Ten minute tea with Afternoon Tea. Spend ten minutes with Afternoon Tea. In the time it takes to boil one kettle, and let one cup of tea steep, we will have your daily art + music fix covered. Take your afternoon tea break with our Afternoon Tea curators.
Today’s tea + soundtrack + visuals curated by ACER.
ACER is a dream pop duo made up of multi-instrumentalist Kyle Gottschalk and vocalist/art director Connory Ballantyne. Borrowing from the brooding post-punk sound of their former band House Art, Ballantyne‘s vocals lend a confident and lyrical vision to the dynamically maximalist instrumentals written out of Gottschalk‘s love for bedroom pop and shoegaze.
Brooding new single, “Vacant,” offers catharsis. Ballantyne had started dating someone new after a truly crushing breakup, and so the experience of restarting sparked reflection on the perpetuity and strangeness of his feelings. “Keep me in your contacts, keep me the boy you’re dreaming of,” he sings.
ACER is a youthful and hungry EP showcasing the musical diversity and raw energy of the two producers. Dreamy atmospheres abound (a nod to Beach House, Daniel Lanois, or Eno), the tracks sputter and glitch to life reminiscent of bedroom producers like JPEGMAFIA or the recent work of Toro Y Moi. Ballantyne‘s vocals constantly flirt between the swaggering bravado of artists like Archie Marshal’s King Krule, the effect-laden Justin Vernon or Kanye, and the soft ambience of Slowdive.
Music – Steve Reich – Six Pianos
On the day of writing this I actually listened to this for the first time, at least as far as I remember. I don’t really think there is much I can say about it or anything he’s done that hasn’t already been said. At first it comes across as being very frantic & overwhelming but quickly becomes this beautiful, hypnotic thing… I can’t believe real people actually played these parts. It sounds like it should have been performed by computers. We’re both in love with how he weaves patterns together (who isn’t!!?); and harmonically it’s absolutely gorgeous. I’m always inspired by his work and this is no different.
Visual – Mushi-Shi (Anime)
This is a super underrated/under viewed anime IMO. I love watching this to unwind; I find it to be very calming. It’s not like your usual high intensity anime… it’s very low key, humble even. The lessons each episode contains (it has an episodic structure) are really beautiful. The main character Ginko is a fictional character I really admire in how he handles himself in all situations. The relationship he has with the natural world is wonderful. I always rave about this show & recommend to all my friends. I would consider it essential viewing for anyone who enjoys anime.
Green Tea
I don’t drink much tea in the summer. It’s way too hot for me already. That being said, my go to tea is always whatever green tea I have on hand. My preference is the caffeine free Chinese green tea you usually find in the health food section (or at Health Food oriented grocery stores). I find it to be very calming & it’s really good for you!!
Tea + Me 