We Contain Multitudes
Jon Fine- Guitar
Simon Kobayashi- Bass
Orestes Morfin- Drums
New York, Tucson, London.
We Contain Multitudes is a new band featuring Jon Fine (Ex- Bitch Magnet, Vineland, Don Caballero), Orestes Morfin (Ex-Bitch Magnet, Bored Spies, God Rifle, Walt Mink) and Simon Kobayashi (Smallgang, Hurtling, Splintered Man).
Their debut album- "Minako" will be released spring/summer 2025
We Contain Multitudes is an instrumental trio that formed in 2017, which means it’s taken a very long time for them to, you know, actually release a record. But Jon lives in New York, Orestes lives in Tucson, and Simon lives in London. Also there was this whole Covid thing, which made getting together in the same room to play music rather complex for a while.
Anyway. Their debut record, Minako, which was recorded by Abe Seiferth and produced by Seiferth and the band, will be released in early summer 2025 by Expert Work Records.
Jon and Orestes first played in a band so long ago that we’d really rather not discuss it. OK, fine, you win, it was 1987, back when Orestes joined Bitch Magnet. Bitch Magnet became a signal American underground band of its era, put out three records, and toured the US and Europe. Its records were reissued in 2011 by Temporary Residence, and the band reunited for tours of the US, Europe, and Asia—including an appearance at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival— in 2011 and 2012.
Jon and Orestes met Simon when Simon’s band smallgang opened for Bitch Magnet in London during said reunion tour. When Jon and Orestes decided to start a new band, they immediately thought of Simon for bass, largely because, based on that one show, they immediately understood that he is a substantially better guitarist than Jon.
Simon also plays in the UK-based Hurtling. Jon was in Vineland, and was a touring guitarist for Don Caballero for a bit. Orestes was in Walt Mink, Godrifle, and Bored Spies. Also, Spin once named Orestes as the 51st-greatest drummer in alternative music, which—really—was far too low.
Jon is also the author of the punk rock memoir Your Band Sucks (Penguin), which won critical acclaim in outlets ranging from The New York Times to Men’s Journal to the Boston Globe to The Atlantic to the Philippine Star. Your Band Sucks concludes with Jon deciding to retire from music at the conclusion of Bitch Magnet’s reunion tours, and to not pursue a project he’d been discussing with Orestes.
(Jon changed his mind.)
We Contain Multitudes is heavy and intricate. At times, their music goes much deeper into psychedelic, repetitive, and minimal/maximalist realms than anything these guys’ prior bands have done. Recommended if you like: Pelican, Russian Circles, This Will Destroy You, Explosions in the Sky, Isis, Neurosis, Sumac, King Crimson, Mouth of the Architect, Amenra, Red Sparowes, Cult of Luna, The Fucking Champs, Steely Dan, Caspar Brotzmann Massaker, and Gone and instrumental Black Flag.