The Chats come back with new single, “Struck By Lightning” – which describes how it hits you.

Photo by Luke Henery

Australian punks The Chats unleash “Struck By Lightning,” their first new tune and video of 2022. It follows their 2020 debut album, High Risk Behaviour, “an album you can blast on the highway while going 90 or one that you can watch live and get drunk and crowd-surf to” (Consequence). “Struck By Lightning” is a fast, furious, 100-second blitz from punk heaven. It shows the Queensland trio revitalized post-pandemic and toting a ripping new guitarist, Josh Hardy. Following a Chats jam session, singer/bassist Eamon Sandwith went home and wrote a song about getting struck by lightning, like how you would feel, and what would happen. “​​People can’t grow their hair back and shit,” he says. “It’s weird – especially the whole no-eyebrows thing. That would be really scary! I’m really hoping that this doesn’t happen to me, now I’ve written a song about it.

Eamon got a taste of the storm gods’ revenge in the accompanying video, directed by NAME.. It shows the band, including drummer Matt Boggis, playing in a shed, before being hit by unexpected bolts of lightning. “It’s a silly video, and I reckon I did like seven or eight takes of this stunt, where I was hoisted in the air at a fast speed, straight off my feet,” says Eamon. “That night, we were doing a show, and I had this headache. I guess the stunt work had fucked with my head, and I started throwing up while I was playing. The thing is, the crowd loved it, and they went off about me throwing up even more than they did for any song we played.” 

WATCH THE CHATS’ VIDEO FOR “STRUCK BY LIGHTNING”

The Chats took lockdown as a chance to plan their next move, which is when they enlisted Hardy after the departure of their last guitarist. “He’s been a good friend of ours for years. After our old guitarist Pricey left, me and Matt had a conversation, like, ‘If we can’t get Josh, we might just not carry on.’ Luckily, he was willing to join, and we got right into it, writing songs and stuff. We were like, this is unreal – so good!” The freshly-minted line-up broke in their new recruit via a bunch of shows in Oz between lockdowns, and duly cut “Struck By Lightning.”

Next week, The Chats will kick off their UK tour. Following, they’ll bring their live show across North America, where they will play some cities for the first time ever. Then, they’ll continue their tour in Europe. A full list of dates can be found below. 

THE CHATS TOUR DATES

Mon. Apr. 25 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
Tue. Apr. 26 – Houston, TX @ The Bronze Peacock at House of Blues
Wed. Apr. 27 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
Thu. Apr. 28 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues – Cambridge Room
Sat. Apr. 30 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
Sun. May 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
Tue. May 3 – Columbia, SC @ The Senate
Wed. May 4 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
Thu. May 5 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Fri. May 6 – Warrendale, PA @ Jergel’s Rhythm Grille
Sat. May 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Sun. May 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry @ The Fillmore – SOLD OUT
Tue. May 10 – Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Électriques
Wed. May 11 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground – SOLD OUT
Thu. May 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop – SOLD OUT
Fri. May 13 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Sat. May 14 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
Sun. May 15 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall – SOLD OUT
Tue. May 17 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
Wed. May 18 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
Fri. May 20 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre – SOLD OUT
Sun. May 22 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome to Rockville 2022
Wed. May 25 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon – SOLD OUT
Thu. May 26 – Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
Fri. May 27 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre – SOLD OUT
Mon. Jun. 27 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie
Tue. Jun. 28 – Brussels, BE @ La Botanique
Fri. Jul. 1 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter 2022
Mon. Jul. 4 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
Tue. Jul. 5 – Berlin, DE @ SO36
Wed. Jul. 6 – Hamburg, DE @ Moltow Backyard
Thu. Jul. 7 – Cologne, DE @ Gebäude
Fri. Jul. 22 – Adelaide, AU @ Adelaide Showground
Fri. Jul. 29 – Luxembourg, LU @ Rotondes
Sat. Oct. 8 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival

Keep your mind open.

[Strike the subscription box while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Flasher are set to return with a new album on June 18, 2022 and go “Sideways” on their new single.

Photo by Will Matsuda

Flasher have announced their new album, Love Is Yours, out June 17th on Domino, and a North American tour. Additionally, they share the album’s lead single/video, “Sideways.” The band’s 2018 debut, Constant Image, was a triumph – a set of songs both dizzy and explosive, balancing new-wave lushness and post-punk frenzy. Love is Yours steps up the ambition and reaches for the horizon. The record is ablaze with mood, melody, and carefully threaded hooks, finding the band foregrounding the pop sensibilities that had always been present in their previous releases. It retains the attitude that was fundamental to the band’s DIY roots, but cuts loose a touch of the angst. Though the songs process disillusionment and loss, the music evokes warmth and optimism. It is their best record and also their most generous.

