Retrellion is a departure from Devin James Fry's previous sound, which typically featured him fingerpicking a guitar, either alone or in the context of Name Sayers, the adventurous psychedelic rock band he fronts.  The new album, which was produced, recorded, and mixed by Fry, features punchy, hip hop-influenced songs that are difficult to classify into a single genre, with otherworldly synths and glitchy electronics throughout. 

 

Early reviews have noted the shift.  "Is this post-punk hip hop?  We hope so," wrote reviewer Layla Merino of yourEDM.com, noting that with Retrellion, "Fry might even be creating new genres."

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The album's title reflects that it is the product of a time (the Covid-19 pandemic) when societal norms broke down and expectations could be set aside.  "I wanted a word that felt like both retreat and rebellion," says Fry.

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Retrellion was born.  Some songs, like lead single Black Rainbow, feature collaborations with rappers like Brooklyn's Chris Conde and Denver-based rapper and circuit bender Otem Rellik, while others are solo explorations.  All were created using a bank of synthesizers and noisemakers including The Jitter Getter, an analog sound effects engine Fry designed and built, and which is featured in the video for Purple Glue.

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One song, Ash Ode Variation, is an adaptation of the poem "Ash Ode" by Fry's friend and hero, poet Dean Young.  Fry enlisted the help of another of his mentors, Chicago flutist Lloyd Brodnax King, to create the song and sent it to Young, who replied to say that he was looking forward to listening to it.  Unbeknownst to Fry, Young lay on his deathbed at the time, and Fry is unsure whether the poet heard the song before he died.

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Retrellion's merchandise is as offbeat and finely crafted as the music, and includes a 180-gram LP, coloring books, incense, lathecut vinyl singles, soap, and matchbooks. 

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Send all inquiries to devin@devinjamesfry.com