Nik Havert

Rewind Review: Caribou – Swim (2010)

Canadian DJ, producer, and mathematician Dan Snaith, otherwise known as Caribou, released Swim in 2010, and I’m not sure how I missed it. I actually hadn’t heard of him until he was slated to perform at the cancelled Levitation Music Festival in 2016. I had hoped to catch his set there, as I was impressed with the few songs I heard while researching him ahead of the festival, but Mother Nature had other plans.

So, I put him on a list of bands and artists whose discographies I need to explore deeper, and I finally got around to picking up a copy of this album. I don’t know why I waited two years, because Swim is excellent.

Starting with the hip and groovy “Odessa,” Snaith punctuates dance floor bass with strange bird cry-like sounds while he sings about a woman striking out on her own. “Sun” (the only lyric in the song, repeated over and over) bounces, thumps, and glistens with house beats and shining synths. The synths on “Kaili” are a bit distorted, but it works for the building tension of the song (which seems to be about another woman in Snaith’s life, this one dealing with illness and possibly approaching death).

“Found Out” is full of quirky beats and synths that sound like doors being slammed in a video game (and the jingle bells are a great touch). “Bowls” is lush with its slightly Asian bells, strings, and synths. I’m not sure if the title of “Leave House” means Snaith wanted to leave house music behind and explore other genres of electronica in 2010, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the case. He explores many avenues on Swim, so it makes sense that he constantly wants to expand his boundaries and skill set. It reminds me a bit of Alan Parsons Project tunes with Snaith’s vocal work and the synth bass.

The album mellows out with the last three tracks. “Hannibal” and “Lalibela” are almost dream-house, and “Lalibela” is especially trippy with Snaith’s reverberated vocals. “Jamelia” is sci-fi lounge jazz mixed with warped house beats, almost like a space station night club is keeping the beats going while the station wobbles in orbit.

Snaith has plenty of other material out there, and Swim is intriguing enough to make me want to seek out more of his work. It might intrigue you as well.

Keep your mind open.

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Here Lies Man unleash new single, “That Much Closer to Nothing,” from upcoming album.

Here Lies Man share new single from forthcoming album You Will Know Nothing

Antibalas members “if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat”

Hear & share “That Much Closer To Nothing” (YouTube) (Bandcamp)

Los Angeles quintet Here Lies Man share a new single from their forthcoming anticipated sophomore album today via Bandcamp and YouTube. The album, You Will Know Nothing will be released June 15th via RidingEasy Records.

Back in March, the band dropped the first song, “Fighting” via YouTube.

Here Lies Man play the prestigious Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, Spain later this month before hitting the road with Earthless in June. Later in Fall, the band hits the massive Desert Daze festival in Southern California. Please see current dates below.

Here Lies Man took the music world by storm in 2017 with their self-titled debut positing the intriguing hypothesis: What if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat?

Rough Trade named Here Lies Man in their prestigious Top 10 Albums of 2017. BBC 6 & Classic Rock Magazine deemed it among the year’s best, as well as countless other press outlets singing its praises.

This June, the L.A. band comprised of Antibalas members quickly follow their auspicious debut with the even more thoroughly realized album You Will Know Nothing. Its 11 tracks expand upon the band’s exploration of heavy riff-based rock and psych within the ancient rhythmic formula of the clave.

“We’re very conscious of how the rhythms service the riffs,” explains founder and vocalist/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Marcos Garcia (who also plays guitar in Antibalas) of the band’s sound. “Tony Iommi‘s (Black Sabbath) innovation was to make the riff the organizing principle of a song. We are taking that same approach but employing a different organizing principle: For Iommi it was the blues, for us it comes directly from Africa.”

