Rock – Page 55 – 7th Level Music

Lathe of Heaven release debut single of groovy goth post-punk – “Ekpyrosis.”

**Photo credit: George C. Gildersleeve**

With little more under their belt than a relentless string of live performances, and a twice pressed (subsequently sold out) Self-Titled Demo, NYC based band Lathe of Heaven have proved themselves to be a potent and cohesive element amidst the torrent of hardcore punk and synth-driven pop revival currently proliferating throughout the U.S. underground. Today the band sign to Sacred Bones Records and announce their debut album ‘Bound By Naked Skies‘ is out September 1st. To coincide with the announce, the band are sharing the first single from the record, “Ekpyrosis” alongside a video directed by Lucas Cabu and Vitor Jabour.

Though the term Ekpyrosis has roots in Ancient Greek philosophy, the name has since been adopted and reformatted to signify a cosmological theory that describes the origins and destiny of space and time. The Ekpyrotic Model, commonly associated with The Cyclic Model, hypothesises that the universe undergoes periodic cycles of contraction and expansion, leading to the creation, destruction, and thus recreation of the universe.

Despite this theory’s contentious place in the field of cosmology, the band nevertheless finds its implications inherently compelling. There is something both horrifying and beautiful about the idea of our universe being in a constant state of death and rebirth, which Lathe of Heaven believes serves as a strong and apt portrayal of the various themes spanning across their upcoming debut record, Bound by Naked Skies.

The “Ekpyrosis” video aims to place its viewer in the uncanny space of present and past, thematically exploiting neo retro-futuristic depictions of New York City, it’s punk underground and its dystopian future – a future the universe may have unknowingly seen before. On the visuals, director Lucas Cabu said “This was a fun project. The band wanted to have space images playing behind them and have an 80’s look to it, so we used an analog mixer to do the chroma key in real time while the band was playing in my room! We kind of pre-edited it in real time then did the master in a beta-cam to give it an even more antiquated look.”

“Ekpyrosis” on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8JjK33lOqI

Formed in 2021, the band features members of noteworthy Brooklyn based projects such as People’s Temple, Porvenir Oscuro, Pawns, Android, Hustler and more.

Though this roster of past and alternate musical endeavors exposes a diverse range of genre and skill sets, Lathe of Heaven can only be understood as a departure from such influences, exploring a sound entirely of its own.

Now nearly two years later, LoH are finally prepared to unleash their debut Full Length Bound by Naked Skies. With careful consideration, this eleven track LP blends elements of British New-Wave and Finnish Post-Punk into a nuanced juxtaposition of 80s sonic mania. Incorporating themes of classic and contemporary Science-Fiction, Bound by Naked Skies indebts itself as much to its literary influences as it does to the music that informs its unique and deliberate sound. Paying powerful homage to the uncanny worlds of authors Arthur C. Clarke, Octavia Butler, Ken Liu and of course Ursula Le Guin (whose novel the band is named after), themes of cosmology (Ekpyrosis), simulation (Heralds of the Circuit-Born), mental illness (Moon-Driven Sea), and ontology (Entropy, The Spider.), weave implicitly throughout the arch of the record, providing a sense of insight into the minds of those plagued by the ambiguous nature of humankind’s terrifying and not-so-distant future.

Lathe of Heaven tour dates:
4th Aug – TV Eye (w/ Home Front and Deluxxe), Brooklyn, NY (Tickets)
18th Aug – Union Pool (w/ Temple of Angels), Brooklyn,, NY (Tickets)
7th Sept – TV Eye (w/ Witness and Eyedrops), Brooklyn, NY (Tickets)
13th Sept – The Dirty Bird (w/ The Poisoning and The Exile), Santa Ana, CA
14th Sept – Knucklehead ( w/ The Exile and Shrouds), Los Angeles, CA
15th Sept – Zebulon (w/ Protocultura), Los Angeles, CA
16th Sept – Stork Club (w/ Vulture Feather and Vague Lanes), Oakland, CA
17th Sept – Enzyme, San Francisco, CA
18th Sept – Naked Lounge (w/ Vulture Feather and Exposure Therapy), Chico, CA
19th Sept – Coffin Club, Portland, OR
21st Sept – 23rd Sept – Varning Festival, Montreal, MTL (Tickets)

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

Holy Wave release “Nothing in the Dark” from upcoming “Five of Cups” album due August 04, 2023.

