Today, the Japanese quartet and champions of NEO-Kawaii CHAI are proud to present their newest single and video, “NO MORE CAKE.” As with many of their other songs, the fun veneer is always a bit of a red herring for a deeper, more self-reflective message. The song is “a sarcastic poke about wearing make-up,” says singer MANA. “We feel like that you should wear make-up that you feel suits you. Wearing make-up shouldn’t be based on the orders of someone else.”
The video representation is explained, in part, by bassist & lyricist YUUKI. “Doing your make-up to look like another person is the same as applying cake to your face.” “We wanted the theme for this music video to be ‘make-up meets art,’” adds guitarist KANA. “That’s why at times we had our faces looking like cake and then expressed as art.” WATCH “NO MORE CAKE” VIDEO https://youtu.be/ZeiOihSnYCw
CHAI’s most recent album, PUNK was met with resounding praise, being named Best New Music by Pitchfork and receiving glowing reviews from NPR Music, Stereogum, Exclaim, and more. Following its release, the band brought their “undeniable pop energy” (NPR Music) stateside to SXSW. There, the band played several showcases to much fanfare, their vivacious sets deemed one to see by Paste, Stereogum, NPR Music, Austin Monthly, Austin American-Statesman, plus others.
PRAISE FOR CHAI AND PUNK
“PUNK leans hard into CHAI’s gift for spiky, wiry aggression, but the group never abandons its sense of playfulness and light” – NPR Music
“terrifically over the top.” – Pitchfork, Best New Music
“Their songs shapeshift, ping-ponging from one idea to the next with dizzying speed, leaving you no choice but to hang on for dear life and go along for the ride.” – Stereogum, Album Of The Week
“they’re determined to redefine your idea of ‘kawaii,’ and, in the process, there’s no way you won’t become addicted.” – Nylon
“Punk is a huge step forward for CHAI, and easily one of the best albums of the year.” – Exclaim!
“Packed with gum-snapping cheerleader attitude and space disco grooves, it’s a potent distillation of serotonin that offers countless surprises across its thirty-minute runtime.” – The FADER
“Bursting with fun, expanded musicianship, and boundless energy, this is one sophomore record that couldn’t exist more in the now.” – The 405
“Ohmme’s music feels experimental and strange yet still accessible, with an underlying gut-level rumble that keeps its songs from floating into the ether.” – NPR Music
“You might think OHMME is a mantra, but it’s in fact the place to be to hear remarkable music from a Chicago band in rare form” – Chicago Tribune
“Their harmonies teem with nervous energy while riding a sweeping rhythmic undercurrent, building up tension that occasionally explodes into fleeting moments of release.” – Stereogum
Ohmme – the Chicago-based duo of Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart – release a new single/video “Ghost,” from their forthcoming album, Fantasize Your Ghost, out June 5th via Joyful Noise Recordings. Following lead single“3 2 4 3,” “one of their darkest, thickest cuts yet” (Vulture), “Ghost” opens with sparse instrumentation, blooming with layered vocals and heavy, experimental guitar licks. Its colorful accompanying video, directed, shot, and edited by Austin Vesely, features the band and shiny, dancing ghosts.
“We’d been kicking around the idea of doing something like the Pop Musik video by M but darker,” says the band. “There’s a lot of darkness these days but it’s important to keep dancing. Austin said, ‘fancy ghosts’ and ‘can I press order on these California King satin bedsheets’ and we said ‘Yes, and YES!’”
Fantasize Your Ghost is the direct result of the band spending more time on the road than in Chicago. It’s deeply concerned with questions of the self, the future, and what home means when you’re travelling all the time. Early sketches of Fantasize Your Ghost‘s tracklist were demoed at Sam Evian‘s Flying Cloud Studios in upstate New York through intensely collaborative and open sessions. The album was recorded over a six day session in August 2019 at the Post Farm in southern Wisconsin with journeyman producer Chris Cohen.
