Conjuring a mysterious brew of folk, psychedelia, world music, and progressive rock, Immaterial Possession are a group from Athens, Georgia whose music takes listeners into a world all their own. Their sound is exotic without being forbidding, created within the framework of pop music while embracing a mindset that falls outside its boundaries, and generating a sense of joy even when it slips into a shadowy mood. Introducing themselves with their self-titled debut album in 2020, and 2023’s ‘Mercy of the Crane Folk’ fleshed out their ideas with greater skill and assurance.
Immaterial Possession embark on their first UK tour this Spring and to celebrate they return with new music. New single ‘Sugar in a Memory’ takes you through day-dreamy, intimate musings of desperation, longing and dealing with loss. A song written by Madeline during the formative days of the band it carries with it the personal and nostalgic feeling of romance, seasonal change, and the exploration through poetry of nature herself. ‘Sugar in Memory’ is a song of hopefulness that summons the Spring – a time for new beginnings, rebirth and growth.
Immaterial Possession was formed by Cooper Holmes and Madeline Polites, a pair of multidisciplinary artists originally from Atlanta. They had been part of a community of musicians, artists, and theatrical performers who had established themselves in the city’s D.I.Y. underground scene. Feeling confined by the size of Atlanta, Holmes and Polites relocated to nearby Athens, a college town that had a reputation as a home for free-thinking and bohemian culture in the Peach State. The two were eager to start a band, with Holmes on bass and vocals and Polites on guitar and vocals. Looking for like-minded collaborators, they found experienced percussionist John Spiegel and keyboardist and woodwinds player Kiran Fernandes (whose father, John Kiran Fernandes, was a member of celebrated Elephant 6 group Olivia Tremor Control). Dressed in fanciful costumes and playing music they hoped would transport and transform their audiences, Immaterial Possession soon earned a unique reputation in Athens, and the Elephant 6-affiliated label Cloud Recordings issued their debut in 2020.
★★★★ Shindig
“One of the few bands among their contemporaries who never waver into gimmickry or empty homage.. Authentically removed from its modern setting, the LP’s title track is a vintage-hued epic central to the album’s broader narrative.” Flood Magazine
“Folk-laden and nomadic psych-pop that harks back somewhat to the hazy days of late ’60s/early ’70s commune music when everything was all earthy and hopeful for a better world.” Norman Records
Immaterial Possession will tour the UK this April. They play a special London live date at EartH on 27th April as part of the Fire Records 40th Anniversary all-dayer with The Giant Syndicate (Giant Sand, Kristin Hersh and Steve Wynn).
Immaterial Possession Artist Page
Live Dates
23 Apr: Talleryrand, Manchester, UK
24 Apr: Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, UK, w/ Marta Del Grandi
25 Apr: Cobalt Studios, Newcastle, UK, w/ Marta Del Grandi
27 Apr: Forty Years Of Fire – The Giant Syndicate, Earth, London, UK, w/ Giant Sand, The Dream Syndicate, Kristin Hersh, Islet, Bas Jan, Marta Del Grandi, Graham Reynolds
28 Apr: The Shacklewell Arms, London, UK
29 Apr: Folklore Rooms, Brighton, UK, w/ Marta Del Grandi
