From Brooklyn with Love
sentimental transmissions
Sister. at the Knitting Factory, photo credit Avery Davis (@averyddavis)
Some people have the ability to take a few simple ingredients and serve up something that completely transcends the recipe. My wife is one of those people, so I am lucky enough to witness it regularly, firsthand. An egg. A handful of flour. A sprig of basil. Maybe a tomato and that bit of cheese that’s in the back of the refrigerator drawer, doesn’t matter what kind. The next thing you know you’re eating some heaven-sent fusion of flavor that betrays what your eyes told you thirty minutes earlier. The explanation she gives is that “Love is the secret ingredient,” and I believe her wholeheartedly.
When Hannah Pruzinsky and Ceciliana Sturman met in their freshman year of college, they didn’t know that ten years later they’d be creating meaningful music together, they just knew that there was a spark, however small it may have been. Since their fateful crossing of paths in 2014, that spark has grown into a blaze of genuine ardour and affection that is the driving force behind their NYC based indie rock project, Sister.
Live at Lost Bag space, 8/12/24
Alternating on rhythm guitar and their Hofner hollow body violin bass, the harmonist duo have an obvious connection that transcends the music they create with an infectious energy, shining through in their instrumental exchanges, becoming truly incandescent in their profoundly crystalline vocal harmonies. Joining the group in 2020, James Chrisman brings an added dimension, layering in a spectrum of guitar sounds from sparkling arpeggios to smoldering, ethereal chords shrouded in distortion and reverb.
The trio’s debut LP Abundance (Mtn Laurel Recording Co.) is a dynamic salvo that sounds as if it could be their fifth record, as they effortlessly navigate through landscapes at times fragile and hushed, at others buoyant and bright, teeming with atmospheric sound and expressive lyrical flourish. They manage to keep their roots exposed just enough however, leaving in some random ambient noise and the ancillary studio sounds of tape hiss, record-button clicks and piano pedals. Regardless of the album’s occasional brushstrokes of homespun humility, Hannah and Ceci’s angelic and polished vocal work refuses to allow the music to remain earthbound, sounding so consummate and fully formed as to yield a signature sound that implies a fluency only gained through hard yards and close familiarity.
I’d like to say that their sound has evolved from something more rudimentary or raw, but their entire catalog doesn’t adhere to any type of straight line progression. For example, their 2020 single Internet Baby is a polished pop song that finishes with a loud rock outro, which they follow up just months later with something you will promise me still, a three song acoustic EP that is an exercise in quiet minimalism. Right on its heels came Soft Spot, which steers back towards their slow-burning pop progressions that take you from the vulnerable echoes of an empty apartment to soaring above clouds, all in the same song.
Gorilla vs. Cold Water live at the Avalon, NY 4/23. Video credit Michelle Borregine
A change that is noticeable through their timeline of work however, is the maturation and refinement of their voices themselves as well as the subtle complexity of the harmonic arrangements and layering of vocal tracks. This begins to emerge on both their 2021 four song EP Something / Nothing, and their 2022 single Space Force, both great primers for everything since, including their new material set to be released in 2025.
While I can’t reveal much about the new songs so far, what I can tell you is that if you are a fan of Abundance, you will be preordering their new album the moment it becomes available. The songs are smart, catchy, and bring that love to the loaded compositions that is at once irresistible. They’ve released one of their upcoming singles to date, the airy and luminous Colorado (video below). At this point you’ll need to go to a show to hear the rest, and once you do you’ll be as anxious as I am for the release. I was lucky enough to catch them in Providence recently at Lost Bag Space with
(Hemlock) and local singer/songwriter Lily Porter Wright, a night of music I won’t soon forget.The band share a fair amount of crossover and collaboration between Sister., h.pruz and drummer Felix Walworth’s project, Told Slant, and Ceci and Hannah are the creators and curators of Gunk, NYC’s DIY Indie show paper, which recently celebrated its first birthday at Brooklyn’s Secret Riso Club, who they’ve teamed up with to publish the zine.
I debated including the following two older video links in the interest of space, but I simply cannot omit them or minimize them to hyperlinks, as they capture the essence of what makes this group so special. The undeniable energy and connection between Hannah and Ceci. It’s absolutely contagious:
They’ve got some Northeast tour dates coming up with Raavi (@raaviband), and I highly recommend you get out to see them if you’re anywhere close. You’ll get to experience firsthand what I mean when I say that love is the secret ingredient.❤️
1.) Double rainbow captured during the recording of ‘Abundance.’ 2.) Double rainbow captured at Lost Bag show, 8/12/24. There’s no such thing as coincidence.🌈
I rather be able to write music than words. It's so great to watch talent come from the basement or bedroom and into your being. I lived in Seattle in the early 90's. I saw a lot of it. Pretty special. I wish I knew music better so I could write about it like you do.
Or a rainbow I mean