Craft Spells

Artist Bio:

After a dormant period following the release of the Gallery EP in 2012, Craft Spells’ Justin Vallesteros is back with the gorgeously ambitious Nausea. It’s Craft Spells’ second proper full length LP, and first since 2010’s critically acclaimed Idle Labor.

Since last on the radar, Vallesteros moved to San Francisco to find a niche in the Bay Area music scene. This proved difficult within the regarded garage rock scene and insular DJ night crowds currently dominating the area’s music community. Here, Vallesteros fell into a slump, creatively. With a severe bout of writer’s block, he retreated to his parent’s house in Lathrop, CA. Away from the city, he put down his guitar for a year in favor of training himself on piano, the instrument from which all the tracks for Nausea were written.

Being in limbo between the city and the suburbs, Justin felt actual nausea, added to by an admitted semi-addiction to social media and he quickly found himself disillusioned. Vallesteros unplugged from that world as much as possible and completely immersed himself in the music (Emmit Rhodes and the solo works of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Haroumi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi) and the writing (the works of Mishima, for one) that would come to inspire the LP.

News

Craft Spells Announce Dates and Remix Context

Ahead of his upcoming US tour with friends, The Bilinda Butchers, Craft Spells have announced a fan remix contest! Head to the Craft Spells website to enter. We will send stems of the song and contest to all entrants by…

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Craft Spells ‘Gallery’ Unveiled

Today, the new Craft Spells single, “Still Left With Me,” premiered on Pitchfork. This is the first glimpse at Justin Vallesteros’ new EP Gallery, out May 15th.   Mike Dupar writes, “Emanating an optimism that originates as much from Justin…

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