Flasher – the duo of guitarist Taylor Mulitz and drummer Emma Baker – present the title track and accompanying video for their forthcoming album, Love Is Yours, out June 17th on Domino. “‘Love Is Yours’ is about the roller-coaster highs and lows of a long-term relationship—the kind where a conversation can feel like a tripwire, with subtextual clues that offer the promise of reward if correctly decoded,” the band explains. The accompanying video, directed by Camilla Smura (who also created the video for lead single “Sideways”), “is an homage to National Treasure, because much like a treasure room hidden beneath Trinity Church, love that endures is ‘the greatest adventure history has ever revealed.’”
Following their acclaimed 2018 debut, Constant Image, Love is Yours steps up the ambition and reaches for the horizon. It was recorded in Washington, D.C. with long-time friend Owen Wuerker, who also helped flesh out the instrumentation by contributing additional bass, percussion, synths, and guitar. Rather than binding the duo to its past – to geography, old habits, or trusted sounds – the familiar environment proved liberating. Baker and Mulitz shared vocal duties, tweaked tempos, structures, and dynamics accordingly. They toyed with genre, melody, and texture. The resulting record is ablaze with mood, melody, and carefully threaded hooks, finding the band foregrounding the pop sensibilities that had always been present in their previous releases. It retains the attitude that was fundamental to the band’s DIY roots, but cuts loose a touch of the angst. Though the songs process disillusionment and loss, the music evokes warmth and optimism. It is their best record and also their most generous. Kicking off in June, Flasher will bring their live show across North America. Tickets for all dates are on sale now and a full list can be found below.
FLASHER TOUR DATES Fri. June 17 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong Sat. June 18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right Mon. June 20 – Richmond, VA @ The Camel Tue. June 21 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle (Backroom) Wed. June 22 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl Thu. June 23 – Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records Fri. June 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub Sat. June 25 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle Mon. June 27 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Bag Tue. June 28 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G Wed. June 29 – Montreal, QC @ L’Esco Thu. June 30 – Providence, RI @ AS220 Fri. July 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
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Chicago band Horsegirl have had an electric start to 2022 beginning with the announcement of their debut album, Versions of Modern Performance, out June 3rd via Matador. The trio were dubbed the “champions of SXSW 2022” by NME, and won the Grulke Prize for Developing U.S. Act before touring the Northeast, including a sold out New York City debut at Market Hotel. Today, they continue on that trajectory with the release of new single and lyric video, “World of Pots and Pans.” Following the propulsive “Anti-glory,” “World of Pots and Pans” has a rough, blown-out pop charm. The band elaborates: “‘World of Pots and Pans’ is the first love song Horsegirl has ever written—or the closest thing to it. We wrote it in Penelope’s basement while preparing to leave for our first ever tour. The lyrics, inspired by the misinterpretation of a Television Personalities lyric, imagine a (possibly unrequited) romance unfolding through references to Tall Dwarfs, Belle & Sebastian, and The Pastels.“We made the lyric video in a couple hours. The three of us had a fully formed vision of what it should look like and were able to quickly execute the real-time ‘animation’ in only two takes. It feels special to showcase our creative chemistry, and Nora was able to finally carry out her childhood dreams of making an OK Go (ish) type video.”
Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), and Gigi Reece (drums) – the best friends comprising Horsegirl – do everything collectively, from songwriting to trading vocal duties and swapping instruments to sound and visual art design. Reece and Cheng, college freshmen, and Lowenstein, a high school senior, learned to play—and met—through the significant network of Chicago youth arts programs. The warmth and strength of their bond crackles through every second of their debut. Horsegirl recorded Versions of Modern Performance at Chicago’s Electrical Audio with John Agnello (Kurt Vile, The Breeders, Dinosaur Jr.). One can hear elements of the ‘80s and ‘90s independent music the band love so deeply and sincerely—the scuzzy melodicism of what used to be called “college rock,” the cool, bubbly space-age sheen of the ‘90s vamps on lounge and noir; the warm, noisy roar of shoegaze; the economical hooks and rhythms of post-punk. There’s even a bit of no wave mixed in for good measure. But as Horsegirl fuse all of this together, it feels not like a pastiche or a hacky retread but something as playful and unique as its predecessors. With lyrics intentionally impressionistic and open-ended, and a sound that ranges with joy and enthusiasm across a range of styles, Versions of Modern Performance offers many pathways. Horsegirl will tour Europe and North America this summer following a special record release show in Chicago with other young, local bands on Sunday, June 5th. They will return to New York on August 10th to play the Bowery Ballroom.
