{"title":"Tōth","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"practice-magic","title":"Tōth - Practice Magic and Seek Professional Help When Necessary","description":"\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=3698307368\/size=small\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=none\/transparent=true\/\" seamless\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/tothtunes.bandcamp.com\/album\/practice-magic-and-seek-professional-help-when-necessary\"\u003ePractice Magic And Seek Professional Help When Necessary by Tōth\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn July 2016, Alex Toth was recovering from a broken foot and a broken heart, stuck in his fourth-floor apartment in Brooklyn with cast and crutches. This is where Tōth’s “achingly beautiful” debut album, Practice Magic and Seek Professional Help When Necessary, was born.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few months earlier, Alex and his Rubblebucket cofounder and love of more than eleven years had “consciously uncoupled,” after a period of helping each other through devastating challenges. Alex was lightning-struck by sadness. “Almost convalescent” at times, in his words, though rarely still. A jazz trumpeter by training, Alex is always, always writing. And that spring, a new kind of music started to come—raw, stripped-down songs unfurling without agenda, bent over an acoustic guitar. It never occurred to Alex that he was making an album.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe idea sprouted in songwriting sessions with his friend Kimbra, when she heard this new sound and encouraged Alex to make a record. But it didn’t solidify until June 2016, when Alex was onstage with his punk project, Alexander F, and broke his foot. Stuck there in his apartment all summer, Tōth came to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePractice Magic and Seek Professional Help When Necessary, due May 2019 from Northern Spy Records (worldwide) and Figureight Records (UK\/Europe), is a self-help guide unlike any other—a breakup album before wholeness, but after anger. The album turns as it goes, through “lush, windswept sonics” (Gorilla Vs. Bear), bebop trumpet solos, and spare guitar, recalling the Beach Boys in one bar and Arthur Russell in the next. It’s an album for remembering and letting go—and discovering what magic remains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCREDITS\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eall songs written by Alex Toth, except for:\u003cbr\u003e“Down For The Count” written by Alex Toth \u0026amp; Kimbra Johnson, “No Reason” written by Alex Toth \u0026amp; Kris Barrett\u003cbr\u003e“Funny Business” written by Alex Toth \u0026amp; Brad Truax\u003cbr\u003e“Decay” written by Alex Toth \u0026amp; Jen Goma\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMixed by Andrew Sarlo\u003cbr\u003eMastered by Sarah Register\u003cbr\u003eMostly self-recorded in Alex Toth’s apartment in Brooklyn, NY between June 2016 and February 2018\u003cbr\u003eCover photo by Chris Weiss\u003cbr\u003eCover design by Aaron Denton\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 self-recorded in Alex's apartment in Brooklyn, NY\u003cbr\u003eTracks 1 \u0026amp; 9 engineered by Aaron Roche at Loft in Gowanus, May 2017\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrack 4, violins on track 8, \u0026amp; vocal overdubs (trk 7) engineered by Sam Owens at Figure Eight Recording in Prospect Heights\u003cbr\u003eDrums + upright bass overdubs for tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 recorded at Rivington Studios engineered by Nico\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmbient overdubs tracks 3, 4, 10 \u0026amp; violas track 7 via Aaron Roche at Loft in Gowanus\u003cbr\u003eAdditional overdubs recorded in Alex’s apt in BK and at Sonora Recorders in LA (with Andrew Sarlo)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI got so much really crucial encouragement early on from very dear humans I love — without which I never ever would’ve followed through with this record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpecial Thanks:\u003cbr\u003eBrad Truax, Drew Robinson, Kimbra Johnson, Aaron Roche, Kris Barrett, Jen Goma, Jeremy Gustin, Ryan Dugre, Rob Abelow, Nicoll Bien, Northern Spy team (Chris, Adam, Tom, Cody and all), Figureight Records team (Hildur, James, Shahzad), Hannah Epperson, Joanna Sternberg, Julie Hill, Grey McMurray, Aaron Roche, Michael Leviton, Monica Hofstadter, Kalmia Traver, Kenneth Edwards, Julia Easterlin, Bridget Kearney, Andrea Diaz, Ben Davis, Mu Tunc, ThrdCoast, Amanda Bonaiuto, Lyla, Kathleen Toth\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Northern Spy Records","offers":[{"title":"Limited Edition Purple Vinyl + Digital","offer_id":44667180024031,"sku":"LP-NS-114C","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Standard Black Vinyl + Digital","offer_id":44667180056799,"sku":"LP-NS-114","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD + Digital","offer_id":44667180089567,"sku":"CD-NS-114","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"FLAC Download","offer_id":44667180122335,"sku":"","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"MP3 Download","offer_id":44667180155103,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/a0164097588_10.jpg?v=1703789621"},{"product_id":"you-and-me-and-everything","title":"Tōth - You And Me And