Though 2018’s Parts showcased their wildly burgeoning influences and talents, Fantasize Your Ghost captures the astounding magnetism and ferocity of their live show. It encapsulates the thrilling and sometimes terrifying joy of moving forward even if you don’t know where you’re going. It’s an album that asks necessary questions: When life demands a crossroads, what version of yourself are you going to pursue? What part of yourself will you feed and let flourish and what do you have to let go of? This is a record of strength, of best friends believing in each other. Unapologetic and brave, Ohmme are ready to figure it all out together.
Additionally, Ohmme share rescheduled North American tour dates. Following their summer headlining tour, they’ll support Waxahatchee. A full list of dates can be found below and tickets are on sale now.
Ohmme Tour Dates Fri. June 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon – Record Release Show * Sat. June 6 – Oakland, CA @ Crystal Cavern * Sun. June 7 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Atrium at The Catalyst * Mon. June 8 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s * Tue. June 9 – Sisters, OR @ The Suttle Lodge * Thu. June 11 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge * Fri. June 12 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza * Sat. June 13 – Spokane, WA @ Lucky You (Upstairs) * Sun. June 14 – Boise, ID @ The Olympic * Mon. June 15 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project Tue. June 16 – Bolinas, CA @ Gospel Flat Farmstand * Sat. Aug. 8 – Ripon, WI @ Avrom Farm Party Sun. Sept. 27 – Austin, TX @ Scholz Garten % Mon. Sept. 28 – Houston, TX @ Satellite % Tue. Sept. 29 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West % Thu. Oct. 1 – Nashville, TN @ Exit In % Fri. Oct. 2 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom % Sun. Oct. 4 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre % Mon. Oct. 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer % Tue. Oct. 6 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere % Thu. Oct. 8 – Winooski, VT @ Monkey House Fri. Oct. 9 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre % Sat. Oct. 10 – Holyoke, MA @ Gateway City Arts % Mon. Oct. 12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater % Tue. Oct. 13 – Detroit, M @ MOCAD % Thu. Oct. 15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center % Fri. Oct. 16 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room % Sat. Oct. 17 – Maquoketa, IA @ Codfish Hollow Barn % Sun. Oct. 18 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre %
* = w/ V. V. Lightbody % = w/ Waxahatchee
Keep your mind open.
[Slide on over to the subscription box while you’re here.]
[Thanks to Pitch Perfect PR for the press release!]
Chicago’s Melkbelly have been through a lot since the release of their last album, Nothing Valley (the death of a close friend of the band, for one), but they haven’t succumbed to the pressures of stress, political theatre, or Madison Avenue. They’ve instead channeled that fidgeting anger and restless energy into an excellent new album – PITH.
The album was recorded with a lot of vintage microphones and Moog synths, as well as Melkbelly’s signature fuzz guitars and panicked drumming. Opener “THC” is about trying to make up for past wrongs with a friend, but failing at every turn. The song’s fuzz sways back and forth as James Wetzel‘s drums roll around like a grizzly bear scratching its back. Liam Winters‘ bass on “Sickengly Teeth” is as heavy as a battleship anchor. It’s a song about keeping a smile and speaking nice when you want to be cruel and lash out. Wife-husband duo Bart and Miranda Winters go guitar gonzo on the track.
The first single off the album, “LCR,” follows it, and it’s sort of a response to the previous track. Miranda Winters sings, “Her teeth were coated slick and sweetly, so thick that it was deafening. I cannot hear above the sugar, but I can watch your mouth move.” The opening riffs of “Little Bug” are straight metal and then morph into shoegaze chords. The lyrics are about someone Miranda Winters can’t get off her mind.
“Humid Heart” has Ms. Winters emerging from a hot relationship to find everyone else has left while she was enthralled with her last obsession (“Now nobody I like is left here. No one that I like’s left around.”). Wetzel’s drum fills are particularly impressive on this track. Liam Winters’ bass is the driving force of “Kissing Under Some Bats,” in which Ms. Winters trash talks people who come to shows and not pay attention to the band (among others). The track builds to a wild tidal wave of distortion and hammering beats.