Today, Austin, Texas outfit Holy Wave continue to push their historically psychedelic sound with intricate, heady single “Nothing in the Dark”, premiering on post-trash. It’s accompanied by a beautifully-shot, atmospheric visual, directed by Vanessa Pla. The track follows airy “Bog Song,” and psych-tinged single “Happier” featuring Mint Field’s Estrella del Sol.

Both songs taken from their upcoming new album Five of Cups, out August 4, 2023 on Suicide Squeeze Records.

The band have also announced further US + UK/EU fall tour dates.

On the track, band member, Cook offers: “Nothing in the Dark is about how easy it is to let fear take over and control what you do and don’t do, how distractions can keep you from the things you want or disguise themselves as what you want. But when the light disappears from your life, like shadows, the distractions fade away, and you’re left with just yourself and the darkness. So I guess the song is about moving past the fear of the shadows; you can see in the light so that you don’t end up sitting alone in the dark.”

On the video, band member, Fuson offers: “We all acted in the video, but we also did the set design and all the props. Since it was a super small budget, we had to wear a bunch of hats to afford to pay the people who were good at their jobs, haha. The director Vanessa Pla also made some mean carnitas for the crew. They were fire.”

Tour dates
Live Dates
Aug 8 – Andy’s – Denton, TX
Aug 9 – Opolis – Norman, OK
Aug 11 – Back Alley Ballyhoo – Indianapolis, IN
Aug 12 – JJs Bohemia – Chattanooga, TN
Aug 13 – Upstairs at Avondale – Birmingham, AL
Aug 15 – Alabama Music Box – Mobile, AL
Aug 16 – Continental Club – Houston, TX
Aug 17 – Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX
Oct 12 – Constellation Room – Santa Ana, CA
Oct 14 – Sister – Albuquerque, NM
Oct 15 – Hi-Dive – Denver, CO
Oct 17 – Sleeping Village – Chicago, IL
Oct 18 – Lager House – Detroit, MI
Oct 20 – No Fun – Troy, NY
Oct 21 – Mercury Lounge – NYC, NY
Oct 22 – Baby’s All Right – Brooklyn, NY
Oct 23 – Metro Baltimore – Baltimore, MD
Oct 25 – Gasa Gasa – New Orleans, LA
Oct 26 – Levitation – Austin, TX
Oct 29 – Love Buzz – El Paso, TX
Oct 30 – The Rebel Lounge – Phoenix, AZ
Oct 31 – Casbah – San Diego, CA
Nov 1 – Lodge Room – Highland Park, CA
11/7 – Lille, FR – L’Aéronef
11/8 – Groningen, NL – Vera
11/9 – Copenhagen, DK – Stengade
11/10 – Berlin, DE – Kesselhaus
11/11 – Halle, DE – Huhnermanhattan
11/12 – Prague, CZ – Cafe V Lese
11/13 – Munich, DE – Milla
11/16- Bucharest, RO – Control Club
11/17 – Belgrade, SE – Dom Onladine
11/19 – Zagreb, HR – Vintage Industrial
11/21 – Lyon, FR – Le Sonic
11/22 – Barcelona, ES – Sala Upload
11/23 – San Sebastian, ES – Dabadaba
11/24 – Madrid, ES – Wurlitzer Ballroom
11/28 – Vigo, ES – Kominski
11/30 – Bordeaux, FR – Allez Les Filles
12/1 – Paris, FR – Point Ephemere
12/2 – Brussels, BE – Botanique
12/3 – The Hague, NL – Hink Festival
12/4 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
12/6 – Brighton, UK – The Hope & Ruin
12/7 – Bristol, UK – Crofters Rights
12/8 – Manchester, UK – YES
12/9 – Glasgow, UK – Stereo
12/10 Newcastle, UK – Cluny 2
12/11 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
12/12 – London, UK – Moth Club

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Andi at Terrorbird Media.]

Deluxe version of DFL’s cult punk album “My Crazy Life” to be reissued August 11, 2023.

