ABOUT THE UNION TRADE

To date, San Francisco based The Union Trade’s sound has lived somewhere between the instrumental rock sound of bands like Explosions In the Sky, Caspian and This Will Destroy You and a more vocal driven shoegaze sound. On their upcoming sophomore full-length album, “A Place of Long Years”, set for release February 3rd 2015 on Tricycle Records, The Union Trade make a natural progression into the true instrumental post-rock realm they first explored on the track “Everyday Including Holidays” from their debut 2008 LP Everyday Including (Tricycle).

After a nearly three year hiatus following the release of their last studio release, the 2011 EP Why We Need Night, the band began to write again, but this time without a drummer. In this slower, quieter process, the founding trio of Don Joslin, Nate Munger and Eric Salk found space to begin composing what would develop into an entirely instrumental set of songs to be finalized with the singular energy of new drummer Eitan Anzenberg.

The result is A Place of Long Years, a cinematic post-rock album that explores the power of places physical and psychic and the awe of phenomena both mysterious and natural.  With this inspiration The Union Trade have created a collection of diverse and moving soundscapes that remain mostly unpeopled, sometimes achingly so, while they abound with emotions intimate and epic.

With in-studio contributions from Tricycle labelmates Nate Blaz on Cello (Geographer) and Ann Yu (Silver Swans) hauntingly spare vocals, The Union Trade have made an instrumental statement that stakes out new ground for a band ready to re-emerge into the growing instrumental rock scene.

The new LP, “A Place of Long Years”, is out now via Tricycle Records and available on limited edition smoky clear vinyl, CD, digital formats.

BAND MEMBERS

Don Joslin: Guitar
Nate Munger: Bass, Vocals
Eric Salk: Guitar, Piano, Rhodes
Eitan Anzenberg: Drums

SHOWS

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ALBUM REVIEWS

“The single, “Drakes Passage,” is a slow burn – a driving piece that builds upon steady anthemic jams, punctuated by a triumphant drumbeat. The single features Nate Blaz from Geographer on cello, which adds a lovely, solemn layer of melody to the song’s intricate structure.”

– The Bay Bridged

“Having skated on the edges of instrumental post-rock for nearly a decade, the band now goes “mostly unpeopled.”   The result is a triumphant new set.  Fans will still recognize the sweeping grandeur of the guitar-led soundscape, but the male voice has been replaced by Silver Swans’ Ann Yu, and is used only sparingly.”

– A Closer Listen

“Lofty, sweeping chords and the deliberate, steadfast pace of the Union Trade tell the tale of a band that eschews flair and fireworks for an intricate, drawn-out listening experience in the vein of Explosions in the Sky. “

– SF Guardian

“On the one hand The Union Trade are a muscular (but not particularly heavy) post-rock group, on the other they can craft fatalistic shoegaze lullabies anchored by dreamy guitars… “

– Foreign Accents

“Fans of groups like Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky should investigate.”

– Zero Magazine

“‘A Place of Long Years’, a cinematic post-rock album that explores the power of places physical and psychic and the awe of phenomena both mysterious and natural. With this inspiration The Union Trade have created a collection of diverse and moving soundscapes that remain mostly unpeopled, sometimes achingly so, while they abound with emotions intimate and epic. “

– Arctic Drones

“Not known for being a heavy post-rock group, we can expect to see further exploration within this album delving even deeper into the ambient/post-rock/shoegaze sound that these guys seems so attune to.”

– Sly Vinyl

“Somewhere in between post-rock, instrumental and Shoegaze, The Union Trade tackle their willful aspirations with an irrefutable distinction to make honest music.”

– Interview with SF Station

VIDEOS