What’s bold? Releasing your debut as not just an EP, but as a double EP. Berlin’s Jealous did exactly that with their Lover / What’s Your Damage? release for Oliver Ackermann‘s Dedstrange label. It’s a wild mix of shoegaze, synthwave, post-punk, art rock, and other things you can’t quite define.
Uri Rennert‘s heartbeat drums on “K-Hole II,” the opening track of the Lover EP, set up a dark tone for the entire record. Paz Bonfil‘s guitar is perfectly suitable for a spaghetti western villain’s theme music. Adi Kum‘s vocals spin around you like playful ghosts. Her bass on “Blackeye” is thick enough that it might give you one. “Debbie Downer” has, as you can imagine, a dark vibe, and the fast and furious “Fast Cars” isn’t a cover of the Buzzcocks rocker, but rather a fierce rocker of their own with Bonfil’s guitar sounding like he’s strangling it at some points. It builds to a wild pace, with Rennert almost dismantling his kit as he plays.
Kum’s somewhat grumpy bass starts off “Gravity,” the first song on the What’s Your Damage? EP. It builds to a heavy-hitting, pulsing track that grabs your attention and doesn’t let go for about four minutes. “Cowboy ‘Kelly’ Katastroph” is a straight-up post-punk bliss, as is “Sharp Bones / Broken Claws” – with Bonfil’s guitar riffs as sharp as its title. “Slaughterhouse 3000” ups the fuzz a bit and the playfully bratty vocals even more. The EP ends with “Thunder,” which highlights the dual vocals from Bonfil and Kum.
It’s good stuff, and many thanks for Dedstrange for bringing it to us.
Earlier this year, CHAI released WINK, their Sub Pop debut that “maintain[s] the unwavering commitment to self-love and community that makes their music so endearing” (Pitchfork). This embracement of community is often found in their electric live shows, and today, CHAI announce their WINK TOGETHER NORTH AMERICA TOUR, plus a sold-out west coast run supporting Mitski. For a preview of what to expect at one of CHAI’s fun, aesthetic driven shows, watch the tour trailer below. WATCH CHAI’S TOUR TRAILER
CHAI TOUR DATES (NEW HEADLINE DATES) Fri. Feb. 4 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall Sat. Feb. 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club Sun. Feb. 6 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry Wed. Feb. 9 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace Fri. Feb. 11 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Sat. Feb. 12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry Sun. Feb. 13 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage Tue. Feb. 15 – Brooklyn NY @ Elsewhere Thu. Feb. 17 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel * – SOLD OUT Fri. Feb. 18 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz * – SOLD OUT Sat. Feb. 19 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern * – SOLD OUT Mon. Feb. 21 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City * – SOLD OUT Tue. Feb. 22 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre * – SOLD OUT Thu. Feb. 24 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Outside Lawn) * – SOLD OUT Fri. Feb. 25 – Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory * – SOLD OUT Sat. Feb. 26 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater * – SOLD OUT Mon. Feb. 28 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * – SOLD OUT Wed. March 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * – SOLD OUT Thu. March 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * – SOLD OUT Fri. March 4 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * – SOLD OUT Sat. March 5 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * – SOLD OUT Mon. March 7 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall * – SOLD OUT Wed. March 9 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * – SOLD OUT Thu. March 10 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * – SOLD OUT Sat. March 12 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile Sun. March 13 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge Tue. March 15 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club Thu. March 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom *= supporting Mitski
Brooklyn band BODEGA announces its long-awaited second album, Broken Equipment, out March 11th, 2022, on What’s Your Rupture?, and shares the infectious lead single/video, “Doers.” Inspired by self-help books and vlogs, it tackles the toxic side of forced productivity and slyly pokes fun at Daft Punk with its central mantra of “bitter, harder, fatter, stressed out.”
Of ‘Doers’, the band’s Ben Hozie offers: “Sometime on tour near the end of 2019 I found myself reading and watching a plethora of self-help books and Youtube vids. This started from a genuine desire for spiritual and physical improvement but I soon started noticing how advertisements everywhere were utilizing the language of self-help. I was being programmed. This ideology of constant productivity forces you to treat your own body, mind, time, and friends as products to mine. As a result the world becomes a smaller, duller place. All artists (all people) desire to be productive. Yet… If a photo is taken of you in the woods: for all millennia you’ll always be stuck in the woods.”