DFL aka Dead F*cking Last, the iconic ‘90s hardcore band that featured first wave punker Monty Messex, Adam Horovitz aka Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys, and skater “Crazy Tom” Davis, will reissue their influential debut album, My Crazy Life. Originally released on the Beastie Boys’ own Grand Royal Records in 1994, the record turned heads as it was fueled by the savage power of first wave hardcore during a time when punk rock was heading in a poppier, radio-friendly direction. The reissue is the first time the album has ever been on 12-inch vinyl and is also the first printing of the album in 29 years.

The band brought in original producer Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys, Moby, Freddie Gibbs) to remaster the entire release. Further, the reissue contains expanded art, unreleased pictures, as well as a 10,000 word oral history of the band, as taken from interviews with the band members themselves, Grand Royal Records executives, and other contributors from the scene. As an additional bonus, the first run of the reissue will come with a complete, previously unreleased, live show titled Live at G-Son Studios. The live album was professionally recorded by Caldato at the Beastie Boys’ G-Son Studio during a party the day after DFL recorded the tracks from My Crazy Life and features eleven, savage live recordings.

My Crazy Life will be released via Trust Records on August 11, 2023 in stores and across all digital retailers. Trust is an archival record label whose mission is to preserve and present classic punk records as an iconic and important part of America’s cultural history, much in the same way as jazz, folk, and the blues have been celebrated. In order to pay tribute to the iconic records that it releases, each Trust pressing is presented as a deluxe release with premium vinyl, expanded and heavy-duty liner notes and jacket, as well other bonuses. Trust Records previously released deluxe reissues of Circle Jerks’ Group Sex and 7 Seconds’ The Crew, both which received massive critical acclaim.

Pre-Order / Pre-Save My Crazy Life Deluxe Reissue Here

More about DFL: Originally arriving in 1994, My Crazy Life faced a somewhat “polished” punk rock landscape. Due to the massive surge in popularity of bands like Green Day or The Offspring, punk had become poppier, more accessible, and more melodic. Meanwhile, each of DFL’s original members came from the earliest, most crazed days of first wave hardcore: Messex formed hardcore punk band the Atoms, which included Izzy Stradlin (pre-Guns n Roses) in 1981; Horovitz started in the early NYC hardcore scene with the Young and the Useless before joining the Beastie Boys during their initial run as a hardcore band; Crazy Tom was a seasoned skateboarder hailing from the Marina Del Rey skatepark.

Messex recalls, “In 1993, I was obsessively listening to Bad Religion’s ‘How Could Hell Be Any Worse’. I had this beat up cassette that I’d listen to over and over and over and over again on my Walkman. That record brought me back to the early 80s hardcore scene I grew up on- that included Circle Jerks, the Germs, The Adolescents. I wanted to make a record that called back to the initial rush I got from the early hardcore scene.”

Without much planning, Messex linked up with Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys, who, at the time, were recording the seminal Check Your Head album. Messex threw the idea of starting a hardcore punk band past Horovitz and DFL was born. Messex says, “I literally remember the moment when we started DFL. Adam dropped by my place in Echo Park and kinda half jokingly asked him if he wanted to start a hardcore band. To my surprise he was like, ‘uh… yeah!’ I had a few songs and we went over to G-Son. I played them for Adam and the band was born right there and then.”

Shortly thereafter, Messex and Horovitz drafted “Crazy” Tom Davis into the group. Hailing the SoCal skate scene, Davis was added as much for his explosive singing style and unpredictability. Along with drummer Tony Converse, the band recorded the volatile My Crazy Life album in the time it takes to listen to it: 20 minutes. Unlike the more polished records of the day, My Crazy Life was 15 tracks of raw and ragged hardcore punk that, while fueled by the same energy as first wave of California hardcore, was pushed into the present, addressing issues like mental health, ‘90s Hollywood, and the fact that pizza is tasty.

The record not only stood as a landmark release because it featured one of the Beastie Boys playing back-to-basics hardcore punk, but also because the record was composed of sub 60 second songs built off Messex’s smashing riffs and Davis’ deranged howl. While most records were getting bigger and more polished, DFL was one of the few that made their music shorter, faster, and rawer. Since the album’s release, My Crazy Life has remained a cult record, prized by the hardcore scene due to its ferocious sound and askew lyrics… and also because it is really, really, really good.

