because this track seemed to resonate initially with listeners, it seemed natural for it to be the album opener.”
Speaking on the album, Schaffer explains:
“It’s a collection of tracks from those particular years where there were no gigs, no tours and no band—I just wrote a lotta songs and recorded them with Duck. ”
Stream “Distant Dam” below and make sure you grab your copy of Halcyon 303 today via Mint 400 Records!
Great song… Love the whole album. Ducky was a legend. Rest in peace.