7th Level Music

Eddie Chacon releases title track from upcoming album – “Sundown.”

Today, Eddie Chacon presents his new single/video, “Sundown,” from his forthcoming record Sundown, out March 31st via Stones Throw. The “Sundown” video, which documents the process of recording the album, was shot at 64 Sound Studios in Northeast LA by Brandon Bloom. Appearing in the video is John Carroll Kirby — who produced, co-wrote, and played keys on Sundown — as well as Logan Hone (flute and saxophones), Elizabeth Lea (trombone), Will Logan (drums), and David Leach (percussion). Following a string of previously shared singles — “Holy Hell,” “Step By Step” and “Comes And Goes” — “Sundown” is a song about “being humbled by how little time we have on this earth.” Only now, Chacon says, at his age (59) does he have the life experience and quiet confidence to sing about such a subject.

WATCH EDDIE CHACON’S “SUNDOWN” VIDEO

As one half of the duo Charles & Eddie, whose hit single “Would I Lie To You” was a chart-topper heard around the world, Eddie was a bona fide pop star. He deserted the music business following the band’s stratospheric success. Meeting John Carroll Kirby in 2019 was the catalyst for Eddie’s return to music, and together they made 2020’s Pleasure, Joy and Happiness. The album was intended as a swan song, but eddie felt reinvigorated by its word-of-mouth success. He says, “Sundown is the follow-up I never thought I would get to make.”

This month, Eddie Chacon heads out to Australia and New Zealand, followed by a headline show with John Carroll Kirby at Los Angeles’ Lodge Room and a series of shows in the UK and Europe. Full dates are listed below.

PRE-ORDER SUNDOWN

WATCH THE “HOLY HELL” VIDEO
WATCH THE “COMES AND GOES” VIDEO
WATCH THE “STEP BY STEP” VIDEO

EDDIE CHACON TOUR DATES
Sat. Mar. 18 – Auckland, NZ @ Beacon Festival *
Sat. Mar. 25 – Melbourne, AU @ Collingwood Yards *
Wed. Mar. 29 – Melbourne, AU @ Music Room (DJ Set)
Fri. Mar. 31 – Melbourne, AU @ The Night Cat (LP Launch) *
Sat. Apr. 1 – Sydney, AU @ The Ace Hotel *
Tue. Apr. 4 – Sydney, AU @ Phoenix Park *
Fri. Apr. 7 – Bali, ID @ Potato Head Beach Club *
Wed. Apr. 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room *
Tue. May 16 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
Wed. May 17 – London, UK @ KOKO
Thu. May 18 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
Sun. May 21 – Berlin, DE @ Frannz
Thu. May 25 – Dublin, IE @ Sugar Club
Sun. May 28 – London, UK @ Gala Festival *

* w/ John Carroll Kirby

Keep your mind open.

[Subscribe before sundown.]

[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Ratboys send us a new single from “Black Earth, WI.”

Today, Chicago-based band Ratboys return with “Black Earth, WI,” a new single/video out today via Topshelf Records. This is their first new piece of music since 2021’s Happy Birthday, Ratboy and 2020’s beloved Printer’s Devil. Clocking in at eight-and-a-half minutes, “Black Earth, WI” is their most expansive and adventurous track to date. It opens with a country-tinged sound, and as the instrumentation swells, so does Julia Steiner’s voice: “Singin’ hey now // What was that sound // Lighting a match // Just to freak you out // Then on the other side // I saw fifty yellow lines // Pushing up against the window // And with one almighty lightning strike // The Great Lake rose up behind // Said, ‘Baby, you best turn around.’” The self-produced video is made of manipulated, found VHS storm chaser footage.

“We recorded ‘Black Earth, WI’ live off the floor in Seattle last year at the amazing Hall of Justice and it was our first time recording straight to tape,” says vocalist/guitarist Julia Steiner “We had to be conscious of how many takes we could fit onto a reel, but lucky for us, take two was the one.”