Sonically, on You Will Know Nothing the dynamic range is thicker, crisper and more powerful. It glistens as much as it blasts. The songs are even catchier, more anthemic, and the production reflects that of a band truly come into its own. Lyrically, it’s an equally more conceptualized effort that reflects upon states of being and consciousness – a driving force that carries throughout the words and moods of all of the band’s releases, interconnected to their trancelike music. Here Lies Man have honed their sound and their focus, and soon, you will truly know Nothing.

“We wanted to go deeper with the sonic experience,” says Garcia. “Even though it sounds more hi-fi than the first record, it was important that it didn’t sound too polished.”

While You Will Know Nothing certainly maintains its gritty grooves, there’s an interesting conceptual mathematics to the entire proceedings. “There are interludes between each song that are 2/3 to 3/4 of the tempo of the previous song,” Garcia says. “The reason it breaks down to 2 over 3 or 3 over 4 is that everything in the music rhythmically corresponds to a set of mathematical algorithms known as the clave. The clave is an ancient organizing rhythmic principle developed in Africa.”

“We dove deep into the texture of the music, beyond the groove and the riff,” says HLM cofounder and drummer Geoff Mann (former Antibalas drummer and son of jazz musician Herbie Mann.) “Although something might sound like one instrument, there are subtle layers shifting through. It’s definitely a headphone album.”

Garcia and Mann recorded the album much like they did the debut, at their own L.A. studio on a Tascam 388 8-track tape machine. Congas were later recorded by percussionists Richard Panta and Reinaldo DeJesus. Then, Garcia went to NY to record interludes with former Antibalas keyboardist Victor Axelrod. Mixing took the most time in order to find the proper sonic space for each layer of musical detail, with first album engineer Jeremy Page mixing the drums and the band tackling the remainder while also juggling a hectic touring schedule.

Here Lies Man has already spent much of early 2018 on tour, with dates supporting Antibalas and Fu Manchu as well as a headlining trek through the EU & UK. Many summer festival dates and headline tours await later in the year as Here Lies Man continues its infectious charge onward.

You Will Know Nothing will be available on LP, CD and download on June 15th, 2018 via RidingEasy Records.

HERE LIES MAN LIVE 2018:

05/22 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

05/23 Visalia, CA @ Cellar Door

05/27 Palm Springs, CA @ Ace Hotel

05/31 Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival

06/05 Asheville, NC @ Mothlight *

06/06 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade *

06/07 Spartansburg, SC @ Ground Zero *

06/08 Orlando, FL @ Wills Pub *

06/09 Tallahassee, FL @ The Wilbury *

06/10 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon *

06/12 Houston, TX @ White Oak Upstairs *

06/13 Austin, TX @ Barracuda *

06/14 Ft Worth, TX @ Ridgela Room *

06/15 Memphis, TN @ Growlers *

06/26 Seattle, WA @ Nectar Lounge

06/27 Bellingham, WA @ The Shakedown

06/28 Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret

06/29 Portland, OR @ Star Theater

06/30 Grant’s Pass, OR @ The Haul

07/01 Chico, CA @ Naked Lounge

07/02 San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel

07/05 Los Angeles, CA @ Resident DTLA

08/24 Hudson Valley, NY @ Huichica Festival

08/31 Los Angeles, CA @ Levitt Pavillion (MacArthur Park)

10/12-14 Lake Perris, CA @ Desert Daze 2018

* w/ Earthless

Artist: Here Lies Man

Album: You Will Know Nothing
Label: RidingEasy Records

Release Date: June 15th, 2018

01. Animal Noises
02. Summon Fire
03. Blindness
04. That Much Closer
05. Hell (Wooly Tail)
06. Voices At The Window

07. Taking the Blame

08. Fighting
09. Floating On Water

10. Memory Games

11. You Ought To Know

On The Web:

hereliesman.com

facebook.com/hereliesman

hereliesman.bandcamp.com

ridingeasyrecs.com

Keep your mind open.

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Ric Wilson releases new single from “Banba” EP due May 18th.

