"No Condition"

LA area punk / power-pop band For Closure has released a new single "No Condition" via Mindpower Records.

Stream "No Condition" HERE: https://orcd.co/nocondition

For Closure drummer/producer Wal Rashidi says, “No Condition” encapsulates much of what I love and seek in a song. And I can say this as someone who’s somewhat detached from it, as I didn’t have a hand in the songwriting, just the production.

For Closure

It is equal parts bold and expressive in its outro, counterbalanced with intimate and sparse in its verses. The arpeggiated, glassy guitar tones we dialed in are an imperfect nod to the 1980s new wave/post-punk watery riffs emanating from the Roland Jazz Chorus amps in videos we grew up watching on MTV (or listening to early KROQ hits). Gizz’s (frontman Gizz Lazlo- Dr. Know, U.K. Subs, The Freeze, Dead Lazlo’s Place) legato vocals, delicately draped over my thunderous toms, recall bands like The Icicle Works, though they also possess the muscle and motivation of Samiam’s Jason Beebout.

I am satisfied with my mix of this song, probably because it happened so effortlessly. I love how the dozen-plus tracks of backing vocals neatly charted their course as they float amid the ether of the song, simultaneously transparent yet plenty apparent. Luis’s tight, crunchy guitar riffing in the bridge eventually yields to a full-throttle send of the outro, with the densely-layered choir repeatedly exclaiming “noooo!” as I hammer quarter notes on the crash cymbal — it really thrusts this cut into an elevated stratum and provides the mashed-pedal drive it deserves, even if the lyrics state an emphatic opposition that, “I’m in no condition / to drive you all the way home!”

What makes it even more impressive was watching Gizz on the other side of the glass, in the vocal booth at the recording studio — the eponymous, succinctly-monikered Studio — in Redlands, California, absolutely nailing it all in one take. I’m nearly sure I exclaimed a stunned “wow” as the hair rose on my arms (I have hairy arms, too). I could somehow still sense the sweet and mildly-spiced waft of a Djarum Special clove cigarette he had just dusted off mere minutes before nailing this cut, quizzically piercing its way through the double-paned window into the control room (“I see you walking through / that crowded, smoky room”). While I already knew Gizz was highly competent at his craft, I didn’t realize Gizz could be unassailably stellar in the studio. (Given this is my first album as a solo producer, perhaps I was just gifted a stroke of beginner’s luck?)

I think “No Condition” could resonate with just about anyone listening. It’s beautiful, powerful and might serve as the flagship track on this forthcoming full-length album by For Closure. I also hope that “No Condition” encapsulates much of what you love and seek in a song."

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Moon At Noon

Stream "Moon at Noon" HERE: https://orcd.co/moonatnoon

Frontman Gizz Lazlo (Dr. Know, U.K. Subs, The Freeze, Dead Lazlo’s Place) says, ""Moon at Noon" was written a few days after my dad's first major heart attack in May of 2018. I was sitting on my parent's porch while my dad lay in the hospital in a coma for 6 days. As I sat there confused and worried about what was going to happen, I needed to write something to calm my nerves a bit. Luis had sent me a demo that I'd listened to a few weeks prior. While I was listening to the music over and over on my headphones, chain-smoking trying to distract myself, certain phrases kept coming back as I was humming melodies over the music. A few hours later I'd finished these lyrics and just left them alone as I went back and forth to the hospital trying to deal with my mother and relatives who started arriving from Mexico to see my dad. When my dad was discharged from the hospital I couldn't sleep thinking that this may happen again. About a week after my dad was home I found myself in my studio wondering what these lyrics would sound like to the music. I spent about an hour behind the mic recording the original demo for this song. I sent it to Luis and we instantly knew we HAD to record this song. It's definitely not something we usually write together. That's the thing I love about writing songs with Luis is that we both don't care what people are going to think about them. If "we" like them then let's record them. Everything we've written in the past few years are songs about the dark side of life. Not everything is rainbows and butterflies. As much as we want it to be, it just isn't. My hope is that whoever listens to our songs finds something that they can hold on to if they ever feel down. I grew up with songs that helped me through some tough times. Maybe, just maybe we can help someone through their personal trauma with our songs. I've been close to the end many times, but I'm still here. So I guess the best advice I can give is to - Never Lose Hope!! You are loved!!"

"Moon at Noon" also features a roaring guitar solo guest appearance by Mike Williamson from L.A.-based band Jr. Juggernaut.

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Upcoming shows:

2/3 Sardine / San Pedro

2/4 Redwood Bar / DTLA

2/18 Supply & Demand / Long Beach

For Closure began as a simple studio project, a brief opportunity to relay some finality for multi-decade veterans hailing from the punk rock scenes of the Los Angeles County suburbs, who had desired a last hurrah before they closed shop on their previous bands. But what arose from a “goodbye” project was an assortment of compositions so compelling and novel, there was a change of heart in closing the book on the past and instead, an excitement brewing about the future.

Fronted by vocalist Gizz Lazlo—whose prior contributions include Dr. Know, U.K. Subs, The Freeze and his namesake, Dead Lazlo’s Place, plus continued memberships in a bevy of bands too numerous to detail—the ensemble’s material stems from a pairing of songwriters Lazlo and Luis Estefania (F.Y.P., Rhythm Collision, Buford), who most recently were together in longtime San Fernando Valley-based outfit For Sale. The dissolution of For Sale left Lazlo and Estefania with a backlog of yet-unrecorded material and a decision to continue establishing their songwriting partnership via a new outlet—hence, For Closure.

Armed with a batch of songs, polished and perfected for tracking, Lazlo and Estefania entered the recording studio named Studio in Redlands, California with producer/drummer Wal Rashidi (Jr. Juggernaut, Revolution Mother, Turning Violet) in the summer of 2022 to begin the sessions that would ultimately sprout the band’s first single, “Carousel,” to be released via Mindpower Records. This fruitful batch of material led to a second session in winter 2023, to complete the band’s forthcoming debut full-length album, to be released in 2024.

For Closure has since moved its material from studio to stage, as it made its live debut this past fall, via shows in the Los Angeles area, which also feature guitarist Marc Maxey (Sloth Fist, The Killing Flame, Justice League) and bassist Steve Wilenkin (Life in a Burn Clinic, Dead Man’s Life, IDK).

What launched as an exercise in finality is now only the beginning of this new musical collective. It’s time for For Closure’s grand opening.

Socials:

www.instagram.com/forclosurela

www.facebook.com/forclosurela