WATCH FLASHER’S VIDEO FOR “SIDEWAYS”

Following the release of Constant Image and successful touring, it seemed like the Washington, DC music scene was in constant flux. Flasher was not spared a shake-up. Bassist Daniel Saperstein parted ways with the group. Guitarist Taylor Mulitz would eventually decide to relocate – first to Baltimore and then to Los Angeles, making the group bi-coastal. Working as a duo took a bit of recalibration. The songwriting process changed dramatically, but in a way that quickly began to feel energizing. “Once we had this implosion, we let go of the pretense and confines that we had pigeonholed ourselves into,” says Mulitz. “Going into this record, the vision was pretty simple: We wanted to write songs that came intuitively. We were leaning into that while consciously creating a real space of trust and openness.”

Now a duo, guitarist Mulitz  and drummer Emma Baker had to reimagine Flasher’s voice. Love is Yours was recorded in Washington, D.C. with long-time friend Owen Wuerker, who also helped flesh out the instrumentation by contributing additional bass, percussion, synths, and guitar. Rather than binding the duo to its past – to geography, old habits, or trusted sounds – the familiar environment proved liberating. Working out of Wuerker’s well appointed home-studio allowed inspiration to arrive off deadline. With no shows in sight, Flasher could relax on presenting as a “rock” band. Baker and Mulitz  shared vocal duties, tweaked tempos, structures, and dynamics accordingly. They toyed with genre, melody, and texture.

Today’s “Sideways” single and video (directed by Camille Smura) evokes the liminal stillness-in-motion feeling of a long-distance drive – attentive but adrift, relaxed but reflective – with a laid back groove that is at once motorik trance and fluid boogie. “Lyrically this song uses metaphors about driving as a means of escape/reflection,” says Mulitz. “I’ve found that a lot of self reflection and big realizations come to surface during the course of a long drive where I’m forced to sit with my own thoughts (which is where the idea for the racing video came from).”

Love Is Yours will be available on CD, LP, and digitally on June 17, 2022. The exclusive Domino Mart baby blue vinyl is housed in a gatefold jacket and available for pre-order now.
PRE-ORDER LOVE IS YOURS

FLASHER TOUR DATES
Fri. June 17 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
Sat. June 18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Mon. June 20 – Richmond, VA @ The Camel
Tue. June 21 – Raleigh, NC @ Cat’s Cradle (Backroom)
Wed. June 22 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Thu. June 23 – Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records
Fri. June 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub
Sat. June 25 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Mon. June 27 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Bag
Tue. June 28 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G
Wed. June 29 – Montreal, QC @ L’Esco
Thu. June 30 – Boston, MA @ Sonia’s
Fri. July 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie

Keep your mind open.

[Slide sideways to the subscription box!]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard climb “Magenta Mountain” on their new single.

Photo by Jason Galea

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have released “Magenta Mountain,” a new track/video from their forthcoming album, Omnium Gatherum, which will be released April 22nd via the band’s KGLW label, and is available for pre-order now. It follows the majestic lead single, “The Dripping Tap.” Some tracks on Omnium Gatherum return to the synth-psych visions of Butterfly 3000, like the neon pop of “Magenta Mountain.” King Gizz’s Ambrose Kenny-Smith elaborates on the track: “You know when you have a really weird vivid dream and it sticks with you like glue? One day I came into the studio and Stu was trying to write one of them down. He kept banging on about this paradise called Magenta Mountain that he had seen but none of us believed him. Every day since then he’s been still trying to convince us all that it’s real and one day he will.”

The band has played the track at their shows before, but this is the official studio recording release. This video, directed by John Angus Stewart, is synched to one of the band’s live performances in Melbourne. “‘Magenta Mountain’ is a new track, which can always be a tricky one to film live as people are yet to have digested the song on their own,” says Stewart. “So we decided to use the normally unseen infrastructure of a gig to guide us through the performance. Giving the audience a ‘protagonist’ for a live show, in this case the watchful and sometimes forceful eye of a security guard. The brute in hi-vis clearing a path through sweaty fans is a beautiful thing to behold.”

