Penzias and Wilson announced the release of their debut single, “Rescue the Fly“, a cover of Empty Ensemble’s 弦楽四重奏曲其の一六番. The single is split with a remix of the original track and arrives March 26, 2021.

“Rescue the Fly” first appeared as a solo piano piece on NaSoPiAlMo 2006, an album recorded as part of National Solo Album Month. The pieces on the album were arranged for string quartet and became Empty Ensemble’s debut album. (NaSoPiAlMo 2006 is available as an exclusive for Empty Ensemble subscribers.)

Unlike the other tracks on the album, the sixth string quartet song hewed closer to pop music than classical music. So Penzias and Wilson gave it the full band treatment it deserved.

Penzias and Wilson is not a duo. In fact, it’s just another alias, as explained in the band’s bio:

What kind of music would a duo named “Penzias and Wilson” play? Not the scientists themselves, mind you. Just a pair of musicians, one named Penzias, the other Wilson.

That’s the question.

This project may not necessarily be the answer.