The accompanying video – directed by Ben alongside BODEGA co-founder Nikki Belfiglio, and drawing inspiration from Ryan Trecartin, Hype Williams and Slipknot – continues to take aim at the 21st century’s incessant productivity/positivity cycle.
Ben explains: “For the advertisement (music vid) for the track we teamed up with our old pal Joe Wakeman (who used to perform with me and Nikki in BODEGA BAY). We shot at the old abandoned IBM offices in Kingston, NY (where Nikki and Joe were born and raised) and a gym and a parking garage in Bushwick. The video stars Dr. DOER, a misunderstood monster who simply wants to issue directives and inspire his team of ghouls to #greatness.”
The follow-up to the band’s acclaimed debut album, Endless Scroll(2018), and 2019’s Shiny New Model EP, Broken Equipment was inspired by a book club. In the early months of 2020, the Brooklyn art-punk incendiaries gathered together with close friends to study the works of a wide range of philosophers. Passionate debates lasting long into the night became a regular occurrence, motivating the band to become as ideologically unified as the weighty tomes they were reading. Broken Equipment is BODEGA’s attempt to interrogate the external factors that make them who they are, propelling existential quandaries with tongue-in-cheek humour, highly personal lyrics, and irresistible grooves.
Since BODEGA’s formation in 2016, Ben and Nikki have experienced a rare meteoric rise. The duo double as filmmakers, earning acclaim for their 2020 erotic dramaPVT Chat starring Peter Vack, Julia Fox, and other recognizable faces from the Safdie Brothers’ cinematic universe. When the pandemic forced them to hit pause, they used the opportunity to regroup with drummer/performance artist Tai Lee, bassist/book club leader Adam See, and lead guitarist Dan Ryan. Broken Equipment was produced by Ben himself with Bobby Lewis, BODEGA’s NYC live sound mixer. The record was mixed by Bryce Goggin, whom the band sought out for his work with Pavement, and Adam Sachs (WIVES).
The album’s 12 songs are set in present day New York City, packing in references to contemporary issues of algorithmic targeting, media gentrification, and the band itself. Watch BODEGA’s “Doers” Video
Zipping over from their native Detroit (and sold-out shows there), Protomartyr came back to Kalamazoo, Michigan to make up for a cancelled show that was dropped due to, what else, the pandemic.
Opening for them were some other Michiganders, the punky trio of Erik Nervous, who might have the greatest kick drum head ever designed.
They played a fun batch of post-punk, full of weird guitar riffs, pogo-inducing beats, and snappy bass. They even got in a fun jab at Protomartyr, referring to them as “Joy Division 2.0.”
Erik Nervous showing no stage fright whatsoever.
Protomartyr (who lead singer Joe Casey claimed to be “Back in, well, not fighting shape. More like competitive eating shape.”) packed in a good crowd, and were soon flooring everyone with their mix of post-punk, prog rock, spoken word riffs, angry shouts, and spooky chants – most of those, by the way, were provided by the one and only Kelley Deal joining them onstage to sing and play guitar and synths.
Standouts included “Cowards Starve,” which came out like a sermon from the end of a bar, “Jumbo’s” – a song about a bar, the crowd-favorite “Michigan Hammers,” “Processed by the Boys,” and a new track – “Graft V.”
Protomartyr letting us know that frightened people go hungry.
It was a solid show, and Mr. Casey and Ms. Deal were a pleasure to meet afterwards. Catch them live if you can. Protomartyr sound like no one else – live or otherwise.
Keep your mind open.
Joe Casey kept pulling drinks out of his suit jacket like a stage magician.
Today, Manchester, UK-based trio Mandy, Indiana unveil the video for “Bottle Episode,” the lead single from their debut EP, ‘…’ out digitally November 19th via Fire Talk Records (physically out December 10th). “When I first heard ‘Bottle Episode,’ the driving drum beat immediately spawned dizzying, restless images.We created visuals that matched the track’s chaotic energy by physically putting a camera through torment,” says director Max McLachlan.