Ric Wilson Shares “Sinner” (feat. Kweku Collins, Nick Kosma & Rane Raps)
https://soundcloud.com/ricwilsonisme/sinner-feat-kweku-collins-rane-raps-nick-kosma/

New EP, BANBA, Out May 18th on Innovative Leisure

(photo credit: Michael Salisbury)

“Ric Wilson Turns a Crisis of Conscious Into Charming Funk-Rap” — Pitchfork, on “Split”

“With his witty wordplay laid over soulful instrumentals, Wilson produces some of the most exciting new music to come out of Chicago.” — Chicago Tribune’s Red Eye

“If you’ve yet to experience the jubilance of Ric Wilson, jump back and get familiar with one of our favorite young guns in the game.” — Okayplayer
Chicago’s own Ric Wilson is set to release his new EP, BANBA, on May 18th via Innovative Leisure. Today, he’s pleased to share the project’s newest single, “Sinner” (feat. Kweku Collins, Nick Kosma & Rane Raps), which premiered earlier this morning via Complex.

“No one’s perfect. We’re all a shit show, trying to be better people everyday,” says Ric. “This song is about trying to get there.

Me and Kweku have been friends for years and have always been talking about doing a song together, I finally reached out and sent a track that I thought made sense. That’s usually how stuff goes in Chicago.”

A 22 year-old community activist and artist based on the Southside of Chicago, Ric got his start with the legendary YCA (Young Chicago Authors), the Chicago-based storytelling and poetry organization which helped launch the likes of Saba, Jamila Woods, Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Mick Jenkins, Noname, and many others. BANBA is Wilson’s first release since 2017’s acclaimed Negrow Disco EP (stream here).

For those in the Chicago area, Ric will celebrate BANBA with a special EP release show at Lincoln Hall on Sat. June 2nd. Tickets are on-sale now.

Listen to “Sinner” (feat. Kweku Collins, Nick Kosma & Rane Raps) —
https://soundcloud.com/ricwilsonisme/sinner-feat-kweku-collins-rane-raps-nick-kosma/

Listen to “Split” (feat. Sen Morimoto) —
https://soundcloud.com/ricwilsonisme/split-feat-sen-morimoto-prod-hirsh-2/s-FcagV

Pre-order BANBA —
http://smarturl.it/ricwilson_BANBA

Keep your mind open.

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

Levitation Music Festival Recap – Day Four: Old friends, new friends, old habits, new stains

We started the fourth day at the Levitation Music Festival with another tradition – the Sunday gospel brunch at Threadgill’s restaurant. It’s a pretty good deal, and the music always sound good. The band there this year was the Levites, and they were having a great time.

The first band we saw at the festival was Acid House Ragas, which consists of DJ Al Lover on synths and beats and can-we-call-him-a-friend-by-now? Rishi Dhir on sitar. They got the festival off to a nice start with meditative drone music.

We left Stubb’s to grab a bite at the Moonshine Cafe, which serves “southern comfort food.” Holy cow. That was some of the best blackened catfish I’ve had in a long time. After stuffing our bellies, we returned to Stubb’s in time to almost bump into Christian Bland of the Black Angels and Christian Bland and the Revelators. This was the fifth time I’ve met him, and I thanked him again for the festival. He and his bandmates help curate it, and I told him it was our fourth year there and we already had tickets for Levitation France in the fall. He thanked me and was excited to hear we were going to the fall festival. He’s always in a good mood whenever I bump into him.

We caught most of the set from the Brian Jonestown Massacre. My wife flipped out when she realized band member Joel Gion was “the tambourine guy from Gilmore Girls.” They put on a set to an always appreciative crowd, and frontman Anton Newcombe encouraged all of us to quit using pesticides in order to save bees. We also met up with James from Ancient River and his wife, Nakia, while there. We hadn’t seen them since 2014, and I hadn’t seen James since 2015 when he and his bandmate, Alex, played a gig in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. It was great to catch up with them and meet friends of theirs from England who were also at the show.