Horsegirl Tour Dates (new dates in bold) Sun. May 29 – Allston, MA @ Boston Calling Festival Sun. Jun. 5 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall (RECORD RELEASE SHOW) ^ Fri. Jun. 10 – Giessen, DE @ Stadt ohne Meer Sun. Jun. 12 – Mannheim, DE @ Maifield Derby Thu. Jun. 16 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix Bar Fri. Jun. 17 – Paris, FR @ Pop Up Du Label Sun. Jun. 19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (EARLY SHOW) – SOLD OUT Sun. Jun. 19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (LATE SHOW) – SOLD OUT Tue. Jun. 21 – Manchester, UK @ YES (Basement) Wed. Jun. 22 – London, UK @ Bermondsey Social Club – SOLD OUT Sun. Jun. 26 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Bristol Tue. Jun. 28 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn Wed. Jun. 29 – Berlin, DE @ Monarch Fri. Jul. 1 – Denmark, DE @ Roskilde Festival 2022 Sat. Jul. 2 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Upstairs Fri. Jul. 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall * Sat. Jul. 16 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos * Sun. Jul. 17 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall * Tue. Jul. 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop Thu. Jul. 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon * Fri. Jul. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo * Sat. Jul. 23 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room * Tue. Jul. 26 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line * Wed. Jul. 27 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon * Fri. Jul. 30 – Sat. Jul. 31 – Detroit, MI @ Mo Pop Festival Sat. July 31 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza Music Festival Tue. Aug. 2 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe * Wed. Aug. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop * Fri. Aug. 5 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground * Sat. Aug. 6 – Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus * Wed. Aug. 10 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
^ w/ Lifeguard, Friko, Post Office Winter * w/ Dummy
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This was my third time seeing Gary Numan live, and it was the smallest venue I’ve seen him in so far. It was good to see a crowd of people happy to be experiencing live music again, and even better to see Numan and his band having a good time on stage.
His opening act was the one-woman band I Speak Machine, who came out looking like a Black Widow assassin and throwing down a set of darkwave mixed with kabuki, opera, and industrial grind. One of the best parts of her set was watching the reactions of some in the audience who didn’t know what to make of her, and of her not giving a damn what people thought.
I Speak Machine belting out operatic vocals for a dumbfounded crowd.
Mr. Numan came out to an appreciative crowd and proceeded to belt out a loud, sometimes furious set that mixed classics with hot tracks from his last two albums, Savageand Intruder.
Gary Numan being a rock god.
It was great to see him and his four-piece band having a good time. There were many moments when they were smiling or laughing. You could tell they were excited to be on tour. Numan’s guitarist, Steve Harris, was all over the stage, often mixing shredding solos with performance art antics. I’m fairly certain he broke a string or two just a few songs into the set from playing so hard.
Numan and crew
It was a great set, with standouts like “The Promise,” “Films,” “Ghost Nation,” “Love Hurt Bleed,” “Bed of Thorns,” “My Name Is Ruin,” “A Prayer for the Unborn,” and “Are Friends ‘Electric’?” Catch him if you can. He’s having a blast right now, and so will you.
Thanks to the woman who let me snap this photo of the set list she scored.
