Merchandise

Locating details on Tampa, Florida's Merchandise remains tricky because the band's name saturates search results, yet classifying their sound presents an even greater challenge. The three members characterize their style themselves as "somewhere in the grey area of punk, noise, and pop music." Carson Cox and David Vassalotti launched the project in 2008 as a home-recording effort called the Dry County, trading off on bass, guitar, keyboard, and percussion while Patrick Brady handled bass duties throughout. Following several self-released cassettes and an EP, Katorga Works issued (Strange Songs) In the Dark in 2010 and Children of Desire in 2012. The 2013 album Totale Nite took a more experimental direction, consisting of just five extended tracks. In early 2014 the group joined the respected U.K. label 4AD for After the End, a comparatively direct pop record steeped in late-'80s college and alternative rock influences. Their next release, Corpse Wired for Sound, arrived in 2016 after sessions held partly in Rosà, Italy and partly at home in Tampa.