Mr. Newcombe later walked through the crowd during the Black Angels‘ set, shaking hands with yours truly and many other fans. The woman behind me gave him a big hug and her boyfriend also shook hands with him. It made that woman’s night. They talked about it for another ten minutes at least.

The Black Angels, as always, put on a great set. They started with “Young Men Dead,” their usual closer, and kept tearing it up from there. Lead guitarist Christian Bland shredded more than usual, and drummer Stephanie Bailey was once again an unstoppable beast.

We headed to Barracuda to catch synth-punks POW!. Unfortunately, we missed most of their set, but what we did hear was a fun and raucous. Their weird cover of the Addams Family theme was a nice treat.

Following them were Oh Sees, who I’ve been wanting to catch for years. James told me he’d seen them perform the previous night and said it was an impressive, high energy set. Sure enough, all the hype you’ve heard is true. A mosh pit broke out within the first four bars and I was soon in it. Various drinks were flying, people were crowd surfing, and my shoes were a stained, dirty mess by the end of it. It was a great way to end the festival on a high note and leave us with enough energy and hunger to grab a late night pizza slice on the way back to our car.

It was a nice return for Levitation Austin. The town, and the festival, needed a good comeback. Multiple people at the festival agreed with me that the vibe there is always good. You don’t see or meet a lot of jackasses at this festival, which is always a plus (but, good grief, why are people still smoking cigarettes in 2018, and especially in the middle of a crowd?).

See you in France this fall?

Keep your mind open.

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Steve Davit – Off / On

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and dream warrior Steve Davit has released his first EP of solo instrumentals, Off / On, and it might be your favorite new acid jazz record.

Beginning with the so-funky-you-can-barely-stand-it “Forward,” the album instantly makes you feel like you’re in a re-creation of a 1930’s jazz club on a space station in the next century. “Coniferous” starts with a ping-pong beat before Davit’s baritone saxophone and new wave synths add layers of intrigue.

I know Steve Davit and I have a mutual love for Morphine, and I can’t help but think Dana Colley’s saxophone work inspired some of Davit’s on “Philly Sophia” – which hits you like an expert boxing combination (set-up…delivery). “Wanna Dance” is smooth jazz mixed with quirky beats that almost make it sound like it’s moving forward and backward in time. The closer, “Night Song,” has synth-vibes and is perfect for walking out of a dive bar at 3am in hopes of finding a late night pizza slice and someone to cook brunch for in a few hours. It feel melancholy at first, but ends up being sweetly hopeful.

Davit’s currently on tour with Marian Hill, and he told me during my interview with him that he’ll have copies of Off / On for sale at shows. Grab a copy there or through his website. You need his grooves more than you probably realize.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Music Festival Recap: Day Three – Shoegaze, synths, and psychedelia

The third day of Austin’s Levitation Music Festival was off to a good start when we bumped into Rishi Dhir of Elephant Stone and MIEN at a vegetarian breakfast cafe and then the Men at the same place. Mr. Dhir remembered seeing us at a small show in Pittsburgh and told us he and the other chaps in MIEN were a bit nervous about performing their first live show at Stubb’s BBQ that night. We told him we were sure they’d rock it. I also told Nick from the Men that they reminded me of the MC5, and he was a bit blown away by the compliment.

MIEN did indeed rock their first live show. We heard their soundcheck while dining at Stubb’s (Where, by the way, the best deal is the all-you-can-eat menu.) and we again saw Mr. Dhir not long before their set. We told him they sounded great, and they did during the full set. They played nearly their entire debut album and their nervous energy only seemed to benefit the set.

Local synth heroes (and Stranger Things score creators) SURVIVE were up next and put on a deep, creepy set that was longer than they expected. They kept thinking they were out of time, but they still had enough to play three more songs before they really were done. It was funny to see them look offstage and ask, learn they had plenty more time, and then grin as they tried to figure out what to play next.