Watch Ratboy’s Video for “Black Earth, WI”

Stream “Black Earth, WI”

Ratboys is made of Julia Steiner (vocals/guitar), Dave Sagan (guitar), Marcus Nuccio (drums), and Sean Neumann (bass). The band will bring their vivacious live show to SXSW later this month. A list of all shows and confirmed showcases can be found below.

Ratboys Tour Dates
Sun. March 12 – St. Louis, MO @ Central Stage
Tue. March 14 – Austin, TX @ Cheer Up Charlie’s Indoors (High Road Touring Showcase) – 12:30AM
Wed. March 15 – Austin, TX @ Hotel San Jose (South by San Jose) – 3:00PM
Thu. March 16 – Austin, TX @ Cheer Up Charlie’s Outdoors (Topshelf Records Showcase) – 12:00AM
Fri. March 17 – Austin, TX @ The Ballroom (SmartPunk Showcase) – TBD
Thu. March 30 – Notre Dame, IN @ University of Notre Dame – Stepan Center
Sat. April 22 – Iowa City, IA @ Strauss Hall at Hancher

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jaycee at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Bodywash release “No Repair” ahead of their new album due this April.

Bodywash — the Montreal duo of Chris Steward and Rosie Long Decter — present their new single/video, “No Repair,” from their forthcoming album, I Held the Shape While I Could, out April 14th on Light Organ Records. Following lead single “Massif Central” and its “infinite heights” (FLOOD), “No Repair” swells with lap steel by Micah Flavin, evoking a melancholy waltz while Long Decter’s hummed vocals drift in and out of time. “Write it in handfuls of air,” she sings on the ballad, “you were there,” insisting on both absence and presence in the end. “No Repair” features Ryan White on percussion and was mixed by Jace Lasek (The Besnard Lakes) with Harris Newman mastering the track.

Long Decter explains: “In my early 20s I found myself in a disastrous love triangle—or what Chris took to calling my ‘bizarre love oblong.’ It was a mess of bad decisions and repressed queer longing and those things you chase because you hope they will prove you are real. I found myself writing repetitively about light and air and the absence of tactility. ‘No Repair’ came from the decision to let all that go; to try to lose the shape of it. I started writing it in 2019 and finished it with Chris in 2021, letting it simmer over two years of lockdown and sitting with myself. It feels strange and sweet to be releasing it at a time when I have a new sense of ground underneath me and someone to share that feeling with. The video, filmed in my living room (and briefly in an outdoor parking lot during -30 Celsius), puts some of those themes into a different context. Loneliness after a party transforms into a dismantling of things, and rearranging them somewhere else.”

Watch Bodywash’s “No Repair” Video

Over I Held the Shape While I Could’s twelve tracks, Steward and Long Decter reflect on their separate and shared experiences of losing a sense of place, the way something once solid can slip between your fingers, and their attempts to build something new from the fallout. As they prepared to release their 2019 debut Comforter, Long Decter and Steward both experienced alienating shifts in their personal lives, leading to a mutual sense of dislocation. They began writing new material that was darker, more experimental, and at the same time more invigorating than the soothing dream pop on Comforter. The resulting I Held the Shape While I Could is a record that lives in the sonics of decay and renewal: breaks that burst forth from a squall of fuzz guitars, drones that glitch and stutter like ice willing itself to thaw.

There are many places like home, and on I Held the Shape While I Could, home is a mutable thing; a location that is fixed until it isn’t. Across the record, Steward’s abstract guitars and Long Decter’s cascading vocals act as ambient throughlines, blurring the digital and organic, gesturing toward something intangible, just out of reach. Home is a process — the back and forth of guitar riffs and vocal hums, of files sent and received across the ocean. A world imagined and sculpted together.

Alongside I Held the Shape While I Could, Bodywash will release Take Form, a 30-page booklet that expands the world of the album. Designed by Yoon Rachel Nam (Desert Bloom, Cedric Noel), Take Formfeatures the complete album lyrics alongside poems, a short story, and guitar tabs by Long Decter and Steward, as well as art by Kristina Pedersen. This 50-copy limited run creates a new resonance for the recordings.

