Evan Toth praises The Enigmatic Foe's sound and packaging in a review for Analog Planet

ALBUM REVIEW

Kind words today from the venerable Evan Toth in Analog Planet about the tunes, sound, and amazing packaging of the new Enigmatic Foe album 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯, of which you must acquire a physical copy! 2x45rpm, 160-gram, gatefold, the works! Heh, it's not Metallica’s “Black” album box, but I bet Jason Newstead would prefer unpacking this! Buy: https://bit.ly/TEF-2XLP.


Toth refers to the record as “tight, yet airy,” praising its chipper, sparkly production” and noting its masterful use of “musical juxtaposition, tension, and conflict.” As the review says, “one sure can tap their foot along to most of this record, but - listen too closely - and you might stop tapping and begin to tear up.”

Austin Town Hall is enjoying the Enigmatic Foe

SONG FEATURE

Austin Town Hall on The Enigmatic Foe:  "Throw around references like The Go-Betweens and The Church, and you can bet you’re going to catch my attention... I tend to hear this more of a blend between Britpop and late 90s college rock… and I don’t mean that negatively, as clearly I’m here enjoying the shit out of this tune."

Album out this Friday! Pre-order your copy of The Original Plan at enigmaticfoe.bandcamp.com.  

Bad Copy shares The Enigmatic Foe's sticky new single, "Ms. Fortune and Her Mate"

PREMIERE

Visit Bad Copy to stream the newest advance single, “Ms. Fortune and Her Mate,” from The Enigmatic Foe’s upcoming 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯. The site writes that this is “music that sticks,” due to Jared Colinger’s penchant for “articulating those all-too-common solitary feelings of self-doubt and inauthenticity.”

Just a few more weeks until the full LP’s July 30 release. 

V13 premieres The Enigmatic Foe's new A-side, while Ghettoblaster has the B-sides

SONG PREMIERES

V13 has the premiere of “The Suffering Art,” the newest single from The Enigmatic Foe’s expansive upcoming album The Original Plan. The site compares band mastermind Jared Colinger to Squeeze, Depeche Mode, and The Smiths, contending that the song “capably and intelligently tows that thin line between melancholy and upbeat jangly pop.”

Colinger is also pinning two non-album tracks to each single release from the record. Ghettoblaster was kind enough to post the bonus tracks included with “Suffering Art:” "Let's Be Sad" and "Crisis (Home Demo).” Check that out here.

The Original Plan is slated for a July 30 release.

Eat Sleep Breathe Music features The Enigmatic Foe's "Come and Go" as its Song of the Day

FEATURE

Thanks to Eat Sleep Breathe Music for the Song Of the Day feature on The Enigmatic Foe. The man behind the 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯 is Knoxville-based songwriter Jared Colinger, who discusses this song ("Come and Go") with his drummer Frank Lenz (Richard Swift, Pedro The Lion, Headphones) in Part Two of the first episode of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯 podcast. Check out the tune (link in bio) and then check out the chat.

Album out July 30. Sweet 2x45 gatefold vinyl on pre-order now.

The Big Takeover reviews The Original Plan by The Enigmatic Foe, due July 30 on double 45RPM vinyl

REVIEW

Many thanks to The Big Takeover for the early review of The Original Plan by The Enigmatic Foe. "It mixes leisurely, The Church-like shoegaze... with more propelling, Kitchens of Distinction / Real Estate dreampop... springy, vivacious, The Go-Betweens / The Smiths indie pop... and even jazzy and disco-fied, horn-flecked soul."

If those words don't get you to check out The Enigmatic Foe, then how about these words from me: check out The Enigmatic Foe! Go here to pick up 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯 (out July 30) on sweet, double 45RPM vinyl.

Jared Colinger of The Enigmatic Foe initiates podcast in the ramp up to The Original Plan

NEWS

The Original Plan - the new album from The Enigmatic Foe - arrives July 30! Fans of Empire Of The Sun, tahiti 80, and #starflyer59 (with whom E-Foe's Jared Colinger has worked with previously) will feel the first single. Now, Colinger is offering up some insight into his creative process via a short podcast series with his collaborators.

He explains, "In this episode, you’ll be hearing a phone conversation I had with Frank Lenz who did the drums, percussion, and background vocals on The Original Plan. We spoke about music, his gear, the songwriting process, and you get a real behind the scenes look at the production of the album."

Check it out via the link in bio, then pre-order the gorgeous gatefold 45RPM double vinyl here.

Spill premieres "The Kids Are Alright," from The Enigmatic Foe's upcoming double LP

PREMIERE


Spill Magazine just premiered “The Kids Are Alright,” the first single from Enigmatic Foe’s upcoming double LP The Original Plan (out July 30). As Spill notes, while “the album’s first single lifts its title from The Who, Jared Colinger’s original tune ‘The Kids Are Alright’ is far from a cover. In fact, the song shows off just how singular Colinger’s voice and music actually are.”

The Enigmatic Foe
The Original Plan

Needed: Jared Colinger's The Enigmatic Foe project often reminds of a melancholy Andy Partridge of XTC.

NEWS

The Enigmatic Foe is the work of Knoxville-based songwriter and musician, Jared Colinger.

The tunes on his upcoming new album The Original Plan (July 30th) often remind of a melancholy Andy Partridge of XTC, which is, frankly, a quality we all need to hear about in music more often.

Essentially, Colinger’s pop tunes are wrapped in just enough self-awareness to be relatable, and just enough sadness to land.

Back to operating The Enigmatic Foe as a solo project, Colinger is once again the Mayor of his own Simpleton (XTC!), although there are a few citizens about including Frank Lenz (Headphones, Richard Swift) on Drums and Josh Dooley (Map, Fine China) on Electric Guitar.

The Original Plan was mixed and mastered at Swift’s studio National Freedom by Chris Colbert.