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Ground Control Touring welcomes Ekko Astral

Posted 10/23/2024

Ekko Astral are a glitter noise punk trio from Washington D.C. composed of Jael Holzman (vocals and lyrics, bass), Liam Hughes (Guitar), and Miri Tyler (drums). Holzman — a climate reporter who used to cover Congress — formed the band in 2021 with Hughes, her best friend since college, and rounded out the trio with their pal Tyler on drums.

Ekko Astral’s debut album, ‘pink balloons’, saw a massive jump in ambition from their debut EP, QUARTZ, expanding upon post punk building blocks into a larger and more unique style; pulling “from post-punk, no-wave and queercore into a raucous punk palette they’ve dubbed ‘mascara mosh pit.’”. ‘pink balloons’ was produced and recorded in entirety by Jeremy Snyder, known for his work as the frontman of the band Pure Adult, his behind the scenes work as a live sound engineer for IDLES and Gilla Band, and his work behind the boards for noise rock acts like DITZ and Lambrini Girls.

Since the release of ‘pink balloons,’ the band has taken their “mascara mosh pit” sound on the road, opening for IDLES, Deerhoof, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Lambrini Girls and Bad Moves. Their debut is one of the most acclaimed punk LPs of the year, generating rave reviews in Pitchfork, Paste Magazine, Flood Magazine, Stereogum, BrooklynVegan, and more.

Ekko have released two one off singles in 2024: “Holocaust Remembrance Day” and “Pomegranate Tree”, both of which deal with the ongoing genocide being carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people. As a band, Ekko Astral strives to make music that attempts to envision a better world – but they reject the categorization of “political”, because the right to live one’s life freely and without harm should not be a subject for debate. Ekko Astral makes music about real life, as seen through the eyes of the people who call the nation’s capital home. People who, as Jael says, “have to drive by the CIA on the way to work”.

Check out Ekko Astral’s artist page for forthcoming news and tour dates.

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