Pre-order Take Form

Bodywash Tour Dates
Fri. Mar. 17 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas (The Nothing Song SXSW 2023 Official Showcase – 9PM)
Sat. Mar. 25 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Fest – Neurolux
Tue. Mar. 28 – Portland, OR @ No Fun Bar *
Wed. Mar. 29 – Tacoma, WA @ Spanish Ballroom *
Fri. Mar. 31 – Seattle, WA @ Homegrown in the Basement *
Sat. Apr. 1 – Vancouver, BC @ 604 Studios *
Sun. Apr. 9 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
Mon. Apr. 10 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Wed. Apr. 12 – Toronto, ON @ Baby G +
Thu. Apr. 13 – Ottawa, ON @ Live on Elgin
Sat. Apr. 15 – Montreal, QC @ La Sotterenea +
Mon. Apr. 17 – Boston, MA @ O’Brien’s
Tue. Apr. 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fire
Fri. Apr. 21 – Manhattan, NY @ Berlin

* w/ Vox Rea
+ w/ Tallies

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Nuovo Testamento release new album, “Love Lines,” and tour dates.

Press Photo By Yvette Aispuro & Silvia Polmonari

Los Angeles / Bologna based trio, Nuovo Testamento, has taken over dance floors with their uniquely dark Italo disco-flavored pop hits in just a few years. Following the release of the coldwave cult hit Exposure EP back in 2019 (Avant! Records), their acclaimed full-length New Earth exploded onto the scene with its graceful 1980s-influenced club elements, contagious rhythms and a powerful punch of synth-pop. The release was widely considered across genres to be one of 2021’s best underground albums of the year.

Today they return with the release of their highly anticipated second LP, Love Lines, on which Nuovo Testamento continue to explore the light, the dark and exultant personal power in what will undoubtedly become an instant dance classic.

Love Lines is an album about proof of life and the joy of survival. Vibrant with Italo disco and Hi-NRG celebration, the record invokes a sense of motion in an often stagnant time and place. Inside the eight new tracks, rich synthesizers and driving percussion testify to the need for movement, connection and autonomy.

Produced by sound engineer Maurizio Baggio (Boy Harsher, The Soft Moon)with vocal recording by Riki, Love Lines is reminiscent of the work of Shep Pettibone, Chris Barbosa and serves as a reminder of the power of pop music.

Nuovo Testamento includes members of hardcore and dark punk royalty Tørsö, Horror Vacui, Crimson Scarlet and touring members of Sheer Mag. In May the trio hit the road on an extensive North American tour supporting Molchat Doma; see below for a full list of dates.

Love Lines is out today via Discoteca Italia – purchase here.

Nuovo Testamento Live Dates:

Mar 24: San Diego, CA – The Whistle Stop
Mar 26: Ft Collins, CO – The Coast
Mar 29: Milwaukee WI – X-Ray Arcade
Mar 30: Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater ~
Mar 31: Detroit, MI – St Andrews Hall ~
Apr 01: Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Hall ~
Apr 02: Montreal, QC – M Telus ~
Apr 04: Boston, MA – Roadrunner ~
Apr 06: Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer ~
Apr 07: New York, NY – Terminal 5 ~
Apr 08: Washington, DC – 9:30 Club ~
Apr 12: Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel ~
Apr 13: Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse ~
Apr 14: Orlando, FL – Plaza Live ~
Apr 15: Saint Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live ~
Apr 16: Ft Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room ~
Apr 19: Louisville, KY – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall ~
Apr 20: Nashville, TN – Eastside Bowl ~
Apr 21: St Louis, MO – The Factory ~
Apr 22: Kansas City, MO – The Truman ~
Apr 23: Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre ~
Apr 25: New Orleans, LA – House of Blues ~
Apr 26: Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center ~
Apr 27: San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theater ~
Apr 28: Austin, TX – Stubb’s Amphitheater ~
Apr 29: Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom ~
May 01: El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace ~
May 02: Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre ~
May 04: Denver, CO – Ogden Theater ~
May 06: Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot ~
May 09: Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Concert House ~
May 11: Vancouver, BC – Harbour Event Centre ~
May 12: Seattle, WA – Showbox Sodo ~
May 13: Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom ~
May 16: Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst ~
May 17: San Francisco, CA – The Warfield ~
May 18: Los Angeles, CA – TBA ~
May 19: Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren ~

~ w/ Molchat Doma

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Bailey at Another Side.]

