The 7-inch single, "Didn't See Shit," features four brand-new numbers recorded at Danger Room Studios, engineered and mixed by Josh Dobbs and mastered by Matt Kamm. The original plan to release a record through Total Punk fell through, so the band is trying to get the music out without a label.
They're self-releasing the single through the vinyl-on-demand service Qrates. The campaign for "Didn't See Shit" will go on for another 26 days, and, if you pony up the $9.99, you'll score a 7-inch record pressed on two-color splatter vinyl.
Besides the prospect of new music, the other reason that the Fatties have been on our radar lately is the monthly free mailing list they launched last year. It strikes us as a really creative and tangible means of connection at a time when people are still feeling isolated.
"The whole mailing list thing came about because with shows nowhere in sight, I wanted to figure out a way to maintain a connection with our fans," explains Fatties drummer Jordan Duttinger (who also runs local tape label Godless America). "Personally, one of the only things that kept me sane through this whole thing was getting stuff in the mail. So I thought about how can we get mail out to people and maybe spread some of that joy in these troubling times."
Once you've signed up for the Fatties' Pen Pal list, you get a little something weird in the mail each month. For free. Could be a postcard or a sticker or a trading card, or several of the above at once. It reminds us of old-school band fanclubs and zines, or even a sideways nod to the mail-art movement. And you don't have to do anything to join — no self-addressed stamped envelope, cleverly concealed cash, nothing.
"It all kind of started with a postcard I had made up from a photo we took of us in Tarpon Springs," recalls Duttinger. "Naturally I started to think of what could I send to people in the mail with just a stamp. So I started to bid on lots of random, sealed non-sports trading cards on Ebay and ended up winning one with like 50-plus packs of cards ranging from Terminator to Fern Gully. So on top of our stickers we started to send random trading cards to our Pen Pals."
"We try to send out something at least once a month. Now we currently have 50-plus pen pals on our list and it keeps growing every day. I'm starting to get paper cuts on my tongue putting together these monthly mailings. … If we can bring a smile to someone's face when they open one of our letters that's what it's really all about."
Visit Qrates to check out the band's upcoming single, and message the band through their Facebook page to become one of their Pen Pals.
There is still time to sign up to be a pen pal to get on the list for December's mailing join now and get fun stuff in the mail like exclusive stickers and vintage trading cards from the 90's. Just hit the link in our bio and select Pen Pal and fill out the form. All orders at www.fatties.fun automatically adds you to the list.
Posted by fattiespunk on Saturday, November 21, 2020
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