Today, Chicago trio Horsegirl announce their debut record, Versions of Modern Performance, out June 3rd on Matador, a summer tour, and present charged lead single/video, “Anti-glory.” Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), and Gigi Reece (drums) – the best friends comprising Horsegirl – do everything collectively, from songwriting to trading vocal duties and swapping instruments to sound and visual art design. The warmth and strength of their bond crackles through every second of their debut. With lyrics intentionally impressionistic and open-ended, and a sound that ranges with joy and enthusiasm across a range of styles, Versions of Modern Performance offers many pathways. Following last year’s one-off “Billy,” lead single “Anti-glory” is elastic and propulsive, entrancing listeners with a central call: “Dance / Dance / Dance / Dance / With me.” The accompanying video, directed by Erin Vassilopoulos, exudes confidence, putting Horsegirl front and center, their uncanny ability to layer sound on full display.
“We wrote Anti-glory almost by accident, while messing around with an old song during rehearsal. The song fell into place immediately, and looking back, we have no idea how we wrote it,” the band explains. “As always, this song and album are for Chicago, our friends, our friend’s bands, everyone who can play the guitar, and everyone who can’t play the guitar.” Watch Horsegirl’s Video for “Anti-glory”
The friendship of these three goes far beyond Horsegirl. Reece and Cheng, college freshmen, and Lowenstein, a high school senior, learned to play—and met—through the significant network of Chicago youth arts programs, and they have their own mini-rock underground, complete with zine distros, that they describe as somewhat separate from the “adult shows” that take place at bars and DIY spaces they don’t have access to. They’re exultant about their friends’ talent, noting that any of the bands from that scene could have been (or might still be!) plucked up the way they were.
Versions of Modern Performance was recorded with John Agnello (Kurt Vile, The Breeders, Dinosaur Jr.) at Chicago’s Electrical Audio. “It’s our debut bare-bones album in a Chicago institution with a producer who we feel like really respected what we were trying to do,” the band says. Across the record, Horsegirl expertly play with texture, shape and shade, showcasing their fondness for improvisation and experimentation. One can hear elements of the ‘80s and ‘90s independent music the band love so deeply and sincerely—the scuzzy melodicism of what used to be called “college rock,” the cool, bubbly space-age sheen of the ‘90s vamps on lounge and noir; the warm, noisy roar of shoegaze; the economical hooks and rhythms of post-punk. There’s even a bit of no wave mixed in for good measure. But as Horsegirl fuse all of this together, it feels not like a pastiche or a hacky retread but something as playful and unique as its predecessors. They’re best understood as part of a continuum, but they’re building something for themselves.
Horsegirl will tour North America this summer, playing their first ever shows in most cities across the country. This all kicks off with a special record release show at Thalia Hall in Chicago on Sunday, June 5th. Next week, Horsegirl head to SXSW before their debut performances in Philadelphia, Washington, DC and New York City. Full dates are listed below, and tickets for newly announced shows go on sale this Friday, March 11th at 10am local time. Watch Horsegirl’s Video for “Billy”
Horsegirl Tour Dates: (new shows in bold) Wed. March 16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW – FLOODfest @ Mohawk @ 2:00pm Wed. March 16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW – Roskilde Festival @ Cheer Up Charlie’s @ 10:00pm Thu. March 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW – SX San Jose @ Hotel San Jose Thu. March 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW – Gorilla vs. Bear x Luminelle @ Seven Grand @ 11:15pm Sat. March 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA Sun. March 20 – Washington, DC @ DC9 Tue. March 22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel Sun. May 29 – Allston, MA @ Boston Calling Festival Sun. Jun. 5 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall (RECORD RELEASE SHOW) ^ Fri. Jun. 10 – Giessen, DE @ Stadt ohne Meer Sun. Jun. 12 – Mannheim, DE @ Maifield Derby Thu. Jun. 16 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix Bar Fri. Jun. 17 – Paris, FR @ Pop Up Du Label Sun. Jun. 19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (EARLY SHOW) Sun. Jun. 19 – London, UK @ Paper Dress Vintage (LATE SHOW) Tue. Jun. 21 – Manchester, UK @ YES (Basement) Wed. Jun. 22 – London, UK @ Bermondsey Social Club Sun. Jun. 26 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Bristol Tue. Jun. 28 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn Wed. Jun. 29 – Berlin, DE @ Monarch Fri. Jul. 1 – Denmark, DE @ Roskilde Festival 2022 Sat. Jul. 2 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Upstairs Fri. Jul. 