Mandy, Indiana release first single, “Pinking Shears,” from their debut full-length album.

Mandy, Indiana “excel at making an impression” (FADER). Today, the Manchester-bred quartet announce their debut album, i’ve seen a way, out May 19th on Fire Talk Records. Recorded in caves, crypts and shopping malls, i’ve seen a way is everything at once: an exquisitely rendered debut, expertly twisting genre to channel the chaos of everyday life. Mandy, Indiana draw on a broad sonic palette of experimental noise and industrial electronics, with frontwoman Valentine Caulfield’s lyrics of fury and fairytales completing the band’s soundworld.

Lead single “Pinking Shears” is all rude swagger and rhythms that strut on metal legs, with Caulfield expressing (in her native French) frustration at the state of the world. She runs through the myriad of inequalities, everyday aggressions, and grievances that plague our existence in late stage capitalism.

Mandy, Indiana thrive in the unexpected, and their live sets have become a vehicle to explore the boundaries of tension and release. The accompanying “Pinking Shears” video, recorded in Manchester, captures their thrilling live performance. The band will make their long-awaited US live debut at SXSW.

Watch Mandy, Indiana’s “Pinking Shears” Video

Mandy, Indiana’s music is made from their place within the world, having formed out of the fertile Manchester scene and arriving fully-realized. The group initially came to fruition after Caulfield and guitarist/producer Scott Fair met sharing a bill with their former projects. Joined by Simon Catling (synth) and Alex Macdougall (drums), Mandy, Indiana have generated a sound that is once chaotic and precisely tuned. The “Berghain-ready” (them) early single “Injury Detail” was released to a wealth of critical praise from the likes of FADER (deeming the track a “Song You Need”), Stereogum (previously naming Mandy one of 2021’s “Best New Bands”) and Pitchfork, who hailed: “Mandy, Indiana have mastered the sound of mechanized violence.”

Their first recordings emerged around 2019, with a smattering of early singles released not long after, culminating in 2021’s acclaimed “…” EP, released via Fire Talk, which saw the band draw early cosigns including a Daniel Avery remix and support slots from Squid and Gilla Band. The latter’s Daniel Fox mixed several of the tracks on i’ve seen a way, alongside Robin Stewart of Giant Swan. Produced by the band’s own Fair, the album was mastered by indie stalwart Heba Kadry.

Unlikely off-site recording locations with novel acoustics were crucial to achieving i’ve seen a way’s unique sound, from recording screaming vocals in a Bristol mall to live drums in a West Country cave — the latter’s session cut short by literal spelunkers. Other sessions happened in Gothic crypts, where Mandy, Indiana’s physical bass frequencies and experiments with volume competed with underground roadworks in upsetting a yoga class above. i’ve seen a way is a manifesto for these moments of openness and disruption.

i’ve seen a way manipulates chance recording operations into percussive geometries, one where gnarled guitars sit in thickets of distortion and vocals spin knots of lyrical repetitions. Fair explains, “We wanted to alter textures, create clashes, and craft those moments when what you’re expecting to happen never comes.”