WATCH KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD’S VIDEO FOR “MAGENTA MOUNTAIN”

Following 2020’s KG and 2021’s LW and Butterfly 3000Omnium Gatherum was the first time King Gizzard recorded together as a band since the COVID pandemic hit, and Melbourne placed its citizens under a series of prohibitive lockdown measures. Omnium Gatherum’s sprawling 16 tracks of gonzoid prog jams, dizzying pop nuggets, rubber-legged hip-hop odysseys and passages of pure thrash-metal abandon offer plenty for Gizzard fans and neophytes alike to chew on. Typically, Gizzard albums pursue a single theme or style – for example, Infest The Rat’s Nest’s eco-themed metal barrage, or Butterfly 3000’s new age trance-pop, or Nonagon Infinity’s endless garage-prog contortions – and part of the thrill of Omnium Gatherum for the group was the opportunity of  new ideas without committing to deliver an entire album in that vein. It’s the perfect entry point for newcomers, and a solid treat for the faithful as well.

Omnium Gatherum feels like a Greatest Hits album, in its variety and the strength of the songs – only you’ve never heard any of these tracks before. It’s the sound of a group operating at their absolute peak, a group motivated by a deserved confidence that they could try their hands at anything. It’s also the sound of a group ready to return to the road after two fallow years – a handful of live shows in Australia, performed in the brief windows between lockdowns, has reawakened King Gizzard’s taste for live action.

They’ll kick off their North American tour next month. Following, they’ll play shows across Europe and then return to the states this fall. Tickets are on sale now and a list of shows can be found below.  To say that they’re “up for it” would be a dizzying exercise in understatement. 

OMNIUM GATHERUM TRACKLISTING: 1. The Dripping Tap 2. Magenta Mountain 3. Kepler-22b 4. Gaia 5. Ambergris 6. Sadie Sorceress 7. Evilest Man 8. The Garden Goblin 9. Blame It On The Weather 10. Persistence 11. The Grim Reaper 12. Presumptuous 13. Predator X 14. Red Smoke 15. Candles 16. The Funeral 

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD TOUR DATES

Fri. April 22 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Sun. April 24 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Madonna Inn $ SOLD OUT
Tue. April 26 – Sonoma, CA @ Gundlach Bundschu $ SOLD OUT
Wed. April 27 – Petaluma, CA @ Phoenix Theater  $ SOLD OUT
Thu. April 28 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club ? SOLD OUT
Sat. April 30 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
Wed. May 4 – Monterrey, MX @ Showcenter
Fri. May 6 – Mexico City, MX @ Quarry Studios
Sun. May 8 – Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, MX @ Loot/Musa
Sat. May 14 – Queretaro, MX@ Jardin Hercules
Sun. May 15 – Guadalajara, MX @ Teatro Estudio Guanamor
Fri. May 20 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre & SOLD OUT
Sat. May 21 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! Outdoor &
Sun. May 22 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre & SOLD OUT
Tue. May 24 – Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall & SOLD OUT
Wed. May 25 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground & SOLD OUT
Thu. May 26 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground &SOLD OUT
Sat. May 28 – Boston, MA @ Boston Calling Music Festival
Tue. May 31 – Athens, GR @ Gagarin 205
Wed. June 1 – Athens, GR @ Gagarin 205
Fri. June 3 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound – SOLD OUT
Sun. June 5 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera in the City SOLD OUT
Mon. June 6 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera in the City SOLD OUT
Tue. June 7 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera in the City SOLD OUT
Thu. June 9 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound – SOLD OUT
Sat. June 11 – Mannheim, DE @ Maifeld Derby Festival
Sun June 12 – HIlvarenbeek NL @ Best Kept Secret
Tue. June 14 – Berlin, DE @ Tempodrom
Fri. June 17 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Sat. June 18 – Miami, FL @ Space Park &
Sun. July 31 – Waterford, IE @ All Together Now
Tue. Aug. 2 – Šibenik, HR @ St. Michael’s Fortress √
Wed. Aug. 3 – Šibenik, HR @ St. Michael’s Fortress √
Fri. Aug. 5 – Prague, CZ @ Archa Theatre √
Sun. Aug. 7 – Vienna, AT @ Arena Wien (Open Air) √
Tue. Aug. 9 – Leipzig, DE @ Parkbühne √
Wed. Aug. 10 – Munich, DE @ Tonhalle √
Fri. Aug. 12  – Sion, CH @ Palp Festival
Sun Aug 14- Helsinki, FIN @ Flow Festival
Wed. Aug. 17 – Paredes de Coura, PT @ Paredes de Coura Festival
Fri. Aug. 19 – Gueret, FR @ Check-In Party Festival
Sat. Aug. 20 – Saint-Malo, FR @ La Route du Rock Festival
Sun. Aug. 21 – Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop
Tue. Aug. 23 – Cologne, DE @ E-Werk √
Wed. Aug. 24 – Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle √
Fri Aug 26- London, UK @ All Points East
Sat. Aug. 27 – Málaga, ES @ Canela Party
Sun. Oct. 2 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre * SOLD OUT
Tue. Oct. 4 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater* SOLD OUT
Wed. Oct. 5 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum*
Thu. Oct. 6 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre  *
Mon. Oc. 10 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre*  SOLD OUT
Tue. Oct. 11 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre*  SOLD OUT
Fri. Oct. 14 – St Paul, MN @ The Palace Theatre* SOLD OUT
Sat. Oct. 15 – Chicago, IL @ RADIUS* SOLD OUT
Sun. Oct. 16 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple*
Tue. Oct. 18 – Toronto, ON @ History* SOLD OUT
Wed. Oct. 19 – Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia*
Fri. Oct. 21 – New York, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium*
Sat. Oct. 22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall* SOLD OUT
Sun. Oct. 23 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem at The Wharf*
Mon. Oct. 24 – Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit*
Wed. Oct. 26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern*
Thu. Oct. 27 – New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theater *
Mon. Oct.  31 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion #

^ w/ Mildlife
~ w/ Mildlife, DJ Crenshaw
% w/ Amyl and the Sniffers, SPELLLING, DJ Crenshaw
!  w/ The Chats, SPELLLING, DJ Crenshaw
$ w/ SPELLLING, DJ Crenshaw
? w/ SPELLLING
& w/ Jess Cornelius
* w/ Leah Senior
# w/ The Murlocs, Leah Senior
√ w/ Grace Cummings

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rewind Review: Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1971)

I don’t know what I can write about Black Sabbath‘s classic sophomore album, Paranoid, that hasn’t already been written. It’s a metal classic, a doom classic, a rock classic, and a British classic. I think the only thing I can write about regarding the album is how, until I finally got around to listening to it in its entirety, it’s also a psychedelic classic.

I mean, the opening track, “War Pigs” (originally titled “Walpurgis” – a song about witches but later altered to reflect the horrors of the Vietnam War), is a doom anthem, of course, but the opening riff and air raid sirens are an instant mind trip. Tommy Iommi‘s solo in the middle of it is the glint in the eye of doom metal’s father, but all of his work on the track has a trippy quality to it that’s hard to define.

The title track is the start of thrash metal, and, as the story goes, came about from the band goofing around in the studio. Little did they know it would become their first mega-single. Ozzy Osbourne‘s slightly fuzzed vocals balance well with the cranked fuzz of Iommi’s guitar and Terry Butler‘s bass and Bill Ward‘s relentless, yet precise drumming.

“Planet Caravan” then does an abrupt left turn into full-blown psychedelia. Osbourne’s vocals are barely perceptible, and the whole thing sounds like it was somehow sung and played through a lava lamp. Everything about it is warped and weird. I thought, “Why isn’t this song considered one of the classics of the psych genre?” when I first heard it. Mind you, I’m sure it is, but it seems like it’s a sadly overlooked Sabbath gem.

Probably because the next track is “Iron Man,” which has been featured in everything from Marvel movies to The Simpsons by now. Everyone remembers the riffs, but how many remember the song is about an astronaut who sees the Earth’s future, returns to warn us about it, is ridiculed by humanity for doing it, and then decides to trash us for mocking him?

Iommi makes full use of his effects pedals on “Hand of Doom,” which again has heavy riffs but part of their weight comes from the psychedelic touches the band puts on it. It’s creepy, sure, but also mind-altering – especially when they get to the bridge and it almost turns into a prog-rock track. The slick “Rat Salad” continues the brain-melting effects by starting off with adder-like slithering bass from Butler that explodes into a panther pouncing on you when the whole band kicks into gear. The song does this over and over, leaving you unsettled and somehow exhilarated. The closer, “Fairies Wear Boots,” is a dig at Nazi skinheads who were coming to their shows, is chock-full of great hooks, and even has a groovy intro (known as “Jack the Stripper”) with a somewhat bonkers Ward drum solo.

I know many fog hats were worn while listening to Paranoid and many “left-handed cigarettes” were rolled on its cover. I know I shouldn’t be surprised that it’s an album that easily moves back and forth between doom and psychedelia, but yet I still am. That’s a testament to the album’s craftsmanship.

Keep your mind open.

[Get on the 7th Level Music caravan by subscribing.]

Tool release deluxe vinyl edition of “Fear Inoculum” and embark on UK an European tour.

