The return of Pumice: PUNY out now!

After years of (mostly) silence from Stefan Neville, the world now has a brilliant new Pumice album in its grip called PUNY.

Pumice's temporary dormancy allowed Stefan to collaborate with heaps of others, including The Renderers, The Coolies, The Spunks, Olympus (with Kraus), Sunken (with Antony Milton) and more. With a new 8-track in hand & heartbreak in the distance, PUNY began to take shape. Its a chronicle of sadness & triumphs, and sees Stefan tackling Beefheart-like rhythms, doo-wop experiments, melancholic strumming & other confusing / beautiful elements. Just as ever, PUNY overs a unique vision and a unique listen...

Order your copy directly from us here.




A few samples from PUNY --

Pumice "Covered in Spiders" by Soft Abuse

Pumice "Hey Crap Crab" by Soft Abuse

Pumice "Fool Fool Fool" by Soft Abuse

Also, for a short time longer, Under the Radar in New Zealand is offering a full stream of the album complete with track-by-track comments from Stefan Neville himself.

Brute Heart rounds out a busy & stellar 2011 on a high note

Minneapolis' Brute Heart are ending 2011 on a high note thanks to some year-end nods. First there was the pizza party at Soft Abuse HQ (much-belated), then their profile as one of the best bands in Minneapolis from Lavender Magazine hit the newsstands / web ("...with a sound that’s like some kind of Middle-Eastern Velvet Underground"), and today their brilliant second album, Lonely Hunter, was named one of the best Minneapolis album of 2011 by City Pages.

2011 was a banner year for the band, with the arduous recording & massive release of Lonely Hunter, a tour of the west coast in the summer, a trip to NYC for CMJ in the fall, and dozens of gigs in-between. 2012 should be just as bright, with two singles imminent via M'lady's and Mississippi-offshoot imprint Water Wing, more touring & who-knows-what. Expect good things.

In June

More info soon...

RIP small silver guitar

Stefan Neville via the Rose Quartz blog -

"When i arrived back in Auckland last week the small silver guitar got smashed in the flight. I think i can piece it back together but it wont tour again which means the end of Pumice as we know it."

Please note that Stefan hasn't decided to call it quits - he's simply not able to play live with his signature axe...

Pile of Pebbles

Here's a first look at the new Pumice album, the excellent Pebbles, which is slated for release in July. More info may be found here. An mp3 for the song Northland is now available, too.

In other Pumice news, Stefan Neville is in the process of assembling a 'Pumice Big Band' for performances in New Zealand this summer. I'm not so sure what this entails, but the very idea is an exciting one. More details in due time.

FYI, also pictured is the stamp kit used to create the sleeve for the Claxxon's Lament lathe cut single from Blackout Beach.

Welcome!