The band elaborates: “A key element of the track is movement and finding interesting ways for the camera to move was an idea we thought was worth exploring. The shoot was all very improvised with extras fighting over a camera, launching it in the air, smashing it on the ground, and attaching it to a drill. The camera becomes as much the subject of the video as the people and locations.” Watch Mandy, Indiana’s Video for “Bottle Episode”
Valentine Caulfield (vocals/lyrics) and Scott Fair (guitar/production) met a couple of years ago when their respective previous bands shared a bill. Caulfield was drawn to Fair’s aspirations to write beyond genre, while Fair was instantly taken with the singer’s magnetic stage presence and harsh, visceral vocals delivered in her native French. The pair also enlisted Liam Stewart (percussion), a touring musician who’s powerhouse rhythmic presence compliments the pair’s vision—emphasizing raw energy and emotion over meticulous composition to create a singular cathartic experience. The songs on ‘…’ EP were recorded in a variety of spaces, from rehearsal rooms and home studios to cavernous industrial mills. Including new remixes by Daniel Avery and Club Eat, as well as previously released singles “Alien 3” and “Nike of Samothrace,” the EP finds Mandy, Indiana bridging the worlds of post-punk, noise, and industrial dance music to create their brutal pop sound.
Mandy, Indiana will play their first shows in the US at SXSW 2022 as part of the official lineup. Pre-order ‘…’ EP
Mandy, Indiana Tour Dates Sat. Nov. 20 – Salford, UK @ White Hotel # Fri. Nov. 26 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall % Fri. Dec. 3 – London, UK @ Electric Ballroom % Sat. Feb. 26, 2022 – Leeds, UK @ Dark Arts Festival March 14 – 20, 2022 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
# = supporting Part Chimp % = supporting The Horrors
Century Egg is a band of escape artists with a focus on playing visceral punk rock. Today the Halifax, Nova Scotia-based quartet are sharing their new single, “Moving On” which makes up the first half of a double A-side single release, the second of which will follow next month. The new track, released via Forward Music Group, marks the return of the band following their Bandcamp Daily and Exclaim-tipped EP, Little Piece of Hair which was released earlier this year (watch the video for “Do You Want To Dance?” here)
Following previous spots opening for the likes of Lido Pimienta – a self-proclaimed fan of the band with Robert Drisdelle, guitarist in Century Egg producing a track on her Polaris Prize-winning album, La Papessa – Partner, Julie Doiron, and more, Century Egg will be performing at Toronto’s Handlebar on November 14 and La Sala Rosa as part of M for Montreal (Mothland’s stage) on November 19 to celebrate the release of these new tracks. This new single, “Moving On” further cements their inspirations taken from Asian pop and rock artists such as Faye Wong, Jun Togawa, Spitz, Cui Jain, Pu Shu, along with the driving post-punk rhythm section and blistering guitar work taken from The Stooges, Thin Lizzy, etc.
Speaking about the new single, Century Egg says: “This is a song about trying to detach yourself from your past and let go of the trauma that holds you back from finally feeling better.”
Century Egg is made up of singer, Shane Song (she/her), bassist/backing vocalist, Matty Grace (she/her/they/them), guitarist, Robert Drisdelle (he/him) and drummer, Megumi Yoshida (she/her). Away from Century Egg, Song works as a visual artist/video game artist, Grace plays in numerous bands including Cluttered (tipped by Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!), Drisdelle plays and arranges with Lido Pimienta (amongst other projects) and Yoshida performs in Bad Vibrations, Dog Day, Not You and more.
Keep your mind open.
[Move on over to the subscription box while you’re here.]
[Thanks to Gabriel at Clandestine Label Services.]
London-based band Dry Cleaning continues their incredible year with a spring 2022 North American tour. Their debut album, New Long Leg, out now via 4AD, is one of 2021’s most praised albums thus far, championed by The New York Times, Pitchfork, New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly, and more. Since its release, the band has completely sold out their US fall run, which starts this Wednesday at Los Angeles’ Teragram Ballroom. The spring 2022 leg will see the band visiting many US cities for the first-time ever. Tickets for these shows will go on sale Friday, Nov. 12th at 12pm EST, but will be sure to sell out quickly, so the band is offering a pre-sale to all subscribers of their mailing list, which will be live Wednesday, Nov. 10th at 10am EST.. A full list of dates can be found below.