Everything","description":"\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=409057993\/size=small\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=none\/transparent=true\/\" seamless\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/tothtunes.bandcamp.com\/album\/you-and-me-and-everything\"\u003eYou And Me And Everything by Tōth\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWhen Alex Toth wrote his debut solo album, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ePractice Magic \u0026amp; Seek Professional Help When Necessary\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, he was recovering from a broken foot and a broken heart. Toth was stuck in his apartment and struggling to process the end of a nearly 12-year-long romantic partnership with his Rubblebucket bandmate Kalmia Traver, so he did what he normally does to process his thoughts: write music. Taking the advice of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ePractice Magic \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eto heart, he enrolled in his fourth silent meditation retreat in three years and began to accept the open-endedness of love. Toth wound up writing over 100 songs in that period, chronicling a path to healing from grief and addiction and learning what it means to share yourself with someone.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThat exercise opened the floodgates. Toth fell in love anew, wrote the mantra song “You And Me And Everything,” and went for a bike ride while it played on repeat in his head. The next thing he knew, his chronic anxiety melted into bittersweet melancholy and he was crying at the sight of a flock of birds flying out of a tree. If indulging the human instinct to pair bond seemed risky, then at least it came with the perspective to see life as an expansive wealth of experiences, big and small.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eYou And Me And Everything\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, his second solo album as Tōth, he dives headfirst into what it means to accept things beyond your control, especially when feeling stuck in a place of heartache and sorrow. Across these 12 songs, Tōth turns to Buddhism as refuge. The sense of calm it brings him sounds like an infinite indie rock landscape, stretching from bossa nova guitar riffs to cushioned horn swells and earnest piano runs, each one bleeding into the other naturally while maintaining an overarching sense of clarity. Mixed by Grammy-winning producer Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Cate Le Bon), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eYou And Me And Everything \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003erecalls the fluid technical prowess of Chet Baker \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eor Alice Coltrane\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, all open-ended verses with woozy improvisation and palpable heart.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eTōth divides his talent across guitar, piano, synths, trumpet, and drum machine, but arguably his biggest musical strength is his voice. With a gentle delivery, subtle rasp, and surprisingly vast range, his distinct singing style recalls that of Arthur Russell. It allows Tōth to traverse through vulnerabilities with a mix of honesty and curiosity. When he depicts the knotted tangle of falling in love, experiencing suicidal ideation, coming face-to-face with cancer, and healing through grief at the core of these songs, he does so with a ray of sunshine tucked in his pocket. Even the saddest tracks offer a reason to carry on. Perhaps it’s because of Tōth’s conversational lyrics (“Thank you for making everything totally meaningless, beautiful narcissus\/ I too am just a daffodil \/Slave to the breezes blow me to pieces till I am nothing,” he sings on “Daffadowndilly”) which create an atmosphere of camaraderie between him and the listener.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eInspired by the creative energy of friends and collaborators like Kimbra and Adrienne Lenker, Tōth gets to showcase his strengths as a singer-songwriter in new ways on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eYou And Me And Everything. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOn “Turnaround (Cocaine Song),” a recounting of one of the lowest points of his life, he fashions detailed snapshots of funerals and alcoholism into motivation for self-improvement. Later, the enormous “I Might Be” hits like an uptempo Bon Iver remix, complete with stacked vocal coos and a buoyant bass line that begs you to dance. Then there’s “Butterflies,” a bite-sized ode to chronic anxiety as the ying to joyful vibration’s yang, a sentiment he mirrors with crashing symbols and an exaggerated vocal slide. Throughout it all, Tōth never loses sight of his sense of humor. On “Guitars Are Better Than Synthesizers For Writing Through Hard Times,” he uses it to balance out an otherwise bleak moment. “My ex just broke up with the person they broke up with me for\/ Three years later and at the same time as I’m falling in love,” he sings. “The breakup album I made about her isn’t even out yet.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eYou And Me And Everything \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ewas created during a period of deep transformation and self-discovery for Tōth. He finally understood on a deeper level that in order to share yourself with someone else—with some modicum of happiness—you have to learn how to love yourself. The album sees him embrace relationships as an experiential journey in real time, even if they have the potential to result in dissolution or depression. To paraphrase “I Might Be,” if love is impossible to define, then you might as well dance together until the music stops. Tōth not only figured that out, but he brought that truth to life through song, too — and with \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eYou And Me And Everything\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, he’s inviting you to join him on that unpredictable, fulfilling ride. