Forming after the dissolution of angular punks
WALL and dreamy indie rockers
Beverly, New York band
Public Practice took elements from its members' previous groups but ultimately ended up in new musical territory. Coating post-punk rhythms with a new wave sheen,
Public Practice first emerged in the spring of 2018, playing shows around New York. After releasing a demo recording and a 2018 EP, the band offered up their debut full-length
Gentle Grip in 2020.
Public Practice is made up of former
WALL lead singer Samantha York and guitarist Vince McClelland, and ex-
Beverly members
Drew Citron and
Scott Rosenthal. Moving past some of the ideas of their former groups,
Public Practice's early material took inspiration from post-punk's tense rhythms and meditative
Talking Heads-like grooves. They played often around New York in their first months, at gigs with peers like
Pill,
Bodega and
Tough Age. Their debut four-song EP, Distance Is a Mirror, gave a glimpse of their earliest output and was released on Wharf Cat Records in October of 2018. The band focused on live appearances and recordings for much of the next year and in May of 2020, they released their first full-length album,
Gentle Grip, again on Wharf Cat. ~ Fred Thomas