The Ace of Cups | Extended Play

Ace of Cups dig deep with 6 new songs!

By 1969, pioneering West Coast all-female psych-rockers Ace of Cups had already written an astonishing 60+ brilliantly original songs and were a formidable live act, fielding accolades from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, and Jerry Garcia. The band’s new Extended Play E.P. uncovers four ‘lost’ songs written during that magical, lysergic era, and completes a remarkable run of three albums since their sudden reemergence in 2016 to begin recording their debut album – a goal that had eluded them when their star was burning hot and quick. Extended Play channels the band’s wild electricity into patience and strength – “You Don’t Understand” shimmers with Byrdsy jangle and simmering Spector-esque tension, all imbued with honesty, confidence, wisdom, and a lifetime of shared history and deep musical bonds.

Spacious acoustic guitars frame beautiful vocal harmonies on “Baby Come Home” and showcases the band’s natural confidence with roots material – a facet of their sound as integral as the turned-on, plugged-in electricity of their late-‘60s live sets. The song features a flawless contribution from mandolin virtuoso and Jerry Garcia collaborator David Grisman and buoyantly soulful fiddle runs from Sid Page, member and string arranger for Sly and the Family Stone and Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks. The warm welcome of the acoustic arrangement and the simple, homespun melody allows room for Grisman and Page to shine, as do the sublime layers of vocal harmony the Ace of Cups channel so instinctively. Songwriter Denise Kaufman sings about yearning for her then-husband (and Bay Area jazz legend) Noel Jewkes to return from tour, fresh-baked bread waiting and no questions asked.