Finishing up the night at Stubb’s were shoegaze legends Slowdive. I was late to their party, but got on board with their self-titled return album after nearly twenty years of no new music. There was a good-sized crowd there by this point and people went crazy for them. Many professed their love for singer / keyboardist / guitarist Rachel Goswell, who seemed humbled by all the love.

They nearly leveled the place with reverb, fuzz, and dreamy rock. My wife wasn’t sure to make of it. She later told me it nearly put her to sleep, which I suppose is one of the goals of such ethereal music.

We then moved over to the Empire Garage to hopefully catch the last half of No Joy‘s set, but alas they had finished by the time we got there. Dan Deacon already had a big crowd and was spinning up a wild dance party despite his laptop computer giving him fits and a vocal distortion pedal breaking. He had the audience building a tunnel with their arms above their heads and dance through it until his laptop computer crashed.

We left a bit early, and I later read on Twitter than Deacon smashed his laptop by the end of the show after it crashed yet again.

Up next, my wife freaks out upon seeing Joel Gion on stage, Rishi Dhir returns, and I get Red Bull dumped on me.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Bombay the Hard Way – Guns, Cars & Sitars (1998)

I’ve been looking for Bombay the Hardway – Guns, Cars & Sitars for years. Lo and behold, I found it at Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas during my recent trip there, and in a used CD bin to boot. It’s a collection of “brownsploitation” music from 1970’s Bollywood action and crime films composed (often quickly and with all sorts of studio hiccups) by legendary Bollywood film music brothers Kalyanji and Anandji Shah and edited by Dan the Automator, who convinced Anandji to release these tracks from his vault. The result is a stunning, ultra-cool mix of funky jams, lounge music, and make-out tracks you need to hear.

“Bombay 405 Miles” opens the album with a nice sitar gliss and then turns into intense music suitable for a stakeout or sneaking into a palace to commit a jewel heist. “The Good, the Bad and the Chutney” brings in, no surprise, spaghetti western guitar touches to up the intrigue. “My Guru” has a lovely sitar groove throughout it, and the flute loop is icing on the cake (or chutney on the naan, if you prefer).

“Ganges A Go-Go” is 1970’s psychedelic garage rock filtered through a hookah, and it’s a crime if “The Great Gambler” wasn’t the opening song for a movie of the same name. It immediately throws you into a world of high stakes dice rolls, sexy people, exotic cars, and nefarious schemes. “Professor Pyarelal” is, by contrast, a lounge groove with between the sheets beats and sizzling synths. “Fists of Curry” doesn’t hit as hard as you’d expect with such a title, but it is slicker than Bruce Lee’s footwork.

The squeaky guitar and table-infused rhythms of “Punjabis, Pimps & Players” are a great combination, and you can just imagine “Inspector Jay from Delhi” going after them in his muscle car (with a case of $50,000 in the trunk) while his bad-ass, bass heavy theme song plays from its speakers. “Satchidananda” could be a love theme, or it could be the music for a leisurely journey on a Bond villain’s yacht. “Theme from Don” lets you know that Don is a bad cat who will probably punch your lights out as soon and then kiss your girl if you cross him, so don’t. The underlying synths on it convey menace, and those tabla drums and sitar riffs convey street smarts beyond belief.

“Fear of a Brown Planet” (a nice play on Public Enemy‘s record Fear of a Black Planet) has hints of John Barry’s James Bond theme in it, but it adds psychedelic spice to the mix. “Uptown Bollywood Nights” has fierce drumming and those tinny, weird, great synths you only seem to hear in bhangra and Bollywood music. The beats on “Kundans Hideout” are even wilder, as are the crazy vocal sounds (chants, whistles, and possibly a woman nearing orgasm). It’s the soundtrack of escaping from a madman’s lair and rescuing your latest fling along the way. The record ends with “Swami Safari,” which, as you might have guessed, combines surf rock guitar with Bollywood beats.