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall * Sat. Jul. 16 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos * Sun. Jul. 17 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall * Tue. Jul. 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop Thu. Jul. 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon * Fri. Jul. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo * Sat. Jul. 23 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room * Tue. Jul. 26 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line * Wed. Jul. 27 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon * Fri. Jul. 30 – Sat. Jul. 31 – Detroit, MI @ Mo Pop Festival Tue. Aug. 2 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe * Wed. Aug. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop * Fri. Aug. 5 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground * Sat. Aug. 6 – Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus *
^ w/ Lifeguard, Friko, Post Office Winter * w/ Dummy
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BODEGA, the Brooklyn post-punk outfit, has long been fascinated with technology and all its goods and ills. Their new album, Broken Equipment, references this many times, first in the album’s title. Broken gear is a source of worry, anguish, and / or rage in this day and age due to our over-dependence on technology. BODEGA knows this, and openly discuss how they, too, fall victim to these glitchy woes.
Opening track (and the first single released from the album), “Thrown,” has lead singer Ben Hozie singing about how he has a Bermuda Triangle within him that sucks him into situations where he’s not sure how he got there or how to get out (“I was thrown here by chance…I was targeted by big rock ads…”). “Doers” is a poke in the eye of tech-bros and people who think their moving and shaking is actually going to amount to something in the grand scheme (“Ten minutes planning my next ten minutes!”).
“Territorial Call of the Female” has Nikki Belfiglio taking on lead vocals, which always means you’re in for a treat. Belfiglio’s vocals are often a great mix of snarky and sweet, and this track about ladies sometimes unintentionally sabotaging each other is a great example. “NYC (Disambiguation)” takes a brutal, honest look at NYC’s history – warts and all. “Statuette on the Console” ups the punk in their post-punk, taking off like a hot rod from the green light in an illegal street race. Belfiglio embraces her love of Patti Smith, Wendy O. Williams, and Poly Styrene, and the guitar solo on it by Dan Ryan is top-notch.
“C.I.R.P.” takes a shot at media elitists (backed by a wicked bass line from Adam See). “Pillar on the Bridge of You” is a delightful love song Hozie wrote to Belfiglio in which he claims all he wants to do is support her. “I have so many things to offer,” Hozie sings on “How Can I Help YA?” – a song that seems to be about self-proclaimed influencers. Ryan unleashes another solid solo right in the middle of it. “No Blade of Grass,” influenced by the bleak (but excellent 1970 disaster film of the same name), has Hozie and Belfiglio singing about how we’re constantly pummeled by disasters both real and imagined, mainly to benefit those with more wealth than us (“We need strength and discipline…So, give more power to the rich, they say. Inequality, it is natural.”).
The band’s fondness for The Velvet Underground comes through on “All Past Lovers,” which has that cool, driving beat (provided by Tai Lee, who sizzles on the entire record, really) and almost-drone guitar that is hard to do without sounding like a damn mess. Hozie dreams of rest and escaping loneliness on “Seneca the Stoic.” The album ends with “After Jane,” an acoustic ode to Hozie’s mother – with whom he admits he had a rocky relationship at times, and that her battle with mental illness was one of the hardest challenges of their life together, but he acknowledges that he now can “channel your hurt when I sing my songs.”
Broken Equipment is another sharp record from a band that has taken critique and self-critique to Zen levels and can make you pogo while doing it.