“Season of the Goose” has Wetzel’s snare taking front and center as Ms. Winters sings more lyrics about heat. Heat, humidity, and arid environments are a prominent theme on PITH. Sometimes the heat is so bad that it’s choking (“Now’s the season when it hurts me to breathe. Did I burn you up?”). It’s all allegorical, of course, and we’re left thinking that the heat Melkbelly is feeling is from stress or the oppressive nature of everyone and everything having to be in our faces all the time.
The dangerous guitars of “Mr. Coda” reflect the dangerous nature of the song’s protagonist (“I showed up with a face and a set of walk-myself legs. Damn gams, can you handle this shit?”). “Stone Your Friends” slows down, but just a bit, to tell a tale of feeling uncomfortable around people who are supposed to be your friends.
“Water, water and me. Speak less, but still say a lot,” Ms. Winters sings on “Take H20.” Is she trying to tame the heat she’s been feeling throughout the whole record (and, I’m guessing, the six-month recording process of the album)? She won’t have much luck if that’s the case, because the whole song burns like a bonfire.
The closer, “Flatness,” is perhaps the most enigmatic song on the album. “I don’t have the patience to understand the shape of flatness,” Ms. Winters sings as she wanders through a field high grass and weeds early in the morning. Is she trying to wrap her head around something metaphysical, or a wide open space where a relationship used to be? It reminds me a bit of some of L7‘s slower tracks that bubble with distortion and barely suppressed power.
PITH is an impressive follow-up to Nothing Valley, and that album was already a blast furnace of Chicago garage-punk. PITH is a brick of Black Cat firecrackers thrown into that furnace.
Keep your mind open.
[Why not subscribe while you’re self-isolating? What else are you going to do?]
Chicago-based band Melkbelly will release PITH, their multidimensional and strikingly textural new album, on April 3rd via Wax Nine / Carpark Records. Today, they offer a new single/video, “Sickeningly Teeth,”which follows previously released singles “Humid Heart” and “LCR.” In conjunction, they share dates for their recently rescheduled North American tour.
“Sickeningly Teeth” is in step with Melkbelly’s unabashed loudness and is “a cough syrup induced self-reflection.” Miranda Winters’ bright vocals are delayed and hazy over raucous instrumentation and periodic tempo shifts.
The accompanying video was directed by Marty Schousboe (Joe Pera Talks With You), who also created the videos for Melkbelly’s “Bathroom at the Beach” and “Kid Kreative.” The “Sickeningly Teeth” video completes the Melkbelly Trilogy and is an obvious homage to the greatest trilogy of all time, “The Matrix”. It stars, among others, John Reynolds (Search Party), and is tastefully laden with delightful gross-outs. WATCH MELKBELLY’S VIDEO FOR “SICKENINGLY TEETH” https://youtu.be/ghumw7Ji-P4
PITH was summoned from a place of mourning following the loss of a close friend. Miranda Winters drew from diverse scenes—Grimm-like children’s stories too dark for kids; thorny, mossy forests—to create stories that feel distinctly Melkbellian: philosophically strange, strikingly textural, funny and sad and open-hearted.