“The ‘My Crazy Life’ era was a real moment in time for me and I feel like the record captures that,” Messex tells. “There was so much shit going on. The Beasties and Grand Royal were blowing up. There were all these crazy parties with celebs and skaters and all sorts of people hanging out. It’s almost 30 years later, but that moment has never left me.”

Ahead of its release, DFL has shared a preview of “Pizza Man” and “America’s Most Hardcore” remastered studio versions; check them out below.

“Pizza Man” (Studio Version, Unreleased) Official Music Video + “America’s Most Hardcore” (Studio Version)

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Bailey at Another Side.]

The Beths to release a deluxe edition of “Expert in a Dying Field” on September 15, 2023.

The Beths — “one of the greatest indie-rock bands of their time” (Rolling Stone) — announce Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe), out September 15th on Carpark Records, and present the new single, “I Told You That I Was Afraid (Acoustic).” Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe) expands upon the brilliance of The Beths’ acclaimed 2022 album, “another collection of tunes that cements their status as one of the great guitar-pop bands of this present moment” (Stereogum), with three demos, two acoustic renditions, and the inclusion of previously shared standalone singles “A Real Thing” and “Watching The Credits.” The latter has already been deemed one of 2023’s best songs by Rolling Stone and Paste, who praised “Watching The Credits” as “a terrific, heat-seeking missile of glittering guitars and steadfast percussion work” that “speaks to how they endure as one of the most exciting rock bands in the world right now.”

Later this week, The Beths (and their beloved inflatable fish) will take to the U.K. for a string of select festivals and headline dates. Shortly after, they will return to North America for a full, almost entirely sold out tour including dates supporting The National, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. The Beths will also headline three nights at Los Angeles’ Lodge Room (surrounding their sold out show at the Hollywood Bowl supporting Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service), plus three nights at New York’s Music Hall of Williamsburg. Full dates are listed below and tickets are on sale now.

Listen to “I Told You That I Was Afraid (Acoustic)”

Expert In A Dying Field, the third studio album from The Beths, was released to a wealth of critical praise, and was named one of 2022’s best releases by the likes of Pitchfork, The Ringer, Stereogum and more. Surrounding its release, The Beths were profiled by Rolling Stone, Document Journal, The Big Takeover and more, and made their U.S. television debut on CBS Saturday Morning. The Beths are undeniably one of the most exciting indie rock bands to emerge in recent memory.

Pre-order Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe)

Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe) Tracklist

1. Expert In A Dying Field

2. Knees Deep

3. Silence Is Golden

4. Your Side

5. I Want To Listen

6. Head In The Clouds

7. Best Left

8. Change In The Weather

9. When You Know You Know

10. A Passing Rain

11. I Told You That I Was Afraid

12. 2am

13. I Told You That I Was Afraid (Acoustic)

14. When You Know You Know (Acoustic)

15. A Real Thing

16. Watching The Credits

17. Keep The Distance (Demo)

18. Expert In A Dying Field (Demo)

19. I Want To Listen (Demo)

20. 2am (Demo)

The Beths Tour Dates (New Dates In Bold):

Fri. July 14 – Utrecht, NL @ Ekko

Sat. July 15 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown

Sun. July 16 – Nijmegen, NL @ Valkhof Festival

Tue. July 18 – Liverpool, UK @ Hangar 34

Wed. July 19 – Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK @ Boiler Shop

Fri. July 21 – Southwold, UK @ Latitude Festival

Sat. July 22 – Steventon, UK @ Truck Festival

Sun. July 23 – Sheffield, UK @ Tramlines Festival

Fri. July 28 – Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival

Sat. July 29 – Omaha, NE @ Maha Festival

Tue. Aug. 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia * [SOLD OUT]

Wed. Aug. 2 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia *

Thu. Aug. 3 – New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl *

Fri. Aug. 4 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Smalls Theatre

Sat. Aug. 5 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom & Tavern [SOLD OUT]

Mon. Aug. 7 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore *

Tue. Aug. 8 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee *

Wed. Aug. 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory *

Fri. Aug. 11 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom * [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Aug. 12 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom *

Tue. Aug. 15 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater *

Wed. Aug. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park *

Thu. Aug. 17 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle [SOLD OUT]

Fri. Aug. 18 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Aug. 19 – Quincy, MA @ In Between Days Festival