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Northern Spy Records","offers":[{"title":"Limited Edition Butterfly Effect LP + Digital","offer_id":44667186479327,"sku":"MLP-NS-138","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Standard Black Vinyl + Digital","offer_id":44667186512095,"sku":"LP-NS-138","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD + Digital","offer_id":44667186544863,"sku":"CD-NS-138","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"FLAC Download","offer_id":44667186577631,"sku":"","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"MP3 Download","offer_id":44667186610399,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/NS138-To_CC_84th-cover-e1612209882327.jpg?v=1703789840"},{"product_id":"death-ep","title":"Tōth - DEATH EP","description":"\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=2732091946\/size=small\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=none\/transparent=true\/\" seamless\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/tothtunes.bandcamp.com\/album\/death-ep\"\u003eDEATH EP by Tōth\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cp\u003eDEATH EP is a collection of songs written by Tōth between 2019 and 2020, when someone important in his life, a family member, was dying of a disease he himself is in recovery from—alcoholism. He spent that time trying to help them, and in the last two years of their life, he connected with them more deeply than he ever had. “Muerto” and “FKA Bluets” are more directly about the experience, whereas “What is Your Deal,” “Cockroach,” and “Hey Dude Etude” are more existentially inspired by the time. All of these songs were recorded in the same sessions as Tōth’s most recent LP, You and Me and Everything, but they felt like they constituted their own world hence, DEATH EP.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Muerto” is written from the perspective of Death or a bodiless entity pleading to someone who is still alive not to give up. “Cockroach” is a heartbreak song to a cockroach. “FKA Bluets” is a narrative song, which started out as Tōth turning the prose of an author he loves into a song, but permission to use those words was denied, so he traced the syllables and rewrote the lyrics to reflect his own life more closely. The person who this is about was complicated but loved by all. “Hey Dude Etude” is a brief, distorted, and existential self-portrait written as spoken word dialogue over music. “What is Your Deal” is a playful jam about lost connection and suicidal ideation—party time!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout this EP Tōth plays with the contrast between dark and light—sadness with a sense of humor and upbeat music. There is no question that life is difficult, even brutal at times, and Tōth believes it’s helpful to meet that with an acceptance and a lightness even. Recounting a story told to him by a Buddhist monk about Carlos Castaneda, Tōth says, Castaneda was approached by a student for spiritual advice thinking he would tell them about which peyote to take in which desert and with which shaman but instead, Castaneda gave them this advice: “The most spiritually transformative thing you can do is, when you wake up, remember how you and everyone you encounter today is going to die, not in a morbid way, but just in an appreciative acknowledgment.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Northern Spy Records","offers":[{"title":"FLAC Download","offer_id":44667188707551,"sku":"","price":7.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"MP3 Download","offer_id":44667188740319,"sku":"","price":6.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/201374756596-e1646413700240.jpg?v=1703789908"},{"product_id":"toth-and-the-voice-said","title":"Tōth - And The Voice Said","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003eBrooklyn songwriter and trumpet player Tōth (Alex Toth of Rubblebucket) is on a spiritual journey that saved his life. He returns with And The Voice Said, a radiant and self-questioning record about surviving yourself, co-produced by Caroline Rose and featuring Kimbra via Northern Spy and Egghunt Records.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter years of recovery, co-founding the joyful collective Rubblebucket, and maintaining that creative partnership through a very public breakup, Toth is ready to focus his full energy on his solo work: music that's equal parts prayer and punchline, for anyone choosing to stay.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan\u003ereleases February 27, 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Egghunt Records","offers":[{"title":"Cream LP + Digital","offer_id":47580607512799,"sku":"LP-EHR-064C","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"FLAC Download","offer_id":47580607545567,"sku":null,"price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"MP3 Download","offer_id":47580607578335,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/andthevoicesaid.jpg?v=1762973976"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.northern-spy.com\/collections\/toth.oembed","provider":"Northern Spy Label Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}