Formed by the members of the beloved and now defunct New York post-punk band Pill and their NYC underground peers Eaters, P.E. have been trafficking in boundary-pushing, dystopian grooves since the release of their mesmerizing first single “Top Ticket” in 2019. Collaborating with artists like Parquet Courts, Xiu Xiu and Liars, the band have developed a growing cult following that has continued expanding as they come to broader attention with the release of their first LP Person, in 2020 and last year’s The Reason For My Love EP, which have earned praise from outlets like Stereogum, BrooklynVegan, Bandcamp, The Guardian (who had the EP’s title track on their 2021 Best Songs You Haven’t Heard list) and Pitchfork (who had the EP on their list of Great Records From 2021 You May Have Missed). Today, the band are returning to announce their most fully-realized artistic statement to date, an album called The Leather Lemon that will be released on the buzzing Brooklyn label Wharf Cat Records (Palberta, Water From Your Eyes, Lily Konigsberg) on March 25th, and sharing that album’s first single “Blue Nude (Reclined)” which is premiering today on FADER.
LISTEN: to P.E. – “Blue Nude (Reclined)” on YouTube // FADER
Writing about the band’s last single The Guardian said that P.E. channel “the fidgety, dark, and inescapably danceable sound of Mudd Club-era, underground bands like Bush Tetras, the Contortions and ESG,” and this latest single feels like a further refinement of that direction. Their sound is far from a retread however, as they process the sounds of the 70s and 80s Lower East Side through the filter of contemporary influences and recording techniques, using surprising building blocks to create something that is as effective as pop music as it is forward-looking.
“This was one of the first songs we wrote for the new record, shortly after settling ourselves mentally & physically around the country,” singer Veronica Torres says of the song. “With all of our tour plans scrapped in the initial wave of the pandemic, the five of us decided to put our energies into writing new material for the next record, trading files back and forth in order to shape our new sound. “Blue Nude” quickly became an inspiration for the rest of The Leather Lemon – something that foregrounded both the song and the sound, as fun as it was abstract.”
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P.E.‘s sophomore album, The Leather Lemon (Wharf Cat Records, out March 25, 2022), ushers in a new era for the New York band. A wild ride through chewy bubblegum pop, sweeping synthetic orchestrations, and mutant club beats, the album slides ever closer to the fully-realized pop sensibility only winked at with their debut album Person (2020) and subsequent releases.
Digging into mystery, romance, and sex appeal with The Leather Lemon, the group — composed of members of Pill (Mexican Summer/Dull Tools) and Eaters (Dull Tools/Driftless) — centers its sound within a Bermuda Triangle of dance music, electronic composition, and experimental rock. Members Jonathan Schenke, Bob Jones, and Jonny Campolo play within pop parameters, building upon free-form collaboration to create a fluorescent groove machine that harnesses the energy of their frenetic live shows. Singer Veronica Torres explores her softer side, expanding her vocal repertoire from spoken word and jagged growls to cherubic and sensuous psalms. Sax virtuoso Benjamin Jaffe’s chiseled experimental tone is heard in an extended solo of true romance in “Tears in the Rain,” a somber surrealist duet penned by Torres and Andrew Savage, singer/guitarist of Parquet Courts.
Recorded primarily at Schenke’s Studio Windows in Brooklyn, NY, The Leather Lemon was cultivated from a fertile creative period between spring 2020 and summer 2021, which also yielded 2021’s acclaimed The Reason For My Love EP, of which Pitchfork writes:
The quintet refines their impulses on their 2020 debut Person and transforms them into a body-moving EP. The jittery electronics are still there, but the drum cuts feel sharper and lighter, bringing a sense of structure to what could easily be shapeless. Vocalist Veronica Torres abandons spoken-word and leans fully into singing about poetry, beauty, and the contours of the body. Her lovely vocal stretches fill up the space once occupied by industrial bass drops. Sensuality suits them well.
The Leather Lemon is a reckoning record for the times; an album of psychedelic resurfacing, real-time response to world events, and soft, sympathetic magic. This is a collection of songs shaped by five individuals who embrace music-making as a way to center themselves in times of uncertainty; it’s resilience and imagination given shape. The Leather Lemon is a true sweet-and-sour listening experience, an album as bright and clear as it is fractured and fun. Get turned UP and ON with the electrifying new lemon drop from P.E.!
