Hidden Shoal is proud to announce the forthcoming reissue of the two acclaimed studio albums by Half Film – the slowcore trio fronted by [The] Caseworker’s Conor and Eimer Devlin – who made dark waves in the US indie circuit in the latter part of the ’90s. East of Monument and The Road to the Crater are released on 18 October, preceded by the release of single ‘Machines, Hawks and the Perfect Equation’ on 6 September.
“Low-key underground guitar atmos that’s very moody indeed… Stark like Joy Division and darkly melodic like Neil Young” – Melody Maker on Half Film’s second album, The Road to the Crater
The history of Half Film began in 1995 when guitarist/vocalist Conor Devlin and bassist Eimer Devlin moved to San Francisco from the UK, based on their love of two bands from that city: Swell and American Music Club. There they were introduced to Jason Lakis. All three members of the band learned how to play their respective instruments together, with Half Film’s sound and songs developing from that inexperience.
The trio recorded a demo in 1997, which was picked up by Buzz Records in Chicago. East of Monument, their debut album, was recorded in San Francisco over a weekend and released in spring 1998. Second album The Road to the Crater was laid to tape with Jim Putnam (of the Radar Bros) in LA, followed by a six-week European tour with Swell. After Conor and Eimer took a three-month break in Spain in February 2000, all three members decided to call it a day. And that was that.
Single ‘Machines, Hawks and the Perfect Equation’ is released for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store on 6 September. East of Monument and The Road to the Crater are released as a double CD and in digital formats on 31 October, with CD pre-orders available on 18 October.