Southern California native Cory Hanson isn't the sort of musician to let the grass grow beneath him. The singer/guitarist played an auxiliary role in numerous bands before settling into a more stable gig making rugged psychedelia with Wand. In addition to his full-time work with that band and occasional toned-down duo work with Ty Segall, Hanson releases solo albums that can be bucolic and introspective like 2021's Pale Horse Rider or more in keeping with Wand's high-energy weirdness, as is the case with Hanson's 2023 solo effort Western Cum. Before forming Wand in 2013, Hanson played in a multitude of bands, contributing to more obscure outfits like Magic Mountain, Hellomynameischad, and Blackagar Boltagon, as well as some bigger names like together PANGEA, the Meatbodies, and Mikal Cronin. Before Wand, he also released three albums of abstract electronic pop under the name WHITE. Once formed, Wand took up much of Hanson's time and focus. The band recorded and released three albums, as well as a handful of singles, between 2014 and 2015. They also toured frequently, playing shows with Ty Segall and others. Segall was impressed enough to subsequently play a number of shows with Hanson as an acoustic duo. He also added Hanson and fellow Wand member Evan Burrows to his backing band the Muggers for his 2016 touring dates. Thanks to this, Wand was uncharacteristically quiet during 2016. Hanson also spent the time away from the band working on a solo album. The acid folk-inspired, lushly orchestrated The Unborn Capitalist from Limbo was released by Drag City in late 2016. Wand resumed their activity for several years afterwards, and the band was Hanson's main focus until 2020, when he released a 7" single with two new collaborations with Segall. That year, he also began sharing songs from his forthcoming second solo album Pale Horse Rider, which was slated for release in March of 2021. Before Pale Horse Rider arrived, Hanson also appeared as a guest on the song "Night Rider's Lament," one in a series of collaborative tracks released by Bill Callahan and Bonnie "Prince" Billy. In 2023, Hanson's third solo album, Western Cum, took a far different turn than his earlier solo material, leaning into guitar-heavy rockers that employed everything from harmony leads that recalled '90s alt rock to blown-out and frazzled punk delirium. The album was recorded with the quartet of Hanson, his brother Casey on bass, Tyler Nuffer on steel guitar, and drummer Evan Backer, opting for a much more wild and direct sound than the often-subdued tones of what he'd done before. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi

The Mystery Lights, Cory Hanson

The Mystery Lights

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