Merchandise has come a long way since its start in Tampa, Fla.’s hardcore neo-punk scene in 2008. Known for consistently reinventing its sound, the band made its latest release, “After the End,” a foray into sublime and shimmery pop.
“It’s the most transparent style,” says Merchandise lead singer Carson Cox about the band’s artful use of pop. “It’s very plain, naked and hard to hide behind. It’s much easier to hide behind noise or screaming.”
Cox is calling from the road as the band pulls out of Santa Cruz, Calif., and heads to San Francisco for a gig. Smart, inventive and not easily pegged, Merchandise plays the Empty Bottle on Friday.
The new album was recorded over a six-month period in the band’s Tampa home. Filled with bright, shiny melodies, chiming layers of guitars and punchy percussion, it’s an enchanting cycle of homegrown dream-pop that recalls in part such classic ’80s post-punk and new wave bands as The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen and New Order.
Merchandise frontman Cox is a charismatic crooner throughout. His evocative voice has the emotional shading of a vulnerable romantic. Cox and company have released a beautifully recorded and performed record that has been met with many glowing reviews. Has the band noticed an uptick in popularity accompanying the critical acclaim?
“It doesn’t feel like that much has changed,” says Cox. “It’s like there’s a mirage of what is real and what is not. But we’ve been living and breathing this every day, so maybe it’s hard to see the change. Maybe it has been gradual and we’re in a different spot. I feel like the band as a whole waits to see what life dictates. We play off that. There’s little to no planning for anything. It’s mostly riding a wave.”
Cox is cordial in an interview. He offhandedly peppers his conversation with swear words. He’s polite but not easy to pin down. He favors long stream-of-consciousness passages over straightforward sound bites.
He dismisses any concerns that the band’s ever-evolving sound could alienate its early fans. (“We’ve never considered an audience, ever. Like, ever ever.”) He confesses his mixed feelings about the music business. (“It’s not black and white. It’s not very simple. It’s not a fiction. It’s real life. It’s very bizarre. The choices you have to make are real ones.”)
When it comes to bands he admires, he cites the Mekons, the long-running British punk group now based in Chicago. (“They’re fearless in their ideas and in what they try to do.”) Discussing music, Cox sometimes speaks in painterly terms. (“So much of what this band does is just watch very carefully what we do. We try to put some purpose in every move, every brushstroke, every idea. There’s no such thing as filler.”)
The song “Little Killer” comes on like a blend of new wave with a dash of Stones-ish power chords. The video for the song, which features Cox cradling his microphone and wearing a blazer and sunglasses, looks like a mashup of an early ’80s pop video and ’60s psychedelia. But Carson’s delivery sounds too sincere to be parody.
“I don’t feel like anything we do is ironic,” he says. “It may be twisted. It may be bizarre. But it’s not ironic. It’s us doing what we want to do. I think people think maybe it’s a show. They’re so used to how other musicians work. They assume every band is driven by image.”
Did the band members discuss their new musical direction before recording “After the End”?
“No. We share ideas, but we definitely don’t have meetings,” says Cox. “I would say for as weird and artsy as the music is … it’s pure experimentation. It’s about the boundary between our brain and our body and pushing it and seeing how far it can go. I like doing that. I can’t remember recording most of this record, honestly.”
When it comes to the music he’s recently been listening to, Cox offers up a wide-ranging list of artists, including Big Star, The Byrds, Flamin’ Groovies, Ian Hunter, Slade, Thin Lizzy and Van Halen. “All the stuff that’s always on,” he says, “either in my head or in my van or at my house.”
Most of the members of Merchandise still live together in their shared band house in Tampa, where they practice in the living room. Cox has recorded a number of bands there. The house affords them a creative environment to experiment.
“We have space,” he says. “We always end up making s—, whether it’s records, videos or posters. It’s great. It’s the best thing you can have if you’re creative. It’s better than a cool bar or … art gallery.”
After being approached by a number of record labels, the band signed with the British label 4AD for the release of “After the End.” Given that the music industry is in a state of flux, what was the label courtship like for the band?
“It was a big pain in the a–,” says Cox. “It was annoying. And not because of the people involved. They were all great people who worked hard. I just hated waiting. We had to. There was no way we were going to sign away our music to anybody without thinking about it. We went with the natural choice. The label that felt most simple and natural.”
The band is successful enough now that members no longer have day jobs. “Music is our career right now, which is really nice,” he says. “Within the last few years we’ve been able to do it full time.”
As for Merchandise’s direction, change seems to be the only constant. “It’s for sure evolving,” Cox says about the band’s music. “It’s for sure changing. But I’m not interested in driving it. I’d rather it drive me. I’d rather it shove me wherever it wants to shove me.”
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When: 9:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Empty Bottle,
1035 N. Western Ave.
Tickets: $10-$12; 773-276-3600 or emptybottle.com