The Leather Lemon will be released on Wharf Cat Records on March 25th. It is available for preorder here.
Excitement just keeps building behind the Leeds band Yard Act ahead of the release debut LP, The Overload,which is due out via Island Records and their own imprint Zen F.C. on the recently revised release date of January 21st. The album follows a collection of early singles released in 2020 and early 2021, that immediately caught on in their home country, earning accolades from outlets like The Guardian, NME and Loud & Quiet, and creating a stir in the US, earning praise from outlets like NPR, Stereogum, Paste and Under The Radar, who designated them a band to watch in 2021. The band’s hot streak has continued apace, recently garnering the support of high profile fans in Elton John and Cillian Murphy, selling out a run of shows, appearing on the soundtrack to the latest FIFA game, and performing their album’s title track on Later…w/ Jools Holland.
Following on the heels of “The Land of The Blind,” the band are sharing a new track and video “Payday”.
Speaking about the new single, Smith explains: “‘Payday’ was one of the few tracks on the record we had to rebuild completely in the studio because the first demo was recorded on my computer and the hard drive corrupted. We spent about TWO hours trying to figure out that stupid keyboard part I’d put on it and couldn’t remember how to play. It was boring but worth it. It’s about gentrification, class fetish and how the human brain is so powerful that with enough time and processing power combined it will be able to justify, defend and/or continue to commit the actions of any human being it controls.”
The accompanying video is the band’s third collaboration with director James Slater and his production team, following “The Overload” and “Land Of The Blind”, and further develops the world Yard Act have created and the characters that exist within it. Smith says: “We wanted to do something less location and narrative based for this video, so an infinity white studio served as the perfect purgatory for an anti capitalist anthem funded by a major record label. It was great to get Kayleigh from ‘The Overload’ car boot shoot back with her friends, and they choreographed a brilliant dance routine for it themselves, which really brings the video to life. It’s also nice to finally be able to explain all the lettuces that kept cropping up in the previous videos.”
No, you didn’t miss three posts. I only attended day four of Chicago’s annual Riot Fest this year, and it was the first Riot Fest I’d attended. A friend scored some free tickets, and far be it from me to pass up a chance to see Devo and The Flaming Lipson the same bill.
This was the hottest music festival I’ve attended in a long while. There was little shade to be had, but sunscreen and taking frequent breaks between sets meant not suffering too much. A freshly made fruit smoothie from a vegan food vendor did me wonders.
The first set we caught was by The Gories, who opened one of the main stages. They sounded loud and dirty, and I’d love to see them in a small venue, but I’m glad I finally got to see these Detroit punk legends.
The Gories!
We walked around Douglas Park and discovered the festival was widely spread out. Food vendors were in one far corner, while a smaller fifth stage was seemingly a half-mile away in the opposite corner. You’d think they’d wheel out some portable light posts with all that room, but no.
Up next were HEALTH, and one of my friends fell in love with them upon hearing their industrial set under sun so bright that their bassist / synth player had to cover his keyboards with trash bags so he could read the digital displays on them.
The sun wasn’t healthy if you weren’t wearing sunscreen that day.
After a nice break under a tree, we trotted over to the smallest stage to see Chicago noise rockers Melkbelly, who played a fun set that included a cover of Pixies‘ “Gigantic” in an attempt to make up for Pixies cancelling their tour this summer. They were so out of practice with performing live shows due to the pandemic that they forgot their merchandise in their van.
Melkbelly playing to a lot of local fans.
I scored some chicken tenders that were average at best while my friends scored an elephant ear. Riot Fest has carnival rides on site, and I can only imagine how many drunk attendees regret getting on them over the course of the weekend.
We returned to the Rebel Stage to see Bleached perform their first set in two years (according to them, and a running theme for live shows everywhere this year), right after a guy walked by us peddling mushrooms to anyone who wanted them. They sounded great, and I would’ve liked to have stayed for the whole set, but Devo was calling…
Bleached having a fun time in the sun.
