Russian-Japanese Duo The Dayoffs' Debut Inspired By New York

They say the whole world gathers in New York. It’s no wonder that such an eclectic and awesome array of music has been produced by musicians who have made this city their home. Vladimir Komarov and Atsuo Matsumoto are but two such musicians – together they are known as The Dayoffs. Having announced their self-titled debut album, set for release on November 10 via German boutique label Emerald & Doreen Recordings.

This album is pop accessible rock friendly while still being alternative and innovative. This is a definite MUST LISTEN for those who loved (or still do) bands such as Teenage Fanclub, The Boo Radleys, Ash, and Ultra Vivid Scene. Russia's PUNK TV was also referenced in the press materials and I admit that I don't know them at all, but I will definitely be checking them out after becoming familiar with The Dayoffs.

The Dayoffs is a rock duo with an elastic, transparent and multilayered sound and catchy riffs and hooks due to some solid pop sensibilities. ‘Love Love Love’ is a prime example of this, oscillating between winning elements of Teenage Fanclub, Ash, The Boo Radleys, Ultra Vivid Scene and Pet Shop Boys.

The videos for leads tracks ‘Love Love Love’ and ‘State of Madness’ focus on the duo, their life and environment in New York City. The latter for was filmed by the prominent Russian movie director Fedor Lyass.

Atsuo is Japanese and Vladimir is Russian. Despite living in different parts of Manhattan and supporting opposing soccer teams, these two have much in common. Not only are they born on the same day, but they are both musicians and recording professionals. The two met in 2012 at the legendary Stratosphere Sound Studios, when Vladimir was tracking for a project and Atsuo was engineering the sessions. During the first recording hour both realized that their recording methods and musical tastes are similar. Soon they teamed up to produce a bunch of records, including the debut album ‘Country Mile’ by James Atkin (EMF) and ‘Voshod’ by Russian post-punk heroes Manicure.

Vladimir Komarov is a musician, sound producer, DJ, and journalist and otherwise known as a pioneer of Russian shoegaze and indietronica. While his Russian music projects ‘Hot Zex’ and ‘Punk TV’ became staples of the nascent Russian indie rock scene, they were also were well-received abroad.

Atsuo Matsumoto is a Japanese musician and sound engineer and, apart from The Dayoffs, he is a member of Andy Chase's Camera2 band.

Always busy working on other people's music, Vladimir and Atsuo recorded some instrumental improvisations during studio downtime, gathering enough material for a debut LP. Hence, their name The Dayoffs – from constant lack of studio time for their own music.

The Dayoffs sound seems to gravitate towards Teenage Fanclub, which is interesting considering that it was at the band’s Manhattan's gig in the summer of 2014 that Vladimir and Atsuo decided to jointly explore this sound further.

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