Pre-order i’ve seen a way

i’ve seen a way Tracklist
1. Love Theme (4K VHS)
2. Drag [Crashed]
3. Pinking Shears
4. Injury Detail
5. Mosaick
6. The Driving Rain (18)
7. 2 Stripe
8. Iron Maiden
9. Peach Fuzz
10. (ノ>ω<)ノ :。・:*:・゚’★,。・:*:♪・゚’☆ (Crystal Aura Redux)
11. Sensitivity Training

Mandy, Indiana Tour Dates
Wed. Mar. 1 – Manchester, UK @ Soup
Wed. Mar. 15 – Sun. Mar. 19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Mon. May 22 – Utrecht, NL @ Freaky Dancing
Fri. June 16 – Mannheim, DE @ Maifeld Derby
Sat. July 8 – Trencin, SK @ Pohoda
Sat. July 22 – Standon, UK @ Standon Calling
Sat. Aug. 5 – Katowice, PL @ OFF
Fri. Oct. 27 – Manchester, UK @ The White Hotel *
Sat. Oct. 28 – Glasgow, UK @ Hug & Print *
Sun. Oct. 29 – Newcastle, UK @ Zerox *
Wed. Nov. 1 – Bristol, UK @ Dareshack *
Thu. Nov. 2 – Brighton, UK @ Green Door Store *
Fri. Nov. 3 – London, UK @ Corsica Studios *
Sat. Nov. 4 – Nottingham, UK @ Bodega *

* = Headline Show

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Sarayu – Intelligent Jump Rope Music

Hailing from Bangkok, Sarayu has brought us a cool slice of the Thailand house music scene (Yes, of course there is such a thing.) with his new EP, Intelligent Jump Rope Music.

Opening up with subtle synths that grow and grow until they become floor-filling grooves with thick bass lines on “The Bag,” the EP never lets up with dance beats designed to get you shaking in a sweaty club or a street festival. The snappy percussion of “E30 Track” will inspire pop-locking and / or kickboxing. The repetitive beats mix perfectly with the almost subliminal bass.

The title track, and a remix of it by Locked Groove, take up the second half / side of the EP. It seems to emerge from you speakers like a serpent being summoned by Buddhist monks to hunt for mice who tend to eat ancient scrolls. The percussion in the remix thumps harder and ups the glam.

It’s a sharp EP, and it looks like the trend of great house music releases continues from last year if Intelligent Jump Rope Music is any indication.

Keep your mind open.

[It would be intelligent to subscribe.]

[Thanks to Harbour Music Society.]

Rewind Review: Tinariwen – Emmaar (2014)

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been on a Tinariwen kick this month.

Emmaar is an album they released in 2014 and was recorded in a different desert than they one in which they live and sing about in Algeria. Emmaar was recorded in Joshua Tree, California in the spring of 2013. They were amid cacti, mountain flowers, horses, a different kind of heat, cowboy culture, and probably a bunch of hippy Californians. They were far from their homeland, which might’ve fueled the songs on Emmaar (The Heat on the Breeze) – as they are about the Tuareg people and their struggles and the peace of their home desert. One can’t help but wonder if Tinariwen saw Southwestern Native Americans as their own desert nomads and felt kinship with them.

After all, the opening track is “Toumast Tincha” (“The People Have Been Sold Out”), and the album’s first lyrics translate to “The ideals of the people have been sold out, my friends. Any peace imposed by force is bound to fail and give way to hatred.” Add sizzling guitars to that kind of piercing imagery and you get a powerful track. “Chaghaybou” is a song about a man who reflects the proud spirit of the Tuareg people.

“Arhegh Danagh” (“I Want to Tell”) is a great example of the “desert blues” Tinariwen play so well. It blends haunting guitar sounds and hand percussion with deep Delta blues lyrics like “Today’s love is like a mirage. The closer you get, the further away it goes. It’s been ten years since love left me, since it deserted my soul and no longer crosses my path…” I mean, Howlin’ Wolf sang stuff like that every night. “Timadrit in Sahara” (“Youth in Sahara”) is a call to action of the Tuareg kids to challenge the world. In reverse, “Imidiwan Ahi Sigdim” (“Friends, Hear me”) is a call to the band’s own generation to remember those who sacrificed before them but also to not get trapped in the past and old ways of thinking that destroyed so many.