The stage was packed for Devo, complete with a mosh pit and crowd surfers. It was a fun set in which they played nearly the entire Freedom of Choice album. The whole crowd was happy and still buzzing afterwards. One guy was high-fiving people and telling them, “You just saw Devo!” It was the first time my friend, Amy, had seen them. She said she smiled so much during the set that her cheeks hurt afterwards. A delight for me and my friend (and Amy’s cousin), Brian, was getting to hear Devo’s cover of “Secret Agent Man” live for the first time. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to hear it.
De-evolution is real!
Brian and I stuck around for the Flaming Lips‘ set. Brian hadn’t seen them before, and we couldn’t get close to the stage by they started – mainly due to them starting right after Devo’s set. It was still a good set, and nearly the same as when I saw them at Psycho Music Festival. Wayne Coyne encouraged everyone to take care of each other and stay healthy so live music can continue. Amen to that.
The Flaming Lips blowing sun-baked minds.
It was a good time (and Brian’s first music festival, no less), but would I go back? The short answer is, “I don’t know.” There were a lot of bad bands on the bill on day four, and I don’t think the other three days were much better. A lot of the bands playing the various stages sounded like Rage Against the Machine rip-offs, screamo nonsense, or pop-garbage. We got the hell out of there before Slipknot and Machine Gun Kelly started their sets and laughed as we passed a guy selling nitrous oxide balloons outside the park. I might return if the lineup gets better, and they’ve already announced another Misfits reunion for 2022, but Douglas Park-area residents won’t be happy about it…
In June, Hubert Lenoir returned to announce his second album, with a track called “SECRET” that featured drums from Mac DeMarco and contributions from Kirin J Callinan, and arrived alongside a feature on the exciting Quebecois artist in The FADER. Today, Lenoir is sharing a second preview from the album in the form of the single “DIMANCHE SOIR,” which involves Future producer High Klassified, and coincides with the formal announce of the album’s September 15th release date and a new change to its title, which is now PICTURA DE IPSE : Musique directe.
WATCH: the video for Hubert Lenoir’s “DIMANCHE SOIR” video on YouTube
“Coming from a conservative background and going to school in the countryside of Quebec, a lot of my parents’ friends or partners thought I was this weirdo queer artsy no good loser and once I achieved success with my art in the last 2-3 years the whole vibe started to change,” says Lenoir of the track. “I remember being so confused by it. The song talks about social pressure coming from your family circle and materialism. How weirdly your social status and wealth can switch the opinion people have on you.”
Dry Cleaningis “one of the most exciting bands in rock” (Rolling Stone). Earlier this spring, they released their debut album New Long Leg via 4AD, which has already become one of the best records of 2021 thus far. Following praise from The New York Times, Pitchfork, Entertainment Weekly, The FADER, Esquire, and more, and preceding their completely sold out fall US tour, they today present a special one-off double A-side single, “Bug Eggs” b/w “Tony Speaks!” Recorded at Rockfield Studios in July and August 2020 during the same session for New Long Leg, “Bug Eggs” and “Tony Speaks!” were previously only available in an expanded Japanese edition of the album. Explaining the two tracks Florence Shaw says, “’Bug Eggs’ is about the confidence that comes with age, fragility and sexual desire. The lyrics to ‘Tony Speaks!’ were written days after the Conservative party won the December 2019 UK election. I was thinking about climate change, environmental catastrophes and political campaigning.”
Born from the combined creative talents of Nick Buxton (drums), Tom Dowse (guitar), Lewis Maynard (bass) and Florence Shaw (vocals), Dry Cleaning’s debut album New Long Leg was produced by John Parish at Rockfield Studios and features the singles “Scratchcard Lanyard,” “Strong Feelings” and “Unsmart Lady.” Intertwining Shaw’s spoken vocals tightly with the band’s restless instrumentals they extract the meaning from the most trivial things; little witty asides about supermarkets, cupboards, beauty products and body parts add up to sonic landscapes that teem with the strange magic of ordinary life.