Photo by Travis Shinn

The eagerly-awaited vinyl version of TOOL’s critically-acclaimed fifth album, Fear Inoculum, is available now (https://Tool.lnk.to/FIVinyl) via RCA Records, with the GRAMMY®-Award winning release spread over 5 LPs and paired with new, extensive artwork.

Adam Jones reconceptualized the already impressive album packaging with each of the 180g vinyl discs emblazoned with a unique etching and accompanied by an elaborate pictorial booklet including never-before-seen artwork. The limited-edition set, which also features a new cover, is housed in a hard shell box.

Quite possibly the era’s most highly-anticipated album, Fear Inoculum arrived in August of 2019. Debuting at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200, the album earned heaps of critical praise with NPR saying, “Fear Inoculum was worth the 13 year wait,” Revolver proclaiming the album “a masterpiece to be dissected for years to come” and Consequence saying the release finds “Tool in peak performance.”

TOOL recently released “Opiate2” (https://TOOL.lnk.to/Opiate2), a re-imagined and extended version of the 1992 EP’s title track and an accompanying short film available exclusively via Blu-ray only. A three-minute preview of the “Opiate2” film can be viewed here.

TOOL tour dates:

April 23 Copenhagen, DK Royal Arena

April 25 Oslo, NO Spektrum

April 26 Stockholm, SE Avicii Arena

April 28 Hamburg, DE Barclaycard Arena

April 29 Frankfurt, DE Festhalle

May 2 Manchester, UK AO Arena Manchester

May 4 Birmingham, UK Resorts World Arena

May 6 Dublin, IE 3Arena

May 9 London, UK The O2 Arena

May 10 London, UK The O2 Arena

May 12 Paris, FR AccorHotels Arena

May 13 Antwerp, BE Sportpaleis

May 15 Berlin, DE Mercedes-Benz Arena

May 17 Cologne, DE Lanxess Arena

May 19 Amsterdam, NL Ziggo Dome

May 21 Krakow, PL Tauron Arena

May 23 Prague, CZ O2 Arena

May 24 Budapest, HU SportAréna

Keep your mind open.

[Thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR.]

Dumb Numbers and Melvins combine their powers on “Broken Pipe.”

Dumb Numbers and the Melvins join forces for one of the season’s most unusual releases, a three-song single, dubbed the Broken Pipe EP (April 29, Joyful Noise Recordings), which arrives via a sawblade-shaped, limited-edition vinyl 12-inch.

The title track is streaming now (https://lnk.to/BrokenPipe).

The collection, which is not the first time the musicians have partnered together (see their 2015 JNR split series), also finds The Jesus Lizard’s David Yow lending his vocals to the track, “So-Called Solid Objects,” and longtime Melvins’ production partner, Toshi Kasai, remixing the song “Harvel.”

“I’m severely honoured to work with Buzz and Dale on this release,” says Dumb Numbers’ Adam Harding. “I actually wrote one of the songs in 1997 after seeing the Melvins play in my hometown of Geelong, Australia. I never dreamed that 20 years later I would get to record it with them.”


Pre-orders for the 1200-piece, hand-numbered release are available now (https://www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com/products/broken-pipe-ep), with the EP also available digitally.

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll be heartbroken if you don’t subscribe.]

[Thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR.]

Mac Sabbath announces massive fall U.S. tour.

MAC SABBATH will return to the road late this Fall to bring America another heaping helping of unhealthy – but irresistible – Drive-Thru Metal on the 2022 Pop-Up-Drive-Thru Tour, featuring special guests Speedealer, southern rock heavier and faster then anything this side of Motorhead and shoulders, and Lung, the electric cello and drums female duo, kicking off one heck of a party feast for the senses! A food fight to the death!

MAC SABBATH will be popping up all over the States – just like in our debut release,” says the band’s perplexing clown faced frontman Ronald Osbourne“Confusing the USA one more time!”MAC SABBATH has revealed details on their first book, Drive-Thru Metal, but don’t expect a stereotypical biography from the fast food-themed parody kings. There’s plenty of “juice” inside, albeit in the form of burgers cooking in the kitchen as the four members of MAC SABBATH take fans on a journey through a dystopian fast-food world polluted by its own waste in an innovative hybrid pop-up book.  Mysterious MAC SABBATH frontman Ronald Osbourne comments on the book, “What’s that? A pop-up book is not what you were expecting? Well SUFFER! ….and you’re welcome.”

