Zach Hill's Face Tat in October

The 13-track disc features an impressive list of contributors, including Devendra Banhart, No Age (Dean Spunt and Randy Randall), Guillermo Scott Herren (Prefuse 73), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), Carson McWhirter (Hella), Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos, Bygones) and Robby Moncrieff (Raleigh Moncrieff).

Zach Hill explains the origins of Face Tat: "This record was titled prior to any of its music being made, based on an article I had read about people with facial tattoos potentially having a higher suicide rate than those without. I have friends with facial tattoos who are some of the most positive people I know, and have friends & family without facial tattoos that have taken their own lives within this past year. I found that idea very interesting and metaphorical on many levels -- whether true or not -- and began using my personal thoughts on this as a muse/concept that could be applied to many different contexts. Musically, socially, politically, the Internet, whatever else... generally the idea/concept of 'platforms'.

"These thoughts were just a starting point and motivation for me though. The music itself is of course the focal point. This started from myself and friends making the kind of abrasive/forward music in 'pop' form I'd want to hear, but hadn't. There's an emphasis on experimenting with 'destroying' sounds so that the source of the melody, rhythms, vocals, etc., is not recognizable or traceable, and then building these things into abstract forms of pop music with conventional structures. Some of the most melodic aspects to this recording are coming from things like the sound of pissing/urinating on a stack of Rolling Stone magazines (I have a subscription), kicking in the screen of a computer, arguments on the street, etc.

"Lyrically, many of the songs started from me writing down a lot of out-of-context sentences I'd hear in passing or from personal exchanges that I found really visual, stimulating or to which I felt a connection. So, I wrote stories out of things I'd gathered -- in line at the store, in a dream, visiting family in jail, after a show, on a plane, talking with the homeless, etc. -- and formed them into songs and shaped them into subjects that I relate to. I like the idea of making these very real but obscure moments that are otherwise unknown or gone forever into their own weird little worlds. So, I'm very stoked about this record & I'm very excited for other people to hear it and as always I hope that people will gain something positive from it."