Spartan Records and Shiner are excited to present “Two Black Eyes,” the latest track to be lifted from the Friday, October 9 release of The Y Section, the brand new offering from the celebrated Kansas City shogaze/post-hardcore band.
Recorded in 1998 during the early writing and demo sessions for Starless, “Two Black Eyes” captures the band at a pivotal moment — originally written as a trio by Allen Epley, Paul Malinowski and Tim Dow before eventually appearing as an addendum to DeSoto’s re-press of Lula Divinia.
“Two Black Eyes” is also a song that helped inspire the album title, a reference to the band’s tendency to keep adding one more section to a song until someone inevitably asked, “Why do we need this in here?” Stream “Two Black Eyes” on YouTube HERE and on all platforms HERE.
A career-spanning collection of rarities, unreleased material and hard-to-find tracks drawn from across 25-plus years, The Y Section gathers Shiner’s vast and rich history in one single place. Rather than a greatest hits victory lap, The Y Section is a portrait of a restless, evolving band: the detours, experiments, and overlooked gems that map how Shiner became Shiner.
For longtime fans, it’s the missing piece of the catalog; for newer listeners drawn in by BELIEVEYOUME, it’s an invitation into the deep end. Still heavy, still weird, still pushing forward, now with the full arc in view. Pre-order, pre-save and pre-add The Y Section on all platforms HERE. Vinyl and bundles are currently available via the Spartan Records store HERE.
Shiner recently released its reverent, heavy-eyed version of My Blood Valentine’s timeless “Only Shallow,” which was recorded and mixed at Westend Studios by Paul Malinowski in 2003 and released via Grand Theft Autumn Records. “We had been playing ‘Only Shallow’ on tour as a closer — always at the end because who wants to put their stupid songs after this behemoth? — and we were getting it down pretty well,” Shiner frontman Allen Epley recalls.
“Not surprisingly, and thankfully, the original recording of this was not used. Instead we retreated to our home away from home, Westend Studios in Kansas City just over the state line in Kansas owned by our great friend Mike Miller, and banged it out one afternoon. We were prepared and Paul made a killer mix, and that’s what you hear today.” Check out Shiner’s cover of My Bloody Valentine’s “Only Shallow” on YouTube HERE.
Shiner will also be making headline appearances across North America starting next week with Bursting, Criteria and Fotocrime in select markets. Kicking off on Friday, September 4 in Milwaukee, WI, the tour will feature performances on the U.S. west coast, midwest, east coast and Canada, culminating in a performance at The Griffin in Las Vegas, NV on Friday, October 16. Tickets for all shows are on sale now via shiner.net, and a full listing of dates can be found below.
SEPTEMBER
04 — Milwaukee, WI — X-Ray Arcade *
05 — Chicago, IL — Fitzgerald’s *
07 — Youngstown, OH — West Side Bowl *
08 — Washington, DC — Pearle St. *
09 — Philadelphia, PA — Milkboy *
10 — Brooklyn, NY — TV Eye *
11 — Montreal, QC — Cabaret Fouf *
12 — Buffalo, NY — Mohawk Place *
13 — Toronto, ON — Baby G *
14 — Detroit, MI — Smalls Bar *
OCTOBER
04 — Lawrence, KS — Bottleneck ^
05 — Denver, CO — Hi Dive ^
06 — Salt Lake City, UT — Urban Lounge ^
08 — Vancouver, BC — Cobalt #
09 — Seattle, WA — Clock Out Lounge #
10 — Portland, OR — Bunk Bar #
12 — San Francisco, CA — Ivy Room #
13 — Los Angeles, CA — The Echoplex #
14 — Pioneertown, CA — Pappy and Harriet’s #
15 — San Diego, CA — Casbah #
16 — Las Vegas, NV — The Griffin #
* — w/ Bursting
^ — w/ Criteria
# — w/ Fotocrime
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