Accessory is the solo recording project of Chicago based Jason Balla (Dehd, Earring). “Eyes For Berlin, a new track is Jason’s first for Fire Talk. Jason on the traack…"It's about finding new eyes. Seeing the old and everyday that has become the background of my life with a fresh sense of wonder. Years ago, I went to Berlin, crashed on a friend's floor and walked and walked. Even through the cold faced grey of Berlin winter, the city felt so full of life and it all felt so new to me. There are moments where I have these eyes again in the most surprising of places: an old neighborhood I used to live in, a friend's face, the sunset through the McDonald's golden arches out my bedroom window. And they all remind me that the world can be beautiful and good."

Valerie Salerno’s new solo project, Dick Texas, was formed out of a need to process her own grief and find a cathartic way to deal with the deaths of two of her closest friends. “I think that grief is something that just sticks in you,” says the Grand Rapids-based artist. “The best way to deal with it is to just put it into music. It just completely listens to you.”

In her first single as Dick Texas, Salerno uses dark synth tones and distorted recordings of her late friend telling a story to paint a portrait of her unique experience with grief. Before starting this project, Salerno played in Sojii, a noise-rock outfit that often prioritized a harsh sound over identifiable lyricism. She says that part of starting Dick Texas was fueled by her desire to be fully heard. “In a band, I kept hitting this wall where I couldn’t be heard musically and creatively,” says Salerno. “So, I was like, I’m gonna sit down and write all these songs by myself so I cant blame it on anyone else.”

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