Recording in two short sessions six months apart, the band worked with longtime collaborator Dave Vettraino, this time at Bloomington, Indiana’s Russian Recording. Alongside an arsenal of rock gear and airy synth layers coaxed from a Moog Prodigy, PITH’s was refined by the studio’s collection of rare Russian tube mics, which were placed in every corner to capture Melkbelly’s compelling intensity. WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “HUMID HEART” https://youtu.be/4hMYGDBE7sg
MELKBELLY TOUR DATES Sat. Aug. 15 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village Tue. Aug. 18 – Toronto, ON @ Baby G Wed. Aug. 19 – Montreal, QC @ La Vitrola Thu. Aug. 20 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theater Sun. Aug. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool Wed. Aug. 26 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong Thu. Aug. 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle Fri. Aug. 28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto
PRAISE FOR MELKBELLY
“’LCR,’ the album’s lead single, exhibits their chaotic finesse — it’s an intricately put-together tower of noise, filled with bleary moments of relief from leader Miranda Winters” – Stereogum
“‘Humid Heart’ is adrift in a mesh of interlocking bass and guitar. The chords seem to link up and split on a whim, the aural equivalent of that push-pull of normality that comes with sudden loss. It all comes to a head in the final freakout, which ends like an abrupt snap back to reality.” – Consequence of Sound
“At the helm of Why Bonnie, Blair Howerton writes glossy, synth- and string-inflected guitar-pop songs that fit a mighty, beating heart underneath all the gleaming hooks.” – NPR Music
“‘Voice Box’ is hazy and swooning, a gorgeous introduction to Why Bonnie’s new era that’s equal parts gauzy and fried.” – Stereogum
“…dreamy and immediate rock songs in the style of, say, Alvvays or TOPS, are arresting because of this constant push-pull; each track is like a Sisyphean walk towards dream-pop heaven” – The FADER
Ahead of the release of their new EP, Voice Box, out April 10th via Fat Possum, Austin-based band Why Bonnie share a new single/video, “Athlete.” Following the recently-released title track, Breeders-inspired “Athlete” endeavors self-doubt in a blistering metaphor of failed sportsmanship. Over loud, anthemic guitar and crashing percussion, frontwoman Blair Howerton sings “about the frustration of not being able to keep up with the ‘team’ and learning to laugh when you fumble.“
Its accompanying video, directed by Alex Winker, is essentially a charming, fun day for the band filmed on VHS. “‘Athlete’ is the most ‘rock and roll’ track on the EP so we wanted to make a video that embodied that, but also felt like casual, day-in-the-life footage,” says the band. “Kind of like watching a home movie that you found in a box in your parents’ attic, but instead of you as a three-year old on the soccer field, you’re a grown adult with about the same skill level.”
The Voice Box EP follows 2018’s In Water EP, which eulogized Howerton’s older brother, who passed away years prior. Follow-up Nightgown expanded the effort, pulling lush Mazzy Star and Cranberries influences. Voice Box celebrates unhindered expression through beguiling, propulsive guitar pop. Fuzzed-out guitars and crystalline vocals drive a tough-edged struggle in the space between suppression and artistic liberty. Howerton explains: “It encapsulates a disconnect between my inner and outer world, and not being able to express myself authentically because of that. But, ultimately knowing I will crash and burn if I don’t.”
Why Bonnie is the dazzling, full-band emotional release of Howerton. In a decisive step to start performing her backlogged material, Howerton moved back home to Texas after graduating college in 2015. In Austin, Howerton joined lifelong best friend Kendall Powell, who she met in preschool. Powell’s classical piano chops swapped to synth for the new project. Both active in the Austin scene, guitarist Sam Houdek and bassist Chance Williams later joined to complete the lineup. Watch the Video for “Voice Box” https://youtu.be/Ptt9ZEne38Q
Clutch announce the release of the new studio recording of the track “Willie Nelson.” The single is the sixth in a series of new studio recordings that comprise the Weathermaker Vault Series.
“Willie Nelson is a song we wrote close to 20 years ago,” says Neil Fallon. “It started making appearances in our sets recently, so we figured now was a good time to re-record it. This time around Shawna Potter (War On Women) added back up vocals and is in the video as well. And for what it’s worth, ‘Red Headed Stranger’ gets regular play on our tour bus.” The single was recently re-recorded and remixed by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Jawbreaker, The Sword, Against Me!), and the track comes in at 3:21. “Willie Nelson” was originally released in 2003 on Clutch’s album Slow Hole To China: Rare and Unreleased “Willie Nelson.”