This record will stay in your head for days. It always sounds great. There’s a sequel out there that was released in 2001 that I now need to find. Find them both if you can.

Keep your mind open.

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Blackwater Holylight – self-titled

Portland, Oregon is home to many things – big, foggy forests, dark coffee, gray skies, cliffs pounded by the relentless ocean, and now sludge-psych rockers Blackwater Holylight (Allison Faris – bass and vocals, Cat Hoch – drums, Laura Hopkins – guitar and vocals, Sarah McKenna – synths).

Their self-titled debut starts with the bass heavy “Willow,” which somehow mixes goth, psychedelia, and groove rock. The burst of drums and synths about thirty seconds in is exhilarating. You’re grooving with them like a 1960’s super-spy / vampire two-and-a-half minutes later. Hopkins’ guitar work on “Wave of Conscience” reminds me of early Cream, and McKenna’s synths remind me of some of Frank Zappa‘s work.

Faris’ bass takes front stage on “Babies,” and it sounds like she learned the craft from David J. of Love and Rockets. Her vocals and McKenna’s circus sideshow synths give the track a demented touch that you can’t shake out of your head. “Paranoia” starts out with appropriately intimidating reverb on Hopkins’ guitars, and they only get louder and creepier as the tune builds. Everything bursts forth when Faris’ sings, “Here comes the sunrise.” on “Sunrise.” It’s a lovely little gem in the middle of the darker previous track and the sludge metal of “Slow Hole” (which almost does sound like a sinkhole forming in the middle of a forgotten road).

Hoch’s beats are downright danceable on “Carry Her,” while Hopkins’ guitar work at first sounds like something off a mellow Cure record and then turns into a crunchy, distorted wallop. The album ends with the kinky / creepy “Jizz Witch” – a slow burning doom track that seems to be summoning up…something, but ends before whatever “it” is can emerge. Whew.

Blackwater Holylight’s debut is full of these shadowy moments. It works into the back of your mind and lingers there. It intrigues and unsettles in just the right balance, as good art often should.

Keep your mind open.

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Ty Segall announces solo acoustic tour.

Ty Segall Announces Fall Solo Acoustic Tour

Ty Segall’s Goblin Phase One North American tour is just about over. Whoa. EPIC. Now that he and the Freedom Band have knocked the rust off cages all around the country, it must be time to get alone, right? Yeah man! For a couple weeks – then the European tour. So, alone time later in June, then? Sure, for a little minute. But then it’s time for the BEST kind of alone time – a solo acoustic tour. Just Ty, the guitar – and you. Sounds intimate, huh? Well, ol’ kid can work up a storm even with only six semi-unplugged strings at his disposal. Extra excitement will be churned by Ty doing all sorts of songs he doesn’t usually play. It’s gonna be great! Acoustically speaking, we can’t wait. Ty Segall goes acoustic! Coming in October.

Stream/Download/Purchase Ty Segall’s Freedom’s Goblin –
https://lnk.to/freedomsgoblin

Ty Segall Solo Acoustic Tour Dates:
Sat. Oct. 20 – Big Sur, CA @ The Henry Miller Library
Sun. Oct. 21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
Mon. Oct. 22 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theater
Wed. Oct. 24 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
Thu. Oct. 25 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Sat. Oct. 27 – Seattle WA @ Neumos
Thu. Oct. 30 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Fri. Nov. 2 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall (in the round set up) !
Sat. Nov. 3 – Detroit, MI @ Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit !
Tue. Nov. 6 – Winooski, VT @ Higher Ground !
Wed. Nov. 7 – Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall !
Thu. Nov. 8 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom !
Fri. Nov. 9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw !
Mon. Nov. 12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Tue. Nov. 13 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 CLUB
Thu. Nov. 15 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
Fri. Nov. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West #
Sat. Nov. 17 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s #

