Info:

Please note: shipping early October!

DISCLAIMER: We are repackaging / repurposing leftover vinyl from the first pressing so as to not be wasteful with this beautiful music! The first pressing was 140g vinyl in a white inner sleeve on both black and gray marble colorways. The 2026 (second) re-press is 180g black vinyl and includes the 10th bonus track "Lifted in the Ocean" on side D (which was omitted from the original pressing). 1st pressing vinyl will be repackaged by hand with the new printwork that reflects the additonal track. All versions will be packaged with double wide spine jacket, obi, download codes, full color insert, polybag, and either a black or white inner sleeve.

2026 white vinyl re-press is available within the 20th anniversary catalog bundle

Pretend took primordial form in 2004, half a decade before releasing their mammoth debut Bones in the Soil, Rust in the Oil, a 75-minute+ project capturing the Southern California quartet’s passion for possibilities in music. While partly influenced by bands like American Football and Dilute, structured improvisation was key to Pretend’s sound, resulting in something akin to a stretched out math- or post-rock, emphasizing organic flow and the trust of your fellow player in lieu of ostentatious maximalism or overproduced climaxes.

Tapestry’d Life, the band’s second and final full-length released in 2015, totals just under 80 minutes long and leans into the formula established on their debut. Raindrop guitar and delicately delivered vocals cross with unpredictable drumming to transport listeners to a dreamlike world where formal music instruction is irrelevant to the cause of intuitive performance and songwriting.

While Pretend prized clean tone and dispensed with overwrought effects and production, the band occasionally made room for passages of reversed guitar (such as on "Doors" and "Your Own Embrace"), subtle experimentation that didn’t infringe on the band’s self imposed limits. Similarly, bouncing between numerous custom tunings allowed the band to break free of habits and explore new ways to play, leaving an indelible imprint on underground rock music.

In the space between the beats, Pretend never encountered a risk they weren’t willing to take. On Tapestry’d Life, these rhythmic leaps of faith and compositional gasps for air play out like trust falls between the players, each member challenging the other to take the leap and trust the next to break their fall.

All purchases come with your choice of a FLAC, ALAC, MP3 320, MP3 VBR or AAC 256 download.

Please note: This item is a pre-order and will not be available until it is manufactured and delivered to us. We will send download codes on or just before that time.