In Gelli Haha’s latest single “Spit” – only S-words are allowed. The track has underground-club grit, with a strong, consistent bass line and strange electronic effects. On “Spit”, participation is encouraged and surrender is required. The accompanying music video, directed by David Gutel, features Gelli strapped to a spiraling operation board as Gelli Kompany scientists conduct a surreal experiment on her.
A shapeshifter, a sonic acrobat, a performer with one foot in the cosmos and the other in arthouse theatrics, Gelli Haha (pronounced Jelly-Haha) is a space for pure creative chaos that exists somewhere between Studio 54 and Area 51. Gelli’s music thrives on duality: playful but profound, tongue-in-cheek but sincere. Her debut album Switcheroo, out next month via Innovative Leisure, is the soundtrack to the Gelliverse, a sensory adventure sphere created by Gelli.
With a shared taste for off-kilter pop and vintage gear, producer Sean Guerin (of De Lux) joined Gelli in turning freshly-formed demos into a high-voltage experiment, abandoning meticulous structure for something freer and more electrifying. Every song on Switcheroo makes use of a myriad of recording toys; wacky analog effects, such as the Eventide Harmonizer, MXR Pitch Transposer, and various Electrix units, fashion an intentionally flawed and strictly silly texture throughout the album. Switcheroo is an exercise in letting go, an inside joke turned theatrical spectacle.
Slow Crush have announced their new album, Thirst, on which the dynamic four piece further cement themselves at the forefront of rock and shoegaze. On Thirst, Slow Crush’s dynamic textures, propulsive rhythms and gauzy riffs glow bright as ever, but this time with more grit. Today they’ve shared the album’s leading single and title track which emerges as the defining anthem. The band tell, “‘Thirst’ is about an unquenchable desire for what’s next, with focus on essence and balance. Not losing yourself in the ever-growing distractions that surround us. A yearning pulse for renewal, ‘Thirst’ ripples with a craving for something pure, something vital. It churns with an unrelenting drive, building an electrifying momentum that surges forward and breaks through, offering both release and rebirth.”
The past few years off the road have given Slow Crush space to breathe and create since the release of their two critically acclaimed albums, Aurora (2018) and Hush (2021), which have sold over several tens of thousands physical copies. When the time came to head into the studio, vocalist / bassist Isa Holliday, drummer Frederik Meeuwis, guitarists Jelle Ronsmans and Nic Placlé decamped to The Ranch in Southampton, U.K., to work with producer Lewis Johns with no expectations in mind, aside from a metamorphosis.
Thirst’s ten tracks are a thematic cascade of noise that echoes the end and bursts into new life. The riffs are heavier, the vocals are dreamier and more emotional than ever. Isa broke new ground in her vulnerability when while in the recording booth. There were several songs she couldn’t record without dissolving into tears – her deepest excavation of feelings yet.
Thirst’s overarching theme is what Isa describes as “the romance of being with a loved one”. Although being away from someone close for long periods might strain that bond at times, the return can feel glorious, the connection sparkling new again for a while. Slow Crush set out to capture the feeling of being tethered yet feeling weightless, absorbed in the surreal beauty of the quiet moments with someone.
Isa explains, “We want people to let themselves go and feel embraced by the music, so that they can experience it in 4D. That’s what we hear a lot from people who come to see us live, or people who’ve listened to our previous albums, is that we take them to another dimension. I think that’s something that we miss in this day and age with everything that’s going on in the world, making us very aware of everything outside, but not allowing us to just be in the moment as much as you should. We want to let people take a moment for themselves and let the music take them wherever they would like to go.”
Thirst sees its release August 29 via Pure Noise Records, their first for the label. Slow Crush are set for a headlining Fall run which kicks off on the East Coast in early September and covers both coasts, the midwest and more. Tickets are on sale now. See below for a full list of dates and artwork.
Slow Crush Live Dates: May 23: Sniester Festival – Den Haag, NL May 24: Eastfilly fest – Ostfildern, DE May 30: Dunk fest – Gent, BE Jun 21: Blender fest – Kortrijk, BE Jun 27: Resurrection fest – Viveiro, ES Jul 05: Breakout festival – Berlin, DE Aug 07: Brutal Assault – Okruzni, CZ Aug 08: Void fest – Waldmunchen, DE
Sep 04: Allentown, PA – Arrow Sep 05: Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry Sep 06: Boston, MA – The Sinclair Sep 07: Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg Sep 09: Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz Sep 10: Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground Sep 11: Detroit, MI – El Club Sep 12: Chicago, IL – Reggie’s Sep 13: Indianapolis, IN – HiFi Sep 14: St. Louis, MO – Duck Room Sep 16: Fort Worth, TX – Tulips Sep 17: Austin, TX – Radio/East Sep 19: Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom Sep 20: Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom Sep 21: Oakland, CA – Crybaby Sep 23: Seattle, WA – El Corazon Sep 24: Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre Sep 26: Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge Sep 27: Denver, CO – Marquis Theatre Sep 29: Kansas City, MO – RecordBar Oct 01: Nashville, TN – The ’58 Oct 02: Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade Oct 03: Durham, NC – The Fruit Oct 04: Richmond, VA – The Broadberry Oct 05: Washington, DC – Union Stage
Durand Jones & The Indications — the trio of DurandJones, AaronFrazer, and BlakeRhein— announce a fall North American tour and release “FlowerMoon,” the second single/video from their forthcoming album, Flowers out June27th on DeadOceans. On the heels of a successful European headline run which included shows supporting LennyKravitz, the band’s expansive tour includes some of their largest shows yet, with stops in NewYork, Chicago, LosAngeles, Toronto, and more. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 25th at 10am local time. A full list of dates is below, with tickets and further information available here.
