Pop Fiction CD includes bonus fold out poster of exclusive album cover art by Todd Alcott!
Includes unlimited streaming of Pop Fiction
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 7 days
Purchasable with gift card
$12USDor more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Boston Blowout "some of the" Best of 2023 CD Bundle includes:
Eddie Japan - Pop Fiction CD w/fold out album cover art Poster!
Carissa Johnson - Blue Hour Deluxe CD
Danny The K - Cigarettes & Silhouettes
Stars Like Ours - Better Every Day CD
The Downhauls - Scream Into The Void CD
Includes unlimited streaming of Pop Fiction
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 7 days
3 remaining
Purchasable with gift card
$25USDor more
Streaming + Download
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Pop Fiction CD includes bonus fold out poster of exclusive album cover art by Todd Alcott!
"This may well be the best thing Rum Bar has yet released." - Michael "Denim" Toland
"Big songs, a theatrical delivery style for the most part, killer hooks that’ll have you singing the songs for weeks." - Geoff Wilbur's Music Blog
"We’re pretty sure this was the first album of 2023 that, without fail, was definitely going to end up on this list somewhere. Like, we had a draft of records that’d we dug before Pop Fiction dropped in late April but this was the first one where we decided that we’d make room for it somewhere no matter what because it’s rare that you come across albums these days that tell a complete story and with the musicianship that these former Rumble champs do so exquisitely. The vital voice that fellow Boston Music Awards’ nominee David Santos brings to EJ along with Emily Drohan’s powerful prose is just the the tip of what makes this band and album so important." - Rock And Roll Fables
"The centerpiece of this album by the band Eddie Japan is “Time Machine” an amazingly catchy blast of pop rock that features Greg Hawkes of the Cars on synth, never mind the rest of the extremely talented band firing on all cylinders. The song’s also kind of the emotional heart of the album, in a strange way. Whereas songs such as “Summer Hair” and “The Dandy of Suburbia” make excellent use of David Santos and Emily Drohan’s gorgeous vocals in the album’s portrait of a suburban lothario and his downfall. Despite its upbeat tone, the song brings together the album’s strands of lust and regret with aplomb, escalating the album’s impact and propelling it even further. It’s just fantastic work, all around." - Worchester Magazine
"Eddie Japan brings a cinematic, Queen-like grandeur to their music with two lead vocalists and shimmering keyboards that fall like silver rain. Santos wrote these songs with a mixture of elegance and pop smarts, achieving a huge presence." - Bloody Red Baron
"Even after hearing the prelude that was their solid 2019 EP, there’s still little to prepare you for the sonic oddness/brilliance of Eddie Japan’s new 11 song debut LP, Pop Fiction. As advertised, it is a pop record, but one with plenty of prefixes (Power, Cinematic, Glam, etc.)" - John B. Moore
"From the evidence presented here, Boston’s Eddie Japan has never met a pop melody they didn’t like. Masterminded by singer/songwriter David Santos, Pop Fiction is crammed full of hooks alluding to power pop, glam rock, new wave, girl group pop, and any other noise that fuses sugar with style." - Big Takeover Magazine
"Eddie Japan is the name of the band, not an individual (just to clear up any confusion.) Anyway, they play a blend of Eighties-style New Wave, which reminds me of the sort of band that would feature on the soundtrack of a John Hughes movie (‘Pretty in Pink’, ‘The Breakfast Club’ etc.) Lots of squeaky synthesizers, male / female vocals and catchy pop melodies. Whether this makes it nostalgic or not is strictly down to the listeners own opinion, but the band certainly know what they’re doing and make the melodrama sound convincing. It is what it is and some of you will completely love it." - Fear And Loathing Zine
"Eddie Japan Masterfully Weave An Epic Aural Story On Ambitious Pop Fiction. Pop Fiction is definitely a record that inhabits the spirit of The Cars at times but also expands upon the band’s own sonic legacy. “Edward Descending” is Pop perfection simultaneously out of both the ’50’s and ’80’s with Emily Drohan’s croon mixing it up nicely in a call and response with David Santos amidst a huge bounce from the rest of the band that starts the record off in a high energy way that never really lets up." - Rock And Roll Fables
"Every song on “Pop Fiction“ is full of the kind of magic you find on the silver screen . Like we said earlier and it bears repeating. Eddie Japan is the kind of band that makes you fall in love with music over and over again." - The Whole Kameese
"Across nearly a dozen tracks, the group delivers an album as diverse musically (New Wave, Glam, etc.) as it is enjoyable. “Summer Hair,” is faux earnest breezy pop song. The same can be said of the slow burn “The Dandy of Suburbia,” surprisingly effective, despite the lyrics. The band even brings in a ringer, with The Cars’ Greg Hawkes playing keyboards on “I Can’t Wait” and “Time Machine.” Bizarre but also absolutely sublime at times, Eddie Japan could almost be accused of being a novelty band if they weren’t so damn good." - New Noise Magazine
"It’s just as easy to simply revel in the singalong tuneship of “I Can’t Wait” (featuring the Cars’ Greg Hawkes on synthesizer), “Walk Away” (a duet with fellow EJ singer Emily Drohan), “Time Machine” (another Hawkes feature), “The Pull of the Moon” (a Drohan showcase), and the positively anthemic “If I Should Fall” and not worry about the main character’s state of mind. We can’t speak for Edward, but if Eddie Japan comes to visit, don’t even try to resist – Pop Ficition makes it fruitless." - Michael "Denim" Toland, Big Takeover