Mon. Aug. 21 – Cincinnati, OH @ Woodward Theater

Tue. Aug. 22 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe

Thu. Aug. 24 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed #

Fri. Aug. 25 – Abiquiu, NM @ Ghost Ranch Festival ^

Sun. Aug. 27 – Seattle, WA @ THING

Sat. Sep. 30 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater ^

Sun. Oct. 1 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theatre ^

Tue. Oct. 3 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Wed. Oct. 4 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas ^ [SOLD OUT]

Fri. Oct. 6 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena ^ [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Oct. 7 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena ^ [SOLD OUT]

Mon. Oct. 9 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Tue. Oct. 10 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Wed. Oct. 11 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT]

Thu. Oct. 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

Fri. Oct. 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl ^ [SOLD OUT]

Sat. Oct. 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room [SOLD OUT]

Sun. Oct. 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

Tue. Oct. 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Wed. Oct. 18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Thu. Oct. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg [SOLD OUT]

* w/ The National

^ w/ Death Cab For Cutie & The Postal Service

# w/ Beach Bunny

Watch The Beths’ Tiny Desk Concert

Watch The Beths on CBS Saturday Morning:

“Expert In A Dying Field”

“When You Know You Know”

“Your Side”

Purchase Expert In A Dying Field

Keep your mind open.

[Become an expert in the field of music news by subscribing.]

[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Motörhead – Live at Montreux Jazz Festival ’07

Recorded during their “Kiss of Death” tour in 2007, Motörhead‘s previously unreleased Live at Montreux Jazz Festival ’07 is another powerful live recording of Phil Campbell (guitar and backing vocals), Mikkey Dee (drums), and Lemmy Kilmister (bass and lead vocals) firing on all cylinders.

The set list include lots of bangers and some cuts you didn’t hear often during some other sets. Opening with “Snaggletooth” for example, is a nice touch. It wasn’t a common opener for them, and they unload it with the subtlety of a flamethrower. “Stay Clean” doesn’t give you time to breathe, as you’re too busy holding onto your face to keep it from being blasted onto the wall behind you. “Be My Baby” is thick with sludge and reveals how much Motörhead influenced early Nirvana records.

“That was kind of jazzy, wasn’t it?” Kilmister jokes after “Killers.” “One Night Stand” swings and shreds. Speaking of shredding, Campbell does a lot of it on “I Got Mine” with a solo that might sear your ears. Kilmister dedicates “Sword of Glory” to soldiers “fighting in Iraq for no good reason.”

“Who likes Thin Lizzy?” Kilmister asks, and then talks about how Phil Lynott was one of his heroes, before they rip in to a cover of Thin Lizzy‘s “Rosalie.” He gives a warning before the epic version of “Sacrifice”: “If you dance to this, you won’t have children later in life.” It is brutal and unforgiving. The mosh pit during this version must’ve been like the Battle of Helm’s Gate, only stopped by everyone’s jaws hitting the floor during Dee’s drum solo. It’s hard to tell what’s moving faster, his hands on the snares, cymbals, and toms, or his feet on the double kick drums. “Just ‘Cos You Got the Power” is slower, “So Phil can show off his new guitar,” Kilmister says. He does. Quite well.

“Going to Brazil” blasts by you in a heartbeat, followed by the always-sinister, always-heavy “Killed By Death.” “Iron Fist,” appropriately, pummels you. Kilmister’s bass on it is as relentless as a belt-fed machine gun. The acoustic “Whorehouse Blues” is a refreshing bit of fun after it, and a moment to inhale, exhale, and then go nuts when they finally get to “Ace of Spades.” The closer, “Overkill,” is over eight minutes of raw power. Dee’s double-bass kick-drumming alone will make your jaw drop.

It’s another fine live album in an already impressive catalog. Don’t miss it.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Snõõper releases “Powerball,” and we all end up winning.

The Nashville-based DIY punk outfit Snõõper will release their highly anticipated debut album, Super Snõõper, on July 14th via Third Man Records.Today, they present another fully-charged single/video, “Powerball.” Clocking in at just over a minute, Snõõper max out the short and sweet run time on “Powerball” by packing it with frantic guitars, berserk drums, and the ever-cool vocals of Blair Tramel. The accompanying “Powerball” video — directed by Tramel and featuring puppeteering by Grace Hall — channels the song’s chaos delectably, and previews the playful mayhem of Snõõper’s storied live sets for those yet indoctrinated.

