Anamanaguchi’s favorite Dave Fridmann-produced albums

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Anamanaguchi by Shervin Lainez

Chiptune pioneers Anamanaguchi have been at it for about two decades, and for the first time in their career, they’re branching out from the 8-bit sounds and releasing their first rock album, Anyway, this Friday (8/8) via Polyvinyl. They wrote the album at the American Football house, which is also pictured on the album cover and featured in the music video for lead single “Darcie,” and it was produced, recorded, and mixed by Dave Fridmann, the former Mercury Rev member who’s made classic albums with The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Sleater-Kinney, and more.

In celebration of the album’s release, the band have spoken to us about some of their favorite Dave Fridmann-produced albums, ranging from some of the best-known classics that Dave worked on to some slightly lesser-known was. Check out this video to see what they had to say:

For more on the album, here’s some background via press release:

Last summer, after living across the country from each other for several years, the four members of Anamanaguchi decided to try something new. Their label Polyvinyl had rescued the famed American Football house from potential destruction, so the band took the opportunity to move in and write together. “Crazy sounds come from normal-looking houses,“ notes Berkman. “We made the decision to be physically in the same room for nearly every step, writing everything as a group instead of editing and tweaking files over the internet.”

The band brought these demos to Fridmann, whose old school approach drove the point home. Once again staying under the same roof–at Fridmann’s in western New York–they recorded Anyway straight to tape, uniting around live instruments and lyrics sung by everybody in the band. Fridmann encouraged live tracking and spontaneous performances, which were shaped by Silas’ propulsive drumming. The album’s analog sound comes in part from their search for vintage gear, including an extremely rare set of Marshall guitar cabinet speakers from the late-1960s–previously used on recordings by Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen, Nirvana, and Weezer–that give Berkman and Warnaar their distinct sound. “Every detail came from this need to do it right the first time,” Berkman notes about this significant shift for such consummate tinkerers. Adds DeVito, “This time there was no undo button, no alternate versions. The decisions had to be made before, not after.”

There’s a listening party for the album on Bandcamp today (8/7) at 4 PM ET, and Anamanaguchi are hosting a livestream event from the American Football house on Saturday (8/9) at 4 PM ET on YouTube and Twitch. The band will be performing the album in full, “interspersed with talk breaks to tell stories behind the record’s creation, their upcoming plans, and during which fans will have a chance to interact with the band directly.”

Anamanaguchi will head out on tour starting on September 4, with support coming from Sobs, Full Body 2, Shy Boys, Ovlov, and Be Your Own Pet, varying by date. That includes a NYC show on October 11 at Brooklyn Steel with Ovlov. All dates are listed below.

The latest Anyway single “Buckwild” came out yesterday and you can check out the video for that and stream the three previous singles below.

Anamanaguchi — 2025 Tour Dates
09/04 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile *
09/05 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theater *
09/06 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom *
09/09 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s *
09/10 – San Francisco, CA – August Hall *
09/12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern *
09/13 – San Diego, CA – Casbah *
09/14 – Las Vegas, NV – PORTAL – Area 15 *
09/15 – Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell %
09/17 – Phoenix, AZ – The Nile %
09/18 – El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace %
09/19 – Austin, TX – Emo’s %
09/20 – Dallas, TX – Studio at the Factory %
09/22 – Denver, CO – Summit ^
09/24 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck ^
09/25 – Chicago, IL – Metro ^
09/26 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall +
09/27 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theater +
09/29 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater ^
10/01 – Indianapolis, IN – Old National Centre ^
10/02 – Columbus, OH – Skully’s ^
10/03 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick ^
10/04 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr Smalls Theatre ^
10/06 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House &
10/07 – Montreal, QC – Le Studio TD &
10/08 – Boston, MA – Royale &
10/10 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club &
10/11 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel &
10/12 – Philadelphia, PA – Warehouse on Watts &
10/14 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle %
10/15 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel %
10/16 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Heaven) %
10/17 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues Orlando %