Today Protomartyr announce their fifth album, Ultimate SuccessToday, out May 29th on Domino. Following the release of Relatives In Descent, the band’s critically acclaimed headlong dive into the morass of American life in 2017 (featured on myriad “best of” lists, including The New York Times, Esquire, Newsweek, and more), Ultimate Success Today continues to further expand the possibilities of what a Protomartyr album can sound like. Along with today’s album announcement, the band shares the video for their first single “Processed By The Boys,” and announces a summer North American tour. WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “PROCESSED BY THE BOYS” http://smarturl.it/PBTBYT
PRE-ORDER ULTIMATE SUCCESS TODAY Domino Mart | Digital “There is darkness in the poetry of Ultimate Success Today,” says punk legend, founding member of the Raincoats, and friend of the band Ana da Silva. “The theme of things ending, above all human existence, is present and reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Our world has reached a point that makes us afraid: fires, floods, earthquakes, hunger, war, intolerance…There are cries of despair. Is there hope? Greed is the sickness that puts life in danger.”
“The re-release of our first album had me thinking about the passage of time and its ultimate conclusion,” says singer Joe Casey of Ultimate Success Today. “Listening to No Passion All Technique again, I could hear myself hoping for an introduction and a long future, but also being cognizant that it could be ‘one and done’ for us. So, when it came time to write Ultimate Success Today, I was reminded of that first urgency and how it was an inverse of my current grapple with how terribly ill I’ve been feeling lately. Was that sick feeling coloring how I felt about the state of the world or was it the other way around?”
“This panic was freeing in a way. It allowed me to see our fifth album as a possible valediction of some confusingly loud five-act play. In the same light I see it as an interesting mile marker of our first decade of being a band – a crest of the hill along a long highway. Although just to cover my bases, I made sure to get my last words in while I still had the breath to say them.”
“There are exquisite, subtle gifts from other instruments that always heighten the guitar, instead of fighting with it,” explains da Silva. “They help to create a harmonious wall of sound all of its own. This was intentional. Greg Ahee wanted to use different textures other than pedals, and the drone quality of some of those instruments colours the guitar and the whole sound with a warm, rich in reverb, yet all-consuming landscape for Joe Casey’s voice.”
The video for “Processed By The Boys,” directed by David Allen & Nathan Faustyn and produced by HLPTV & LooseMeat.Biz, is a play on a bizarre Brazilian TV clip the band became infatuated with. A man sings to a studio audience, while a member of the audience becomes enraged by a puppet, leading the whole situation to devolve into total chaos. “As soon as we heard the concept, we knew how to take the band’s ideas and coalesce them into this sort of timeless public access chaos,” says Faustyn. “Because of the nature of HLPTV & LooseMeat.Biz and who we are – professional and hobbyist technicians – we knew we could pull off a really strange, funny and sardonically dark compendium to this song that is equally such.”
Protomartyr is Joe Casey (vocals), Greg Ahee (guitars), Alex Leonard (drums), and Scott Davidson (bass guitar). Ultimate Success Today was recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios, a late 19th century church, in upstate New York and co-produced by the band and David Tolomei (Dirty Projectors, Beach House) with mixing by Tolomei. Featured guest musicians on the album include Nandi Rose (vocals) a.k.a. Half Waif, jazz legend Jemeel Moondoc (alto sax), Izaak Mills (bass clarinet, sax, flute), and Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello).
Ultimate Success Today is available to pre-order now on LP, CD and digital formats. A limited blue-in-red colored edition of the LP is available exclusively on the Domino Mart.
