The Current

Great Music Lives Here ®
Listener-Supported Music
Donate Now
Local Current Blog

Julianna Barwick incorporates the sound of wasabi beer into new EP “Rosabi”

by KT Lindemann

May 08, 2014

Music and beer have always paired well together, and Julianna Barwick agrees. The ambient singer-songwriter collaborated with a Delaware brewery to design a new craft beer, and now Barwick plans a release of an EP with the same name as the brew, Rosabi, out June 3 via Dead Oceans. The EP features sounds from the brewing process, layered under Barwick’s signature harmonies and celestial loops.

Pitchfork reports that Barwick teamed up with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery late last year to create a wasabi-infused pale ale in celebration of the brewery’s expansion. Rosabi, the beer, will available for purchase in June, in conjunction with the release of Rosabi, the EP. In fact, a limited vinyl edition of the EP will be available only in conjunction with purchase of the beer: a thousand copies will be sealed into six-packs of Rosabi.

The incorporation of the brewing sounds seems to be subtle: don't expect to hear a canning line rattling through "Meet You at Midnight," a preview track from the EP.

We also think that great music and great beer go well together, which is why we're partnering with Schell's to offer Schell's The Current beer this summer, along with a free EP of music by local artists—grab it here. None of the tracks incorporate sound effects from the brewing process, but if you listen closely to Har Mar Superstar's live performance of "Tallboy," you might be able to hear one or two of the eponymous cans cracking open in the audience.

KT Lindemann is a senior at the University of Minnesota, Morris, pursuing studio art and Spanish. She is a native of the Twin Cities and is a wannabe musician, artist, and music writer.

Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.