"Pop Fiction takes the musical force that is Eddie Japan, a sterling sonic cocktail stirred with Glam, New Wave, and Pop-Rock, and pulls the listener inward through the storyline of the metafictional Edward Japan and themes of boredom, loneliness, love, betrayal, fantasy, and regret." - Bad Copy
"Pop Fiction and its libretto styling takes the musical force that is Eddie Japan, a sterling sonic cocktail stirred with glam, new wave, indie, pop-rock and soundtracked for a retro-futuristic Great Gatsby party for our redefined ‘20s, and pulls the listener inward, furthering its themes of boredom, loneliness, love, betrayal, fantasy and regret. It’s a sound that deserves the type of attention only an album can provide. And once the listener presses play, the choice of how to proceed from there, like the trials and tribulations of the album’s main protagonist himself, is solely up to them." - The Big Takeover
"If you love The Cars you'll love the new Eddie Japan single featuring Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes." - Adventure Tom
"Boston cinematic pop septet Eddie Japan teams with The Cars' synth-pop legend Greg Hawkes for 'Time Machine', out today via Rum Bar Records. A swirling pop-rock belter about a second-chance at love, the video for this infectious track arrives April 5, so stay tuned for that as well." - Michael Marotta
"Eddie Japan’s newly released song “Time Machine” is from the forthcoming album Pop Fiction. Greg Hawkes (from the Cars) adds some synth. It only takes a few notes for Greg to initiate an avalanche of memories. He carries the Cars sound with him. It’s fortunate that Eddie Japan has the song writing and arrangement chops to accommodate Greg because you can't help but compare... whether you want to or not. Eddie Japan has been working hard and this album has the potential to give this 2013 Rumble winner another big boost of attention." - Boston Groupie News
"For their latest single, the aptly named "Time Machine," they brought in Greg Hawkes of The Cars, which is truly a dream pairing. Eddie Japan have long seemed like a band out of time. The new song combines New Wave, pop rock, glam, art-pop, etc. to create this sound that's a modern take on the 1980's. This is a ridiculously fun theatrical pop song that both is and isn't an 80's throwback. It's heavily inspired by that decade, but it doesn't quite sound like music released back then. Eddie Japan make music that isn't going to fit any label cleanly, and that's half the fun. Plus, anyone that lets us hear Greg Hawkes on a synthesizer is ok in our book!" - If It's Too Loud
"Boston cinematic pop septet Eddie Japan teams with The Cars' synth-pop legend Greg Hawkes for 'Time Machine', out today via Rum Bar Records. A swirling pop-rock belter about a second-chance at love, the video for this infectious track arrives April 5, so stay tuned for that as well." - Michael Marotta
Eddie Japan’s long-awaited forthcoming full-length, Pop Fiction is an 11-song set that picks up where the band's five-song 2019 EP, The Amorous Adventures of Edward Japan, left off. With six new tracks, the record is presented as a sort of "pop opera," and centers around the metafictional 'Edward Japan,' a strip mall Don Giovanni who attempts to find the meaning in life via afternoon trysts in the ether of suburbia. The video for the first single, “Walk Away,” has already racked up more than 55,000 views on YouTube, and the second single, “Time Machine,” features synthesizer by frequent Eddie Japan collaborator Greg Hawkes of The Cars. Mr. Hawkes, who also appears in the video for the song, adds a retro-futuristic atmosphere to this blast of super melodic guitar pop, and the track closes with an ‘unmistakably Greg Hawkes’ Mini Korg solo.
On "Pop Fiction", Eddie Japan adds a bit more guitar snarl to the lush arrangements we are known for, and incorporate elements of new wave, glam, and power pop to our alternative pop/rock sound.
credits
released April 28, 2023
Eric Brosius - Guitars
Emily Drohan - Vocals
Chuck Ferreira - Drums and Percussion
Bart Lopiccolo - Guitars
Charles Membrino - Bass
Aaron Rosenthal - Keyboards
David Santos - Vocals
With
Greg Hawkes - Synthesizer on "I Can't Wait" and "Time Machine"
Words and Music by David Santos
Recorded, Mixed and Produced by Eric Brosius
Arranged by Eddie Japan
Mastered by Pete Weiss at Jade Cow Music Services, Somerville MA
Additional Recording on "If I Should Fall" by Alex Allinson at The Bridge Sound Stage, Cambridge MA
Design by Todd Alcott
Back Cover Photo Collage by Elaine Hawkes
Special thanks to Greg & Elaine Hawkes, and Lou Mansdorf at Rum Bar Records.
Love and appreciation to Terri Brosius, Maddy Brosius, Matt Drohan, Natasha Ruggeri-Koret, Karin Elliott, Ana Quintana, Mai Motobuchi Rosenthal, Ella Sakura Rosenthal, Serena Haru Rosenthal, Jody Santos, August Santos, and Cindy Mullins.
"I want to be life, not this life or that life, just vitality itself." – Søren Kierkegaard, Either/Or
"Write this down: Rum Bar Records is turning into one of the absolute best labels for real rock & roll these days."
-- the legendary Bill Kelly, Bill Kelly's Blackhole Bandstand SiriusXm ch21 LSUG
Collected tracks from five bands including Cosmonauts, Susan, and Flat Worms provides a look into the vibrant Los Angeles music scene. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 19, 2017
Congrats on winning Best Album for 2017 on Goldmine. Just goes to show the Goldmine team have great taste. I love this because I cant remember too many LP's as good as this one. To Mark, Jamie and Thomas THANKYOU!!! Peter H