ULTIMATE SUCCESS TODAY TRACKLISTING
1. Day Without End 2. Processed By The Boys 3. I Am You Now 4. The Aphorist 5. June 21 6. Michigan Hammers 7. Tranquilizer 8. Modern Business Hymns 9. Bridge & Crown 10. Worm In Heaven
PROTOMARTYR TOUR DATES (new dates in bold)
Mon. April 27 – London, UK @ Peckham Audio – SOLD OUT Tue. April 28 – London, UK @ The Lexington – SOLD OUT Wed. April 29 – Paris, FR @ La Boule Noire – SOLD OUT Thu. April 30 -Utrecht, NL @ Ekko – SOLD OUT Sat. May 2 -Berlin, DE @ Ubran Spree Sun. May 3 – Berlin, DE @ Urban Spree Mon. May 4 – Groningen, NL @ Vera Tue. May 5 – Brussels, BE @ Nuits Botanique Mon. June 1 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Tue. June 2 – Montreal, QC @ Le Ritz Wed. June 3 – Boston, MA @ Sinclair Thu. June 4 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Sat. June 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts Sun. June 7 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat Tue. June 9 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings Wed. June 10 – Atlanta, GA @ Earl Thu. June 11 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa Fri. June 12 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Mon. June 15 – Tucson, AZ @ Hotel Congress Tue. June 16 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge Wed. June 17 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah Thu. June 18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Fri. June 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Sat. June 20 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club Mon. June 22 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Tue. June 23 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Fri. June 26 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry Sat. June 27 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club Sun. June 28 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall 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
Wilco photo by Annabel Mehran, Sleater-Kinney photo by Nikko LaMere
Wilco and Sleater-Kinney are pleased to announce their “It’s Time” Summer 2020 co-headlining tour. After their respective North American and European runs in support of last year’s Ode To Joy(out now on dBpm Records), Wilco will return stateside, closing out each night of their co-headlining tour with Sleater-Kinney, who just closed out their The Center Won’t Hold tour. The entirety of the tour is made up of outdoor amphitheatres and venues, including a show in Wilco’s hometown of Chicago at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion, Nashville’s AscendAmphitheater, Morrison, CO’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and more. Tickets for these newly-announced shows are on sale now.
Wilco Tour Dates (new dates in bold): Sat. March 21 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre & Mon. March 23 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall & Tue. March 24 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall ^ Thu. March 26 – Santa Rosa, CA @ Luther Burbank Centers For The Arts ^ – SOLD OUT Fri. March 27 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater ^ – SOLD OUT Sat. March 28 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater ^ – SOLD OUT Sun. March 29 – San Jose, CA @ San Jose Civic ^ Tue. March 31 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore – SOLD OUT Wed. April 1 – Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre ^ Thu. April 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre % – SOLD OUT Sat. April 4 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl % Sun. April 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium % Wed. April 15 – Jackson, MS @ Thalia Mara Hall $ Thu. April 16 – Mobile, AL @ Saenger Theatre $ Sat. April 18 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre $ Sun. April 19 – North Charleston, SC @ High Water Festival Fri. May 15 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre (JEFF TWEEDY SOLO SHOW) Sat. May 16 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre (JEFF TWEEDY SOLO SHOW) Fri. June 19 – Kent, UK @ Black Deer Festival Mon. June 22 – Merignac, FR @ Krakatoa Tue. June 23 – Nimes, FR @ La Paloma Thu. June 25 – Murcia, ES @ Plaza de Toros Fri. June 26 – Madrid, ES @ Noches Del Botánico Sat. June 27 – Valencia, ES @ 4ever Festival Sun. June 28 – Barcelona, ES @ Suite Festival Tue. June 30 – San Sebastian, ES @ Auditorio del Centro Kursaal Thu. July 2 – Werchter, BE @ FestivalPark Rock Werchter Wed. July 3 – Beuningen, NL @ Down the Rabbit Hole Festival Thu. Aug. 6 – Spokane, WA @ First Interstate Center for the Arts @ Sat. Aug. 8 – Big Sky, MT @ Peak to Sky @ Tue. Aug. 11 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre @* Thu. Aug. 13 – Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland @* Fri. Aug. 14 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park @* Sat. Aug. 15 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre @* Sun. Aug. 16 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater @* Tue. Aug. 18 – Asheville, NC @ Salvage Station @* Wed. Aug. 19 – Richmond, VA @ Altria Theatre @* Fri. Aug. 21 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion @* Sat. Aug. 22 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium @* Sun. Aug. 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center for Performing Arts @* Tue. Aug. 25 – Boston, MA @ Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion @* Wed. Aug. 26 – Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point @* Thu. Aug. 27 – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Amphitheater @* Sat. Aug. 29 – Chicago, IL @ Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion @* Thu. Sept. 17 – Des Moines, IA @ Water Works Park # Fri. Sept. 18 – Ashwaubenon, WI @ Capital Credit Union Park # Sat. Sept. 19 – Welch, MN @ Treasure Island Amphitheater #
!=w/ Young Fresh Fellows &=w/ Kacy and Clayton ^= w/ James Elkington %= w/ White Fence $= w/ Ratboys #= w/ Trampled by Turtles @=w/ Sleater-Kinney *= w/ NNAMDÏ
“[Ode to Joy is] sometimes dank…sometimes warm and Westerberg-ian” – The New York Times
“The group’s 11th LP, their best in years, is a beautiful exercise in downhearted uplift.” – Rolling Stone
“[Ode to Joy] is Wilco’s best album in over a decade, and solid proof there’s room for bands to grow even when they’re already ten albums in.” – Vulture
“[Ode To Joy] is direct and spacious, centering on the beauty of quiet revelation.” – Pitchfork
“Ode to Joy, is mostly a slower-paced album that shows appreciation for the small, beautiful moments in life.” – NPR
Keep your mind open.
