Radiator Hospital’s new project will raise money for the Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project

Philadelphia indie-rock band Radiator Hospital has recently released a new project to support the Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project (YASP). The project, appropriately titled Under The First Floor was recorded live for the Under The First Floor podcast, a show which uses old-school multitrack recording technology to present rock bands as raw, untouched, and lo-fi. All proceeds from the project will benefit YASP.

According to their website,

The Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project (YASP) is building a youth-led movement to end the practice of  trying and incarcerating young people as adults.  Through its work in the Philadelphia jails, YASP provides space for incarcerated young people to express themselves creatively and to develop as leaders both within and beyond the prison walls.  Young people who have been through the adult court system are at the forefront of YASP, leading the movement to keep young people out of adult prisons and to create new possibilities for youth around the city.

Radiator Hospital’s new release features ten tracks, the majority of which clock in around two minutes long, with covers of songs by Jonathan Richman and Jackson Browne sitting alongside Radiator Hospital originals. The vocals and instrumental production on each track are buried in distortion, temporarily giving the band a lo-fi garage rock aesthetic. This is especially evident on the last track, “For Daydreamers Only,” where the sole instrument, a piano, is out-of-tune and extremely fuzzy sounding.

Purchase Radiator Hospital’s Under The First Floor here. Donate to the Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project here.