Diamond Watch Wrists emerged in 2009 as an experimental psychedelic partnership linking producer Guillermo Scott Herren, widely recognized through his Prefuse 73 identity, with drummer Zach Hill from Hella; their first album, Ice Capped at Both Ends, appeared that year on Warp Records. Herren achieved underground recognition after the strong critical reception of his Prefuse 73 debut, the glitch landmark Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives from 2001, and he continues to issue material under multiple aliases that sometimes involve other artists, including Savath & Savalas, Piano Overlord, and Delarosa & Asora alongside his primary Prefuse 73 work. Hill, a self-taught player whose approach defies convention, likewise thrives on joint ventures; although his role in Hella remains his most visible platform, his contributions surface on releases by Marnie Stern, Crime in Choir, Flössin, and Good Moon, among numerous additional acts, while his own first solo outing, Astrological Straits, arrived in 2008 via Ipecac Records. Within the broader catalog of projects involving both musicians, Diamond Watch Wrists stands out for its psychedelic orientation, most evident in Herren’s psych-folk vocal delivery. Released as one of three albums under Herren’s direction that came out inside a single month in 2009—alongside Prefuse 73’s Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian on Warp Records and Savath & Savalas’ La Llama on Stones Throw Records—Ice Capped at Both Ends drew the mildest response of the trio, despite guest duet vocals from Warp labelmate Tyondai Braxton of Battles.