“Tahalamot” is a beautiful song about a woman so beautiful that the singer puts on his best robes and musk and brings out his best saddle to ride to her like a nobleman. The droning bass and snappy guitar exude the man’s confidence and determination to see her again and win her heart. “Sendad Eghlalan” (“This Constant Lethargy”) is another call for the Tuareg men to snap out of being “engrossed and seduced by a world that’s forever advancing.” It’s interesting to note that women are included in this cry, as they’ve already figured out all this and are able to see through the illusions far easier than us stubborn dudes.

“Imidiwanin Ahi Tifhamam” (“Friends, Understand Me!”) is a song about love that has come and gone, but there are no regrets – only fond memories and lessons taken to heart. “Koud Edhaz Emin” (“Even if I Seem to Smile”) has the singer putting on a brave face as he watches so many of his brothers suffering from oppression, illusions they willfully embrace, and the pursuit of materialistic pleasures while they have far better things like Tuareg songs and music to enjoy. “Emajer” is delightfully playful, and the closer, “Aghregh Medin” (“I Call on Man”), a call for unity, is like a mantra.

It’s another beautiful record by Tinariwen, among their many others, and the blend of African and U.S. desert culture is a powerful incense you’ll want to float around you for a long while.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: The Rhythm Section – Gatlinburg, TN

Located in the Mountain Mall at 611 Parkway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, The Rhythm Section is one of the smallest stores in the entire mall, yet it makes the most of its size by jam-packing the shelves and bins with a lot of browse.

That’s just one wall of this place. There’s another wall full of CDs just like this. There’s also a lot of vinyl and DVDs, and an especially large collection of horror, cult, and sci-fi movies.

There’s plenty of fun stuff there, and a lot of fun gems if you take the time to dig through the shelves, crates, and boxes. I mean, who wouldn’t be tempted by stuff like this?

I snagged a CD copy of Acid King‘s Live at Roadburn album there. I probably would’ve bought a lot more (especially from those shelves of cult movie DVDs) if I’d had more time there.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Old Paint Records – Tucson, AZ

Located at 201 North Court Avenue in Tucson, Arizona, Old Paint Records is in a shopping center full of art stores, cafés, and interesting shops. It’s a small space, but they have a lot to like, especially if you’re looking for vinyl.

I love how they have a bunch of retro glow-in-the-dark posters for sale, too.

And check out that vinyl edition of “The Doll Squad” soundtrack!

There are cassettes and CDs as well, but the selection is limited. Still, it’s worth a look, as is the whole store and many other shops in the area.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Viagra Boys – The Salt Shed – Chicago, IL – Feb. 24, 2023

My friend and I arrived at Chicago’s Salt Shed (the former Morton’s Salt factory) too late to catch The Steens, mainly due to chilly weather and heavy traffic, but we made it in plenty of time to see Viagra Boys. The venue is pretty damn big, and they packed the place in a near sold-out show that lead singer Sebastian Murphy said might’ve been their biggest show in the United States.

They certainly brought the energy to back that claim, opening with a pounding version of “I Ain’t No Thief” that had beer cans and water cups flying everywhere over the large main crowd floor. Following that with “Ain’t Nice” was like pouring gasoline on a fire.

The crowd was jumping, yelling, singing and even sometimes dumbfounded as Viagra Boys ripped through old and new tracks and sometimes wandered into weird psychedelia, including a Captain Beefheart-like saxophone solo by Oscar Carls.

Other highlights included the crowd favorites “Sports” and “Troglodyte” (which had everyone chanting), the graphic deep cut “Liquids” (which Murphy admitted, on stage, is “a song about getting peed on.”), a trippy version of “Creepy Crawlers,” and a long, wild version of “Shrimp Shack” to close out the main set. It was also cool to hear “Worms” during the encore, as it’s a sharp song about impermanence but almost a relaxing tonic before “Research Chemicals” hits you in the face.

They set a high bar for bands the rest of the year. Enjoy the chaos with them if you get a chance.

Keep your mind open.

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