DRY CLEANING TOUR DATES (new dates in bold) Wed. Nov. 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom – SOLD OUT Thu. Nov. 11 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel – SOLD OUT Sat. Nov. 13 – Portland, OR @ Vitalidad Movement Arts Center – SOLD OUT Sun. Nov. 14 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theater – SOLD OUT Tue. Nov. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle – SOLD OUT Wed. Nov. 17 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle – SOLD OUT Fri. Nov. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel – SOLD OUT Sat. Nov. 20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel – SOLD OUT Sat. Nov. 27 – Nottingham, UK @ Nottingham Arena ^ Tue. Nov. 30 – Cardiff, UK @ Tramshed ^ Wed. Dec. 1 – Hebden Bridge, UK @ Trades Club – SOLD OUT ^ Thu. Dec. 2 – Norwich, UK @ Norwich Arts Centre – SOLD OUT ^ Fri. Dec. 3 – Brighton, UK @ The Dome ^ Wed. Jan. 19, 2022 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie * Thu. Jan. 20, 2022 – Lyon, FR @ Le Périscope * Fri. Jan. 21, 2022 – Milan, IT @ Circolo Magnolia * Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 – Bologna, IT @ Covo Club * Mon. Jan. 24, 2022 – Vienna, AT @ Chelsea * Tue. Jan. 25, 2022 – Prague, CZ @ Futurum * Wed. Jan. 26, 2022 Berlin, DE @ SO 36* Fri. Jan. 28, 2022 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen – SOLD OUT * Sat. Jan. 29, 2022 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow * Mon. Jan. 31, 2022 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje * Tue. Feb. 1, 2022 – Brussels, BE @ Orangerie, Botanique * Wed. Feb. 2, 2022 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord – SOLD OUT * Fri. Feb. 4, 2022 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown – SOLD OUT * Sat. Feb. 5, 2022 – Tourcoing (Lille), FR @ Le Grand Mix * Mon. Feb. 14, 2022 – Liverpool, UK @ Arts Club Theatre % Tue. Feb. 15, 2022 – Dublin, IE @ The Button Factory – SOLD OUT % Wed. Feb. 16, 2022 – Belfast, IE @ Empire Music Hall % Fri. Feb. 18, 2022 – Edinburgh, UK @ Summerhall – SOLD OUT % Sat. Feb. 19, 2022 – Glasgow, UK @, Queen Margaret Union (Venue upgrade) % Sun. Feb. 20, 2022 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club – SOLD OUT % Tue. Feb. 22, 2022 – Birmingham, UK @ The Mill % Wed. Feb. 23, 2022 – Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory % Fri. Feb. 25, 2022 – Manchester, UK @ Academy 2 – SOLD OUT % Sat. Feb. 26, 2022 – Sheffield, UK @ Leadmill % Sun. Feb. 27, 2022 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms – SOLD OUT % Tue. March 1, 2022 – Portsmouth, UK @ Wedgewood Rooms % Wed. March 2, 2022 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 – SOLD OUT % Thu. March 3, 2022 – London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town % Wed. March 30 – Leicester, UK @ O2 Academy & Thu. March 31 – Cambridge, UK @ The Junction & Fri. April 1 – Manchester, UK @ Strage Waves @ The Ritz Sat. April 2 – Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop & Thu. May 12 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern Fri. May 13 – Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Fairmount Sun. May 15 – Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom Tue. May 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church Wed. May 18 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall Thu. May 19 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar Fri. May 20 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Sat. May 21 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West Mon. May 23 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Tue. May 24 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Wed. May 25 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas Sat. May 28 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Palacio de los Deportes w/ Interpol
Released as a surprise to his fans and the world in general, Ty Segall‘s newest album, Harmonizer, has him embracing and exploring synthwave and krautrock after a forced-upon two-year hiatus (Screw you, pandemic!) from releasing new material – which, to the prolific Segall, must have felt like two decades.
Opening track “Learning” throws bright synths, processed beats, and 1980s keyboard blips together as an introduction to his new obsession. “Whisper” adds funky bass and scorching guitars to the mix as he sings about loss of identity through circumstances beyond one’s control (“Look into the mirror and see it. Who is it?”). The deep synths on “Erased” add even more menace to the dark lyrics about being drowned out in a sea of anger, rage, noise, and psycho-babble.