Available via Poposition Press, Drive-Thru Metal features illustrations by Gris Grimly, well-known for his darkly whimsical children’s books and the upcoming Netflix film adaptation of his Pinocchio book,and will be available in Regular and Special Editions. Both editions are available in limited quantities, so be sure to get your copy of this piece of “Drive Thru Metal” history!  Both editions of Drive-Thru Metal include pop-up scenes highlighting “The Factory,” “The Ascension” and “Utopia” and include a special vinyl surprise with seven MAC SABBATH stories, including “Organic Funeral,” Sweet Beef” and “N.I.B.B.L.E.” The Special Edition is a super limited version complete with a foil stamped cover, a Gris Grimly art print and ketchup and mustard splattered vinyl surprise.

Drive-Thru Metal is available at https://macsabbath.bigcartel.com/

Mixing raucous comedy with borderline-horrific theatrics, the only thing more petrifying than impending health problems resulting from years of overeating is a MAC SABBATH show. MAC SABBATH puts on a theatrical, multimedia stage show – complete with a smoking grill, laser-eyed clowns, bouncing burgers and many more magical surprises… basically anything and everything an unwary show-goer could ever want in their wildest dreams. The band has been named by Buzzfeed as one of the “13 Metal Bands You Didn’t Know How to React To”, and as LA’s “Best Tribute Band” by LA Weekly.  

MAC SABBATH online: www.facebook.com/macsabbath/

https://twitter.com/macsabbath

www.instagram.com/officialmacsabbath

Tumblr: macsabbath

TikTok: @macsabbath

MAC SABBATH on tour: Tue 09/27/22 Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Wed 09/28/22 Goldfield Trading – Sacramento, CA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Fri 09/30/22 Dante’s – Portland, OR – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sat 10/01/22 El Corazón – Seattle, WA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Tue 10/04/22 Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Thu 10/06/22 WAVE – Wichita, KS – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Fri 10/07/22 Knuckleheads – Kansas City, MO – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sat 10/08/22 Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sun 10/09/22 Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Tue 10/11/22 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Wed 10/12/22 Afterlife Music Hall – Lombard, IL – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Thu 10/13/22 Red Flag St. – Louis, MO – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Fri 10/14/22 Elevation – Grand Rapids, MI – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Sat 10/15/22 Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+ Tue 10/18/22 HI-FI Indy & HI-FI Annex – Indianapolis, IN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Wed 10/19/22 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Thu 10/20/22 The Crafthouse Stage & Grill – Pittsburgh, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Fri 10/21/22 Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sat 10/22/22 The Vault Music Hall & Pub – New Bedford, MA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sun 10/23/22 Wall Street Theater – Norwalk, CT – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Wed 10/26/22 The Foundry – Philadelphia, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Thu 10/27/22 Black Cat – Washington, DC – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Fri 10/28/22 Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center – Harrisburg, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Sat 10/29/22 The Underground – Charlotte, NC – with Speedealer and Lung -All Ages Mon 10/31/22 The Grey Eagle Asheville, NC – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Tue 11/01/22 EXIT/IN – Nashville, TN – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+ Thu 11/03/22 The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Fri 11/04/22 42nd Street Tavern/Reggies – Wilmington, NC – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Sat 11/05/22 Jack Rabbits Live – Jacksonville, FL – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Sun 1/06/22 Tuffy’s Bottle Shop/Lounge/Music Box – Sanford, FL with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Wed 11/09/22 Chelsea’s Cafe – Baton Rouge, LA – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+ Thu 11/10/22 Lafayette’s Music Room – Memphis, TN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Fri 11/11/22 Come and Take It Live Austin, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Sat 11/12/22 Trees – Dallas, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Mon 11/14/22 Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+ Tue 11/15/22 RockHouse Bar & Grill – El Paso, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Wed 11/16/22 Meow Wolf – Santa Fe, NM – with Lung – 21+ Fri 11/18/22 Marquis Theater – Denver, CO – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages Sat 11/19/22 Mesa Theater – Grand Junction, CO – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Horsegirl invite us to a “World of Pots and Pans” on their new single.

Photo by Cheryl Dunn

Chicago band Horsegirl have had an electric start to 2022 beginning with the announcement of their debut album, Versions of Modern Performance, out June 3rd via Matador. The trio were dubbed the “champions of SXSW 2022” by NME, and won the Grulke Prize for Developing U.S. Act before touring the Northeast, including a sold out New York City debut at Market Hotel. Today, they continue on that trajectory with the release of new single and lyric video, “World of Pots and Pans.” Following the propulsive  “Anti-glory,” “World of Pots and Pans” has a rough, blown-out pop charm. The band elaborates: “‘​​World of Pots and Pans’ is the first love song Horsegirl has ever written—or the closest thing to it. We wrote it in Penelope’s basement while preparing to leave for our first ever tour. The lyrics, inspired by the misinterpretation of a Television Personalities lyric, imagine a (possibly unrequited) romance unfolding through references to Tall Dwarfs, Belle & Sebastian, and The Pastels.“We made the lyric video in a couple hours. The three of us had a fully formed vision of what it should look like and were able to quickly execute the real-time ‘animation’ in only two takes. It feels special to showcase our creative chemistry, and Nora was able to finally carry out her childhood dreams of making an OK Go (ish) type video.”