Tramel explains: “‘Powerball’ was written after a scratch-off winning streak. My mom called me to let us know that the Powerball jackpot was the highest it had been in years. It’s a funny thing to feel like you are going to win something so arbitrary – to feel like you are going to be the one in a billion winner. When our numbers were not announced, we decided to buy some scratch-offs and, to my surprise, I won $50 on a $2 scratch off. I kept buying scratch-offs from different gas stations around town and kept winning. It was a comical sort of high I hadn’t felt before and even when I started losing money I wanted to keep going.”
Watch Snõõper’s “Powerball” Video

Snõõper doesn’t play fast; they play at the speed of Snõõper. They maintain super precise instrumentals and skillfully melodic vocals, even though they’re flooring it almost the entire time. The project began in 2020 as a collaboration between local Nashville punk mainstay Connor Cummins (guitar) and Blair Tramel (vocals), an early education teacher with a sideline in wickedly funny animation and art. As their cassette tapes and homemade videos began to find scattered fans around the world, the duo brought the project to the live stage in late 2021 with the addition of Cam Sarrett (drums), Happy Haugen (bass), and Ian Teeple (guitar). Thus, Snõõper was born.

Snõõper is a band who, in a 33 ⅓ RPM world, make 45 RPM music they play at 78 RPM. Their debut album, Super Snõõper, was recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville. It follows EPs “Music For Spies” (2020), “Snõõper” (2021), and “Town Topic” (2022), as well as the live album LIVE AT EXIT/IN 11-23-22released this past February. Given the brief glimpses into Snõõper’s music from their 7”s, EPS, and thrilling live performances, one might wonder if the group could hold the line for a full album. The answer is an enthusiastic yes. In the words of Henry Rollins, “Speaking selfishly, I want Snõõper to hurry up and make another album. Super Snõõper is a really cool record.” Snõõper are known for their raucous live show which integrates many different artistic mediums — music, video art, puppetry, assemblages, and more — to create a unique experience for each performance. The band is currently touring Australia and will return stateside for a handful of shows. A full list of dates is below, with more to be announced soon.
Stream “Powerball”
Watch “Pod” Video
Watch “Fitness” Video
Pre-order Super Snõõper

Snõõper Tour Dates
Sun, July 16 – Pomona, CA @ Viva Pomona
Fri. Oct. 13 – Sun. Oct. 15 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
Sun. Nov. 5 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Mon. Nov. 6 – Gladow, UK @ Hug & Pint
Tue. Nov. 7 – Manchester, UK @ YES Basement
Wed. Nov. 8 – London, UK @ The Windmill
Fri. Nov. 10 – London, UK @ Pitchfork Festival (Roadhouse)
Sat. Nov. 11 – Bristol, UK @ The Lanes

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll feel like I’m winning if you subscribe.]

[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Will Butler + Sister Squares frolic in the “Long Grass” with their debut single.

Will Butler + Sister Squares announce their new self-titled album out September 22nd on Merge and present its lead single/video, “Long Grass.” Sister Squares are Miles Francis, Julie Shore, Jenny Shore, and Sara Dobbs; what made them a musical unit was working with Grammy winner and Oscar nominee Will Butler. The resulting Will Butler + Sister Squares is a record with a warm, humane soul.

“I met Jenny—my wife!—in college, the year before I joined Arcade Fire,” says Will. “When I needed a band to tour Policy [Merge, 2015], I asked [Jenny’s sister] Julie to join because I trusted her musically. And I asked Sara, Jenny and Julie’s childhood friend, because I knew she was super talented,” says Will. “Antibalas (who I was drumming for) opened some Arcade Fire shows,” says Miles, who offered to play drums anytime Will needed. Will, Julie, Sara, and Miles jelled on tour and everyone worked on vocal arrangements. All along, Jenny contributed to recordings and general performance ideas, and she joined onstage in 2019.

“After Generations [Merge, 2020], I considered making a weird solo record. Me alone in the basement, etc., etc. Mostly I realized that what I wanted was the opposite,” says Will. He increasingly turned to the band for feedback on lyrics and song structures. He asked Miles if they’d produce the record.