The title track blends the industrial synths and chainsaw guitars well and is another song about the complexities of language, communication, and the desire to be heard. It’s not hard to imagine this was how Segall was feeling during two years of not being able to tour or meet with his bandmates, let alone how a lot of us felt during the last election when fringe voices were given the forefront.
“Pictures” gets all sorts of synth-crazy for a while and then makes a right turn into synth-funk suitable for slow dances in a goth nightclub. Plus, the guitar solo on it is pretty damn cool. “Ride” introduces us to the character of Waxman, who is the subject of the following track and might be a frightening vision Segall had of his possible older years. It’s a heavy bass thumper that would probably melt wax if played at the right volume.
“All I want to do is play,” Segall sings at the beginning of “Play.” That probably sums up how he felt during self-isolation. It’s a neat cut to boot, flashing wild guitar and synth bass over a beat that hip hop DJs are probably stealing even now. “Feel Good” might be the most erotic track Segall’s ever written, and his wife Denée’s vocals on it are sexy yet distant. It’s a great post-punk track that sings of desire and lust but also tells you through its delivery that you might deserve neither. The album closes with the hopeful “Changing Contours” as Segall realizes that things might be turning around for him and the world (“And now it’s finally changing contours, and when I’m being, I am free. New perspectives seen. Now I’m breathing in all I see.”).
We shouldn’t be surprised that Segall recorded an album during lockdown, nor should we be surprised at how good Harmonizer is. The guy doesn’t seem to miss.
Keep your mind open.
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I don’t know if the title to Acid Dad‘s record, Take It from the Dead, refers to taking a physical object from the deceased or heeding their advice. It could be both.
The record, with its blend of psych-rock and post-punk, is a good time. The first track, “Searchin’,” lends some credence to the idea that the album’s title might be about imploring the dead for answers. “I’m lost, and I’m found. I’m still searchin’ for a sound,” sings co-guitarist Vaughn Hunt amid shiny synths and drum licks that are happily “stuck in the 70s.” “BBQ” brings in some heavy guns on the instruments and cool reverb on the vocals. It reminds me a bit of early Failure tracks.
“RC Driver” begins and ends with enough guitar for two albums. “She Only Eats Organic,” apart from having a fun title (and a not-so-hidden oral sex joke?), is a bit of a barn-burner with beats from Trevor Mustoe that barely rest for the entire track. Sean Fahey‘s vocals have a bit of a post-punk snarl to them on it. The psychedelic “Good Time” is as trippy as the album cover.
“Smile You’re on Camera” builds on a Peter Hook-like bass line and then drops in melting wax vocals. The cranked fuzz on “2 Face” boosts Hunt’s lyrics about wanting something more from a potential lover, but knowing he should tread lightly. The closing track, “Djembe,” with its Cure-influenced bass and Jesus and Mary Chain-influenced guitar, is a killer ending. It somehow oozes and shimmers at the same time, resulting in a space-rock guitars that blaze past you like a comet.
Take It from the Dead is one of those albums that will probably reveal more layers of itself every time you listen to it, which is a testament to its craftsmanship. We could use more bands making music this intriguing.
This was my first time seeing psych-rockers Acid Dad live, and even hearing a lot of their material, and my third time seeing Frankie and the Witch Fingersin as many months. Acid Dad were just in the first few dates of their tour, and Frankie and the Witch Fingers were nearing the end of theirs. Both bands came to play and to play hard at Ft. Wayne’s Brass Rail – a great dive bar venue downtown where any band playing there is practically in your lap.
Acid Dad
Acid Dad had the crowd jumping, and even moshing, before they were even halfway through their set. I liked their mix of psychedelic rock and post-punk and picked up their newest album afterwards.
Frankie and the Witch Fingers put on a killer performance as well, the best of the three I’ve seen. They upped the punk riffs in this one, and I’m starting to think it’s not an official show by them until their drummer is shirtless. They were also having a blast. They’re one of the most fun bands to see right now.
An official gig by Frankie and the Witch Fingers
Both bands will be playing at the Levitation Music Festivalin Austin, Texas on Halloween weekend, and both sets will be well worth your time. Check them out.