Watch Horsegirl’s Lyric Video for “World of Pots and Pans”

Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), and Gigi Reece (drums) – the best friends comprising Horsegirl – do everything collectively, from songwriting to trading vocal duties and swapping instruments to sound and visual art design. Reece and Cheng, college freshmen, and Lowenstein, a high school senior, learned to play—and met—through the significant network of Chicago youth arts programs. The warmth and strength of their bond crackles through every second of their debut. Horsegirl recorded Versions of Modern Performance at Chicago’s Electrical Audio with John Agnello (Kurt Vile, The Breeders, Dinosaur Jr.). One can hear elements of the ‘80s and ‘90s independent music the band love so deeply and sincerely—the scuzzy melodicism of what used to be called “college rock,” the cool, bubbly space-age sheen of the ‘90s vamps on lounge and noir; the warm, noisy roar of shoegaze; the economical hooks and rhythms of post-punk. There’s even a bit of no wave mixed in for good measure. But as Horsegirl fuse all of this together, it feels not like a pastiche or a hacky retread but something as playful and unique as its predecessors. With lyrics intentionally impressionistic and open-ended, and a sound that ranges with joy and enthusiasm across a range of styles, Versions of Modern Performance offers many pathways. Horsegirl will tour Europe and North America this summer following a special record release show in Chicago with other young, local bands on Sunday, June 5th. They will return to New York on August 10th to play the Bowery Ballroom.

Watch the “Billy” Video

Watch the “Anti-glory” Video

Pre-Order Versions of Modern Performance

Horsegirl Tour Dates
(new dates in bold)
Sun. May 29 – Allston, MA @ Boston Calling Festival
Sun. Jun. 5 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall  (RECORD RELEASE SHOW) ^
Fri. Jun. 10 – Giessen, DE @ Stadt ohne Meer
Sun. Jun. 12 – Mannheim, DE @ Maifield Derby
Thu. Jun. 16 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix Bar
Fri. Jun. 17 – Paris, FR @ Pop Up Du Label
Sun. Jun. 19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (EARLY SHOW) – SOLD OUT
Sun. Jun. 19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (LATE SHOW) – SOLD OUT
Tue. Jun. 21 – Manchester, UK @ YES (Basement)
Wed. Jun. 22 – London, UK @ Bermondsey Social Club – SOLD OUT
Sun. Jun. 26 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Bristol
Tue. Jun. 28 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn
Wed. Jun. 29 – Berlin, DE @ Monarch
Fri. Jul. 1 – Denmark, DE @ Roskilde Festival 2022
Sat. Jul. 2 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Upstairs
Fri. Jul. 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall *
Sat. Jul. 16 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
Sun. Jul. 17 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall *
Tue. Jul. 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Thu. Jul. 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon *
Fri. Jul. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo *
Sat. Jul. 23 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
Tue. Jul. 26 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line *
Wed. Jul. 27 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon *
Fri. Jul. 30 – Sat. Jul. 31 – Detroit, MI @ Mo Pop Festival
Sat. July 31 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza Music Festival
Tue. Aug. 2 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe *
Wed. Aug. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop *
Fri. Aug. 5 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground *
Sat. Aug. 6 – Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus *
Wed. Aug. 10 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *

^ w/ Lifeguard, Friko, Post Office Winter
* w/ Dummy

Keep your mind open.

[Enter a world of music by subscribing.]

[Thanks to Jaycee and Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Let’s Eat Grandma release new single and first tour dates in three years.

Photo by Phoebe Fox

Today, Let’s Eat Grandma – the duo composed of songwriters, multi-instrumentalists, and vocalists Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth – share “Levitation,” the final single from their forthcoming album Two Ribbons, out April 29th on Transgressive Records. “Levitation” is accompanied by a surreal and ethereal video directed by Noel Paul, who also worked with the band on the video for “Happy New Year.” One of the most hopeful songs on the record, “Levitation” is a glimmering and expansive track, driven by soaring synths. Walton explains, “It’s about feeling all over the place, escaping to your imagination and being in a disorientating and surreal mental state, which can be both scary and elevating somehow – everything feels more creative and things look brighter. You’re with someone you’re close to, trying to reach out and connect to them, and even though you’re both struggling, you’re able to find comfort in one another, and have an absurdly funny yet meaningful time together. You begin to see some hope in your future again after a time when you’d started to lose sight of that.” In conjunction with today’s release, Let’s Eat Grandma announce their first tour in over three years which will see them playing shows across UK and North America in support of Two Ribbons. A full list of dates can be found below. 