[Head on over to the subscription box and subscribe while you’re here.]
“How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?” – Plato
“You find yourself in a room with a locked door. You have always been there. It is all you have ever known. You have no reason to believe you could leave, no reason to believe you would ever want to. And then one day you hear the murmurs. Faint at first, you can’t make out the words. But their very existence tells a truth that you have always known. There is something else. And you search and search and just when you are feeling spent and the bright beam of hope has faded to a glimmer, it reveals itself to you, miraculously. The key. And so you cast aside your doubt and grin with victory. But when you slide the key in, behind the door there is another locked door. The search continues.
We wrote this song over the course of about a year. We had long wanted to explore the idea of hiding, of hidden truths. A chance phrase from our friend Alfred set this song in motion. We hope you enjoy our newest offering.” – Partner 2020
Partner, the loveable guitar shredding Canadian stoner goofballs Lucy Niles and Josée Caron are back and ready to rock, with a new single for a new decade. The band spent the end of 2019 in the studio and have some surprises for 2020.
Toronto’s Goodbye Honolulu might be one of the most well connected bands… They’ve toured the USA twice with Hinds; they are Selena Gomez‘s favourite band, they have releases on Burger Records, they’ve also toured with Kate Nash, SWMRS, Miya Follick, The Beaches and their live show is a rambunctious ball of energy with each member switching instruments and sharing vocal duties, making the crowd dance and sweat to Goodbye Honolulu’s catchy slacker vibes rock n roll.
Today, Goodbye Honolulu are starting a new decade with new single “Cut Off“, recorded in Toronto and produced by Ben Cook (Fucked Up) and Anthony Price (US Girls).
“Cut Off represents the turbulence between people. Whether it be a friendship, a relationship or a family member. It’s about the loss of control that you feel when stressed out or anxious, the frantic feeling of running around not feeling like yourself.”
Goodbye Honolulu kick off a USA tour next month including SXSW in Austin TX.
USA Tour Dates
April 03 – The Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles^ April 04 – Soda Bar, San Diego^ April 06 – The Rebel Lounge, Phoenix, AZ^ April 08 – Paper Tiger, San Antonio TX^ April 09 – Club Dada, Dallas TX^ April 10 – Barracuda, Austin TX^ April 11 – White Oak Music Hall, Houston TX^ April 14 – Masquerade, Atlanta GA^ April 16 – First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia PA^ April 17 – BlackCat, Washington DC^ April 18 – Market Hotel, Brooklyn NY^ April 19 – Brighton Music Hall, Boston MA^ ^w/ Hockey Dad
UK May 2020 May 08 – FOCUS Wales, Wrexham UK *more TBA
“Goodbye Honolulu is one of those bands that you’re like ‘dang, I wanna party with these gents.'” – Alt Citzen
“Just about containing their feral energy, the lo-fi production is allied to some serious pop hooks, and only the most righteous of riffs.” – Clash
“Featuring a slight stoner vibe — a perfect companion to the laid-back guitar jangling of the tune.” – The 405
“Toronto’s Goodbye Honolulu may fall into the “slacker rock” category, but they’re hard workers when it comes to churning out new tunes.” – Exclaim!