! = with William Tyler
# = with Emmett Kelly

Ty Segall & The Freedom Band Tour Dates:
Thu. May 24 – Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom
Fri. May 25 – Neustrelitz, DE @ Immergut
Sat. May 26 – Antwerpen, BE @ Trix
Sun. May 27 – Winterthur, CH @Salzhaus
Mon. May 28 – Vevey, CH @ Rocking Chair
Tue. May 29 – Clermont Ferrand, FR @ La Cooperative de Mai
Wed. May 30 – Lillie, FR @ Aéronf
Thu. May 31 – La Rochelle, FR @ La Sirene
Sat. June 2 – Nimes, FR @ This is Not a Love Song Festival
Mon. June 4 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
Tue. June 5 – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
Wed. June 6 – Dublin, IE @ Tivoli
Fri. June 8 – Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop
Sat. June 9 – London, UK @ Forum
Sun. June 10 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
Tue. June 12 – Bergen, NO @ Landmark
Wed. June 13 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret
Thu. June 14 – Paris, FR @ Bataclan
Sat. June 16 – Athens, GD @ Gagarin 205
Fri. Oct. 12-Sun. Oct. 14 – Moreno Beach, Lake Perris, CA @ Desert Daze 2018

Keep your mind open.

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Protomartyr release new single – “Wheel of Fortune” – ahead of June 15th EP.

PROTOMARTYR ANNOUNCE NEW “CONSOLATION E.P.”
WITH KELLEY DEAL OF THE BREEDERS

EP OUT JUNE 15TH ON DOMINO,
WATCH VIDEO FOR “WHEEL OF FORTUNE”

(Illustration by Richard Phoenix)

Today Protomartyr announce a new release called “Consolation E.P.,” which they recorded in part with friend Kelley Deal and will be released June 15th via Domino Recording Co. Two of the four songs feature Deal on vocals alongside singer Joe Casey, including “Wheel of Fortune,” which receives a video today directed by Yoonha Park (who directed the band’s video for “Don’t Go To Anacita”). The EP was recorded by Deal’s R.Ring bandmate Mike Montgomery. Joe Casey and Kelley Deal had this to say of the collaboration and EP:

Early 2017 proved to be a productive time for the band. We were writing songs right up to recording Relatives In Descent and wanted to keep that momentum going right after. Making 2015’s split single “A Half Of Seven” with R. Ring was one of our favorite recording experiences, so the decision to head down to Dayton, Kentucky and spend a weekend in May recording the four songs that became the “Consolation E.P.” was an easy one. – Joe Casey

For Mike and I, working on this EP with Protomartyr was a re-kindling of the tender spark that was struck upon our first encounter with them years ago in Texas. They were graciously tolerant and receptive to my production ideas on the songs and the project quickly grew beyond our private orb. We have cello from Lori Goldston, viola from Jocelyn Hach and even bass clarinet from Evan Ziporyn, and I do some singing with Joe. There’s a lot of trust involved when an artist places their songs in your hands, and we were very mindful of that while intentionally trying to take the songs in new directions. Candyland in Dayton, KY is home-base for R.Ring recording, and it’s close enough that the Proto-men could make it down to lay the tracks down. This is the second project like this we’ve done with them, so we’re ready to flip the tables and have them produce and record some of our songs! – Kelley Deal

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “WHEEL OF FORTUNE”
http://smarturl.it/WheelOfFortuneYT

(“Consolation E.P. “album art)

“CONSOLATION E.P.” TRACKLISTING
1. Wait
2. Same Face In A Different Mirror
3. Wheel Of Fortune (feat. Kelley Deal)
4. You Win Again (feat. Kelley Deal)