Watch Let’s Eat Grandma’s Video For “Levitation”

Co-produced by David Wrench and Let’s Eat Grandma, Two Ribbons is astonishing: a dazzling, heart-breaking, life-affirming and mortality-facing record that reveals the duo’s growing artistry and ability to parse intense feelings into lyrics so memorable you’d scribble them on your backpack. Following the critical acclaim for 2018’s I’m All Ears, Walton and Hollingworth began to find themselves as individuals, tastes differing here, reactions jarring there. There was a time when both felt a little trapped, and Two Ribbons treads a fine line expressing the most intimate feelings of, whilst making space for, the different perspectives of two women. It can be heard as a series of letters between the two of them, taking the place of conversations as they try to make sense of the rift in their relationships. The nature of Two Ribbons is cyclical; there is sadness, and pain, and joy, and hope – and the knowledge that no matter what detours we take, we are all connected. 

Listen to “Levitation”
Watch the “Happy New Year” Video
Watch the “Hall Of Mirrors” Video
Watch the “Two Ribbons” Video
Pre-Order Two Ribbons

Let’s Eat Grandma Tour Dates
Sat. April 30 – Edinburgh, UK @ Stag and Dagger Festival
Sun. May 1 – Glasgow, UK @ Stag and Dagger Festival
Sun. July 24 – Southwold, UK @ Latitude Festival
Thu. Oct. 6 – Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach
Fri. Oct. 7 – Manchester, UK @ Yes (Pink Room)
Sat. Oct. 8 – Leeds, UK @ Belgrrave MusicHall
Thu. Oct. 13 – Newcastle, UK @ Cluny
Fri. Oct. 14 – Nottingham, UK @ Metronome
Sat. Oct. 15 – Birmingham, UK @ Space 54
Sun. Oct. 16 – Cambridge, UK @ Mash
Tue. Oct. 18 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
Wed. Oct. 19 – London, UK @ Koko
Fri. Oct. 21 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns
Sat. Oct. 22 – Norwich, UK @ Epic
Tue. Nov. 1 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Wed. Nov. 2 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
Fri. Nov. 4 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Sat. Nov. 5 – Boston, MA @ Sinclair
Mon. Nov. 7 – Montreal, QB @ La Sala Rosa
Tue. Nov. 8 – Toronto, CA @ The Axis Club
Thu. Nov. 10 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
Fri. Nov. 11 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
Sat. Nov. 12 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Mon. Nov. 14 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Wed. Nov. 16 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Fri. Nov. 18 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Sat. Nov. 19 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Sun. Nov. 20 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Tue. Nov. 22 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Wed. Nov. 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater

Keep your mind open.

[Levitate over to the subscription box while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Alien Lizard – Lucid Dream Machine

Blending words from Phillip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Edgar Allan Poe, and other famous authors and thinkers with shoegaze, synthwave, and fuzz-rock, Alien Lizard‘s Lucid Dream Machine has a perfect name for its effect on you.

The instrumental “Terminal” starts off the album sounding like it was recorded in a steel mill owned by My Bloody Valentine. “Lotus Eaters” is eastern-tinged psychedelia with guitars that sound like bees working in the aforementioned steel mill. “Obserwacja Obserwatora” is even trippier, bringing Brian Jonestown Massacre tracks to mind as it winds around you like a sexy snake.

“Los Naranjos” loops acoustic Spanish guitar riffs around synths that remind me of fog horns. I can relate to “Sympathy for the Luddite,” as I am a bit of one, and I love the dreamy, hazy vocals. They remind me of some Love & Rockets tunes with Daniel Ash‘s vocals. “Eyes Eye the I in You” is a smoky instrumental, and “The Bird” is a slow, almost languid, track that could’ve been a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club tune in a previous life.

“Romantyczność” takes you into a strange headspace with strange, droning guitar chords, and the closing track, “Wombat 9,” takes you out of that headspace and into a dreamspace for over seven minutes- thus, the title of this album. The whole thing is like a dream that leaves you thinking about it for the rest of the day.

Keep your mind open.

[I dream that you’ll subscribe today.]

[Thanks to Alien Lizard.]