Digital Leather is the musical project led by multi-instrumentalist Shawn Foree. It is recognized for having characteristics of

electropunk Electronic rock (also known as electro rock and synth rock) is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s when rock b ...

, new wave,

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...

, and psychedelic music.

History

Originally from

Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...

, Foree began calling his project "Digital Leather" when he moved to Tucson, where he studied American literature at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. He used student loan money to buy equipment. He managed to release his first three albums after recording them in his bedroom on labels such as

Tic Tac Totally Tic Tac Totally was an independent record label run by Matt Clark in Chicago, Illinois. He also runs the "Dumb Audio" zine. Since forming in 2006 Tic Tac Totally has released over 50 records. The label has released LPs and 7"s by punk and garage ...

Jay Reatard James Lee Lindsey Jr. (May 1, 1980 – January 13, 2010), known professionally as Jay Reatard, was an American musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He was signed to Matador Records. He released recordings as a solo artist and as a member of the Rea ...

's Shattered Records imprint, and FDH Records. He supported this "bedroom project" with several nationwide and European tours. ''

Sorcerer Sorcerer may refer to: Magic * Sorcerer (supernatural), a practitioner of magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources * Sorcerer (fantasy), a fictional character who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sou ...

'', released on

Goner Records Goner Records is an independent record label and record store co-owned by Eric Friedl of The Oblivians and Zac Ives and based in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for releasing albums by punk, garage rock, and more recently post-punk and synth-ori ...

in 2008, is a half-live, half-studio record. In 2009, friend and fellow musician

took over managing duties for the band. Around this time Foree began working on a collection of songs in a fully operational studio. Released in September 2009 by

Fat Possum Records Fat Possum Records is an American independent record label based in Water Valley and Oxford, Mississippi. At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording previously unknown Mississippi blues artists (typically from Oxford or Holly Sprin ...

, ''Warm Brother'' garnered positive reviews. Pitchfork, for example, referred to Foree as

sui generis ( , ) is a Latin phrase that means "of its/their own kind" or "in a class by itself", therefore "unique". It denotes an exclusion to the larger system an object is in relation to. Several disciplines use the term to refer to unique entities. ...

, calling the album a "charming curio." Reportedly, the label did not initially support the album's artwork, which features a shirtless man with the album name taped across his chest. In 2013,

Todd Fink Todd Fink (; born March 3, 1974 in Omaha, Nebraska) is the lead singer of the band The Faint. He attended Omaha's Westside High School. Career Fink was also one of four members of the band Commander Venus, which was started by Conor Oberst i ...

The Faint The Faint is an American indie rock band. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska, the band consists of Todd Fink, Graham Ulicny, Dapose and Clark Baechle. The Faint was originally known as Norman Bailer and included Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes (band), Brig ...

joined Digital Leather as a full-time keyboardist and additional recording engineer. "All Faded" was recorded by Todd Fink and

Clark Baechle Clark Alan Baechle (born April 21, 1981) is an American founding member of the Omaha-based electronic rock band The Faint, along with his brother, Todd Fink. Although he is primarily known for playing drums, he also sings backing vocals and is ...

between 2013 and 2015. ''All Faded'' was released by FDH Records in November 2015. In a 2020 article,

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

described Foree as "a serious solo, DIY musician."

Selected discography

Albums

* Digital Leather (2003) King Of The Monsters * Monologue (2006) Shattered * Hard At Work (2007)

* Blow Machine (2007) FDH Records * Sorcerer (2008)

* Warm Brother (2009)

Fat Possum In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple ester ...

* Infinite Sun (2011) Volar * Sponge (2012) Crash Symbols * Yes Please, Thank You (2012) Southpaw * Modern Problems (2012) FDH Records * Split LP w/ The Hussy (2014) Southpaw * All Faded (2015) FDH Records * Whack Jam (2015) Kind Turkey Records * Pink Thunder (2017) FDH Records * Headache Heaven (2018) No Coast Records * FEEET (2019) Stencil Trash * New Wave Gold (2020) No Coast Records * Tales From The King (2022)

Vermin Vermin (colloquially varmint(s) or varmit(s)) are pests or nuisance animals that spread diseases and destroy crops, livestock, and property. Since the term is defined in relation to human activities, which species are included vary by regi ...

Singles

* Simulator (2005) Plastic Idol * Split w/ Angry Angles (2006) Shattered * She Had A Cameltoe (2007) Goner * Closed My Eyes (2007) Disordered (Italy), P Trash (Germany), FDH (USA) * Suckface (2007) Red Lounge (Germany) * The Assault (2008) Red Lounge (Germany) * Hurts so Bad, demo version (2009) Squoodge (Austria/Germany) * Power Surge (2009) FDH * Lousy Manipulator (2009) Neat Neat Neat * Sponge (2011) Ghost Highway

Other projects

* Mere Mortals (2012) Self-released * Diode (2014) Crash Symbols * TIT (2014) FDH / Volar * Dome Valley (2014) Castle Bravo * Black Bug (2015) Avant!

Featured

Lost Sounds Lost Sounds was a dark wave band from Memphis, Tennessee that was formed in 1999. The band was made up of Rich Crook on drums, Patrick Jordan on bass, Jay Reatard on synth, guitar, and vocals, and Alicja Trout on synth, guitar, and vocals. The b ...

– Future Touch (2004) In The Red * Tokyo Electron – S/T (2005) Shattered * Cutters – 7" (2005) Sunburst * Terror Visions – World of Shit (2007) FDH * Devon Disaster – Make Things Bleed (2008) Red Lounge * Destruction Unit / Black Sunday – Split LP (2008) FDH * Earthmen & Strangers – S/T (2009) FDH * Mere Mortals - Purple Fire (2012) Self Released *

- Doom Abuse (2014) * The Hussy – Volar EP 7" (2015) Volar

References

{{Authority control Musicians from Arizona Musical groups from Arizona 2002 establishments in Arizona Fat Possum Records artists