“Will and I organically discovered our relationship as a production duo through making this album. We didn’t have to talk too much about things as they happened, because the music just flowed,” says Miles. “As a producer, working with Jenny, Julie, and Sara is the dream. They connect so innately. In one motion they can conjure a mood, or get at the root of a feeling.”

The band played a run of shows in August 2022, airing out studio ideas in live rooms. After coming home, the band regrouped at Figure 8 Studios in Brooklyn. The album, broadly, is equal parts from Figure 8, group experiments from Will’s basement, and sessions in Miles’ Synthia Studio.

“I had quit my band Arcade Fire very recently, after 20 years—maybe the most complex decision of my life. I had spent the preceding two years at home with my three children. I was 39 years old. I was waking up every morning and reading Emily Dickinson, until I had read every Emily Dickinson poem. I was listening to Morrissey, to Shostakovich, to the Spotify top 50. I had unformed questions with inchoate answers,” says Will. “But, honestly, I was feeling great about the record.”

The album projects widescreen emotional landscapes. Lead-off single “Long Grass” is like a Harry Styles song with 20 more years of life behind it. “I had read this novella called Jamila by a Soviet/Kyrgyz author named Chingiz Aitmatov from the ’50s,” says Will. “It’s about an artist looking back on his childhood in a small town in Kyrgyzstan in WWII. It’s about love, and becoming an artist, and melancholy, and vast landscapes with a single train track running through them. And it reminded me of young adulthood, of wandering moodily down the train tracks. Maybe the song is also about leaving behind the things that formed us, but trying to remember the world as it used to be?”

Will Butler + Sister Squares will tour in support of their new album this fall.

Watch the video for “Long Grass”

Pre-order Will Butler + Sister Squares

Will Butler + Sister Squares Tour Dates:

July 29-30 – Guelph, ON @ Hillside Festival

Sept. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Zone One

Oct. 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon

Oct. 4 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

Oct. 6 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

Oct. 7 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza

Oct. 8 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret

Oct. 17 – Boston, MA @ Deep Cuts

Oct. 18 – Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz

Oct. 19 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace

Oct. 20 – Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch

Oct. 21 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village

Oct. 22 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop

Nov. 7 – Riga, LV @ Palladium

Nov. 10 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub

Nov. 12 – Aarhus, DK @ VoxHall

Nov. 14 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown

Nov. 15 – Paris, FR @ Café de la Danse

Nov. 16 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique

Nov. 17 – London, UK @ ICA

Nov. 18 – Dublin, IE @ Whelan’s

Nov. 30 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA

Dec. 1 – Washington, DC @ DC9

Dec. 2 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

WSND set list: Deep Dive of AC/DC

Thanks to all who blew out their eardrums with me for the Deep Dive of AC/DC last night. Here’s the set list:

AC/DC – Back in Black
Rabbit – Too Much Rock ‘n’ Roll
Masters Apprentices – Living in a Child’s Dream
Sherbet – Summer Love
AC/DC – Can I Sit Next to You, Girl?
Fraternity – Seasons of Change
Little Richard – Rip It Up
AC/DC – Baby, Please Don’t Go (live)
AC/DC – It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)
Anthrax – TNT
AC/DC – The Jack
AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (requested)
AC/DC – Ride On
AC/DC – Whole Lotta Rosie (requested)
The Brian Setzer Orchestra – Let There Be Rock (live)
AC/DC – Riff Raff (live)
Rick Astley – Highway to Hell (live)
AC/DC – Girls Got Rhythm
Ike and Tina Turner – Nutbush City Limits
AC/DC – Givin’ the Dog a Bone
AC/DC – Rock ‘n’ Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution (requested)
AC/DC – Let’s Get It Up
AC/DC – Thunderstruck (requested)

Next week is a Deep Dive of Betty Davis. I won’t be responsible for any babies conceived during that show.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re here.]

Current Affairs release new single, “Reactor,” ahead of debut album album due July 14, 2023.

Today Glasgow & Berlin-based band Current Affairs have shared another new single from their forthcoming debut album ‘Off the Tongue’, which is set for release on July 14th via Tough Love Records.

Written from within the world of crumbling services, broken bonds and wounded spirits, their debut album ‘Off the Tongue’ rolls off an ecstatic rage, filled with hope for you, them and everyone else.

