Sometimes the problem with being in a band is the band itself. Collaboration can often lead to compromise and coordination can lead to lost opportunities. General Trust was born from some of these common frustrations. The pseudonym is that of multi-instrumentalist Jay Leo Phillips, who challenged himself with the task of learning a suite of new electronic equipment and enabling himself to perform live, with a full band sound, entirely solo.
Phillips musical history has been a riveting evolution; starting out with his highly acclaimed post-punk band Apollo Up!, writing and touring with both ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead and Forget Cassettes, and crafting finely tuned pop songs with The Prudish Few. Beyond those collaborative efforts, he also released a solo album (One Million, One Million, One Million) and two EP's of ambient works (DAYS, EP 2). Each endeavor pushed his style and arrangements into new territories.
Post-pandemic; Phillips felt a growing urge to play shows and connect with a live audience, while equally feeling belabored by the idea of wrangling a group of musicians to rehearse and co-ordinate availabilities for dates. Determined to empower himself to play where he wanted, when he wanted; General Trust emerged. These compositions are recorded entirely in Phillips home studio - Haus des Handschuhs II - with a rig of electronic equipment that could be portable and powerful.
General Trust's style takes the atmospheric textures from the ambient EPs, adds in a dose of his signature guitar sound and layers all of it into a dense blend of new-wave, danceable, gothic works.