PROTOMARTYR TOUR DATES
Thu. May 3 – Kortrijik, BE @ De Kreun
Fri. May 4 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
Sat. May 5 – Leicester, UK @ Handmade Festival
Sun. May 6 – Glasgow, UK @ Stag & Dagger Festival
Tue. May 8 – Hull, UK @ Fruit
Wed. May 9 – Birmingham, UK @ Mama Roux
Thu. May 10 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East – In Conversation with the Raincoats
Thu. May 10 – London, UK @ Scala
Sun. June 3 – Seattle, WA @ Upstream Music Festival
Sat. June 9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere (Brooklyn Vegan Northside Party)
Wed. June 13 – Hong Kong, HK @ MOM Livehouse
Fri. June 15 – Beijing, CN @ Yue Space
Sat. June 16 – Shanghai, CN @ YYT
Sun. June 17 – Seoul, KR @ V-Hall
Wed. June 20 – Kuala Lumpur, MY @ Live Fact
Thu. June 21 – Jakarta, ID @ Rossi Musik
Sat. June 23 – Athens, GR @ Ejekt Festival
Fri. July 6 – Modena, IT @ Arti Vive
Sat. July 7 – Chiusi, IT @ Lars Rock Fest
Sat. July 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest
Sat. Aug. 11 – Haldern, DE @ Haldern Pop Festival
Sun. Aug. 12 – Luxembourg, LU @ Rotondes
Mon. Aug. 13 – Dusseldorf, DE @ Zakk
Tue. Aug. 14 – Bremen, DE @ Tower Musikclub
Thu. Aug. 16 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
Fri. Aug. 17 – Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands Festival
Sat. Aug 18 – Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop Festival
Sun. Aug. 19 – St. Malo, FR @ La Route Du Rock
Tue. Aug. 21 – Dudingen, CH @ Bad Bonn
Wed. Aug. 22 – Zurich, CH @ Mascotte
Fri. Aug. 24 – Schorndorf, DE @ Club Manufaktur
Sat. Aug 25 – Charleville Mezieres, FR @ Cabaret Vert Festival
Sun. Aug. 26 – Ramsgate, UK @ Ramsgate Hall
Tue. Aug. 28 – Sheffield, UK @ Picture House Social
Wed. Aug. 29 – Hebden Bridge, UK @ Trades Club
Thu. Aug. 30 – Liverpool, UK @ O2 Academy 2
Fri. Aug. 31 – Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road Festival
Thu. Aug. 30 – Sun. Sep. 2 – Vlieland, NL @ Into the Great Wide Open

PRAISE FOR RELATIVES IN DESCENT

“Political, environmental, epistemological, social, familial and individual anxieties fuel the latest songs by Protomartyr, a band from Detroit that has been reclaiming the jagged, muscular dissonances of post-punk for 21st-century America.”
– The New York Times (Album of the Week)

“A slow-burn apocalypse of ennui and injustice crackles through the sensational fourth album from these Detroit post-punks.” – The Guardian (5/5 stars)

“Brooding and abrasive, the Detroit post-punk group’s new LP isn’t for the faint of heart – but beauty lies in its 12 knotty, pummeling tunes.” – Entertainment Weekly

“Over the course of four full-length albums, the Detroit-based band has produced a collection of lyrically dense, deeply philosophical (and usually very loud) songs that grapple with some of life’s thorniest questions: What does it mean to be human? What is truth? What is the nature of good and evil?” – NPR Music

“Consolation E.P.” is available to pre-order now on limited pressing yellow/white starburst vinyl via Domino, and limited pressing gold vinyl via your local independent record store.

“Consolation E.P.” Domino pre-order: http://smarturl.it/ConsolationEPMart
“Consolation E.P.” Digital pre-order: http://smarturl.it/ConsolationEPDL

Relatives In Descent Domino Mart: http://smarturl.it/RIDMart
Relatives In Descent iTunes: http://smarturl.it/RIDDownload

Protomartyr Online:
https://www.facebook.com/protomartyr
https://soundcloud.com/protomartyr
http://pitchperfectpr.com/protomartyr/
https://protomartyr.bandcamp.com/
http://www.dominorecordco.us/artists/protomartyr/

Keep your mind open.

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