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JOSH MASON

JOSH MASON
Coquina Dose LP

available for purchase here

mastered by James Plotkin
limited to 150 LPs
comes with a two-sided insert


Coquina Dose is an album of uncommonly intimate gestures and reflections, many of which are inspired by Josh Mason’s lifelong home of Florida—what it means to live there, other people’s perceptions of it, and its unofficial status a “humidity kingdom.” In evoking this atmosphere, Mason utilizes guitar and tape, which has been so emblematic of his work, but also further engages with new ideas in synthesis, and even the bio-feedback of plants. The processes are fascinating but ultimately secondary to the emotional tenor of the album. It’s remarkable how gentle, reflective, and quivering—really, how alive this music is.

Consistent through Mason’s work on labels like Dauw, Desire Path, and Scissor Tail is an appreciable sense of beauty, to be sure, but also real emotional resonance. Coquina Dose evokes a great deal through modest gestures, from the effervescence of the opener (“Crack the Juice Code”) through to the wrenching elegy of “Pelagic Scout Badge”. With this new work, Mason expands his sound, exploring new areas while retaining the essence of what made his prior work so meaningful. In this sense, it is a tender achievement.

PRESS

“Candid and unsentimental, but grace notes emerge in form of warm guitar lines and wistful melodies throughout…like a lean, but well-written novella, its gift for eloquent understatement beckons you back over & over to pick up on new details, gain a different perspective, or simply to enjoy the comforts of its growing familiarity.” — Stationary Travels

“If glitchy little dust particles sending out Morse code via slight alterations in biometric pressure are your thing…then Josh Mason’s forthcoming album, Coquina Dose, is your thing…a beautifully understated conglomeration of soft tones and small noises, of sound as texture and of texture as melody.” Disquiet

At the outset, “Crack the Juice Code” establishes a peaceful mood when tiny fragments of guitar softly burble within a streaming cloud of hiss and static. That tonal character extends throughout the album, reaching a particularly pretty peak in “Hermitic Chime,” after which “Pelagic Scout Badge” reveals precisely how moving such music can be when created by a sensibility so attuned to sound details and their effects.”Textura

“Mason uses guitar and tape – where sensitive melodies are sketched in a lo-fi environment, sleepily sitting on a porch in the late afternoon – and creates a pleasant warmth, and its sunshine is more than welcome. Within these tiny tones and a drenched atmosphere, Mason explores and engages with ideas of synthesis and the bio-feedback of plants, creating organic and naturally-flowing music.” Fluid Radio

“If you love hiss, and I surely am one to like that a lot, this is a great record...each of the pieces is a small, delicate piece of guitar sounds, plain and simple and a bunch of treated versions thereof, always from a similar treatment. All of these minimal movements make this the perfect last record of the day; music to read the final page of your book, before going to sleep.” Vital Weekly

“It’s an excellent and well-considered mix, one that allows acoustic guitar to bleed through the cracks while microscopic IDM textures crash in and out with the tide. I always assumed the music of Florida mostly sounded like Limp Bizkit blaring out of Diplo’s jeep at a Coors Light spring break party, but Coquina Dose offers an entirely different perspective.” Yellow Green Red

“All one must do is follow the green path on Coquina Dose’s cover to be transported away from a state rotting from the inside and out due to nature and man-made forces, and just dive into the limitless body of water ahead to drift toward absolution. Looks like Mason is already out there on a tube, lovingly enjoying the view without us.” —Cerberus