Turkuaz announced today that they are following up their latest studio LP, last year’s Life in the City, with a duo of EPs dubbed Afterlife, and the band has released the first volume, which can be heard below.

The tracks on the new release, along with those on the upcoming Vol. 2 (due out this summer), were recorded during the two-plus-year process that birthed Life in the City.

“The process of making the record truly started back when making demos at my apartment,” says frontman Dave Brandwein. “I was between studios and took it as an opportunity to start writing. I put together the demo for ‘On the Run’ one night while sitting in my room, layering parts on synths and guitars. Determined not to use the drum machine sequence I made, we went to a studio to record Mikey [Carubba]’s drums and some percussion from Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy, Ghost Note).”

Along with that demo, which appears on Afterlife Vol. 1, Brandwein also discusses two more of the EP’s tracks, “Take it Slow” and “Gogo Mr. Dodo”: “Both songs started as demos by Craig Brodhead (guitar/keys), which I wrote the lyrics and melody over. In both cases, I knew that I was not the one who should sing these songs. Josh [Schwartz, saxophone] andShira [Elias, vocals] respectively embody the vibe of these tunes so well and make them completely their own, so their voices are featured on the tracks.” 

Listen to Afterlife Vol. 1 below. Next up for Turkuaz is a slot at Virginia’s Dominion RiverRock Festival tomorrow (May 18). See the band’s full tour schedule here.