Following the raw and biting love song, “No Fuss“, and the call to arms against the fragmentation of the left, “Right Time“ today they share third new track entitled “Reactor“.

“We wrote Reactor in that fizzy space of the will-you, won’t-you” explains front-woman Joan Sweeney. “It’s a love song more for the feeling than the person, if you’re really honest.” The track comes accompanied by a karaoke-style visual – online now.

“Reactor” video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Em3_bjVU4FY
‘Off the Tongue’ pre-order/pre-save links:https://linktr.ee/currentaffairsoffthetongue

To call Current Affairs a Glasgow band may initially seem misdirection. Though Joan Sweeney (ex-Rose McDowall’s Band, Aggi Doom, The Royal We) is a lifer, Sebastian Ymai (Comidillo Tapes, Pissy, Anxiety)came from Chile via York, recently relocating to Berlin in 2021, and new member Gemma Fleet (The Wharves, Order of the Toad, Dancer) alongside Andrew Milk (Shopping, Pink Pound) were persuaded to leave London for the ‘second city’ after touring through with previous bands. However, Glasgow is the heart and hub of the band’s music, musical life and the place where ‘Off the Tongue’ was solidified and produced.

Current Affairs’ presentline up formed in 2020, but the four have been circling each other for years, touring and playing with their previous bands within the close UK network of DIY music. Stalwarts of their respective scenes they finally began working together through the creation of the Spitehouse collective – a project designed to promote Queer and female-fronted music through events mainly held at Transmission Gallery and Glasgow Autonomous Space, putting on many local and international acts (Sneaks, Sacred Paws, Still House Plants and Comfort amongst others). When an opening for a new bassist arrived, Gemma was the obvious compliment, the slogan of Spitehouse being the language of Current Affairs – “Everyone’s welcome, but don’t get it twisted.”

Following on from 2019’s EP singles collection, ‘Object & Subject’, the wait for their debut full-length may belie the urgency of its sound, but as the album’s lead single emphasises, “it’s the right time!”

‘Off The Tongue’ is ten short, sharp bursts, written in pieces over a long time and distance, but fully formed in the instant of the recording room across just a few days by producer Ross McGowan at Chime Studio. Current Affairs’ song-writing process has always been collaborative. Songs are developed responsively, with each of the band’s members sending/bringing elements or hooks to each other, but practices being the place where the songs flesh out, structure and are fully realised. These new songs feel a little brighter than their previous offerings, yet still hold true to their propulsive and caterwauling sound. Still embryonic in the most exciting way that that can be. Current Affairs’ music straddles new-wave pop and gothic post-punk in the way that you should expect a Glasgow-Berlin band to do so: with grit and panache.

Flowing through the many different layers of relationships, moving from romance to friendship, community and socio-politics before coming back to a personal conversation at the end, Sweeney sees her songwriting on ‘Off the Tongue’ as a way to inhabit the different parts of herself and let them speak with unfettered clarity. “Current Affairs is where I can burn the world down one minute and then push for brighter things the next” she explains. “I wanted to show that there’s a place for all your feelings and personalities and that we should sometimes let the negative thought ring out honestly and then show it a little compassion, give it a purpose. It’s not always bad to rage, cry or be a Pollyanna.”

Current Affairs tour dates:
July 20th – Glasgow, Stereo
July 21st – Birkenhead, Future Yard
July 22nd – Sheffield, Delicious Clam/Clamlines
July 23rd – Cardiff, The Moon
July 24th – Nottingham, JT Soar
July 25th – Bristol, Crofter’s Rights
July 26th – London, The Lexington
July 27th – Oxford, Divine Schism
July 28th – Leeds, Wharf Chambers
July 29th – Newcastle, Lubber Fiend
July 30th – Edinburgh, The Wee Red Bar

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity.]

L7 announces tour dates in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand.

L7 have announced two upcoming tours that will include shows in small venues.

Seeing L7 live is always a good choice, and seeing them in a small venue is a no-brainer. If you’re on the other side of the planet, check out this tour in December.

As you can see, the last two shows of that tour in Melbourne, Australia are already sold out. Bricks Are Heavy is a great album, and hearing all of it live would be a blast.

They’ve also announced a new single will be released soon, so keep your ears open for it.

Keep your mind open.

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

[Thanks to L7!]