Following lead single “BeenSoLong,” praised by Rated R&B as a “petal-soft tune [that] rides with the smoothness of an early ’70s soul jam,” “Flower Moon” guides listeners to an end-of-night dancefloor with Frazer’s trademark falsetto on full display. Reflecting on the track, Jones says: “It felt right to release ‘Flower Moon’ with this record. Spring is here and the flowers are blooming everywhere. We really wanted to catch that essence of the song and bring it to life for the listener. Also the Flower Moon is happening in a few weeks, so everything just seemed aligned to bring this song to our fans. It’s a feel-good tune to enjoy with friends or a loved one.” The song’s accompanying video was directed by AlecBasse.
On Flowers, The Indications’ fourth album and first since 2021’s “disco and funk infused” (Billboard) PrivateSpace, the group leaned into a particular desire to return to their roots in a Bloomington basement, a space where they first found camaraderie in gritty funk and Southern soul that would inspire their self-titled debut. Just as they did on that 2016 release, The Indications prioritized close-knit collaboration while creating Flowers. Much of the self-produced album was written together at Rhein’s Chicago home studio, and many tracks are based on one-take demos — proof that vibes were particularly high, each member pulling from their refined tool kits with ease.
Reflecting a strong sense of the band’s maturation and conviction, the 11 songs that make up Flowers are grown and sexy, fit for cruising, and delight in the softer side of soul and disco. “All of these songs touch on such mature topics, things that we never got to sing about before,” says Jones. “We are all in our 30s, have all been through ups and downs in our personal lives and professional lives, and flowers are a sign of maturity, growth, spring, productivity.” Frazer adds: “We took the spirit of play that started the project, and added in the wisdom and lessons we’ve acquired through the years.”
Durand Jones & The Indications Tour Dates (New Dates in Bold) Fri. July 4 – East Sussex, UK @ Love Supreme Jazz Festival Sun. July 6 – Ewijk, NL @ Down The Rabbit Hole Sun. July 6 – Werchter, BE @ Werchter Festival Park Thu. Sept. 11 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * Fri. Sept. 12 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theater * Sat. Sept. 13 – Abiquiú, NM @ Blossoms & Bones Mon. Sept. 15 – San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre * Tue. Sept. 16 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater * Thu. Sept. 18 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse * Fri. Sept. 19 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl * Sun. Sept. 21 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club * Tue. Sept. 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer * Fri. Sept. 26 – Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues * Sat. Sept. 27 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall * Tue. Sept. 30 – Indianapolis, IN @ HI-FI Annex * Wed. Oct. 1 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed * Fri. Oct. 3 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre * Sat. Oct 4 – Fort Collins, CO @ Washington’s * Sun. Oct. 5 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot * Tue. Oct. 7 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * Fri. Oct 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre * Sat. Oct. 11 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl * Thu. Oct. 23 – Del Mar, CA @ The Sound * Fri. Oct. 24 – Sacramento, CA @ Channel 24 * Mon. Oct. 27 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom * Tue. Oct. 28 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom * Wed. Oct. 29 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo * Fri. Oct. 31 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory * Sat. Nov. 1 – Bozeman, MT @ The ELM * Mon. Nov 3 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue * Tue. Nov 4 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom * Wed. Nov 5 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall * Fri. Nov. 7 – Toronto, ON @ The Concert Hall * Sat. Nov 8 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre * Sun. Nov. 9 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Ballroom * Tue. Nov 11 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall * Wed. Nov. 12 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel * Fri. Nov. 14 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s * Sat. Nov. 15 – Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater * Sun. Nov. 16 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues *
For the past decade, the New Orleans band Lawn has thrived on the palpable chemistry between co-lead singers and songwriters Mac Folger and Rui De Magalhaes. Though each boasts distinct sensibilities—Folger’s songs are breezy, jangly, and personal while De Magalhaes’ are biting and propulsive post-punk—they’ve seamlessly blended their idiosyncratic styles over three unassailable indie rock full-lengths, while becoming a fixture in a thriving New Orleans scene, and sharing stages with artists like Momma, Hovvdy and Omni.
De Magalhaes had moved to Chicago following the release of the 2022 Bigger Sprout, and released an acclaimed solo LP under the name Rui Gabriel via Carpark Records, which earned praise from folks like Pitchfork, Stereogum and Paste, but Lawn, despite recently uniting in New Orleans, have been quiet.
Today, following the announce of a recent run of tour dates with Momma, the band are announcing their return, signing to Exploding In Sound and sharing their first new music since their 2022 LP, a single called “Sports Gun.”
Engineered by Greg Obis (of Stuck) at Chicago’s Palisades Studio and mixed by Dave Vettraino (Dehd, Deeper), “Sports Gun” simmers with intensity thanks to its pummeling bass riff, layers of feedback-laden guitars. It’s galvanizing, loud, and unrelenting.
De Magalhaes says of the track:
“Sports Gun is supposed to be written from the point of view of a coach/parental figure who
pushes the subject to their absolute limit without regard for them otherwise. It came from a shortstory I wrote pre-pandemic. The idea was that any trauma – long or short term notwithstanding -would only be implied, if that, and that we only get to experience the narrative through a very thin, biased lens. It’s a frail attempt at writing something inspired by Julio Cortazar, but I still thought it fit the drive of the song. It is supposed to be more about the lengths some people go to accomplish something, conflating happiness with ambition, and overall being inept at being content.
I knew that we were going to an actual studio this time around, so we built the song around the idea that it would sound “heavier” for us. We had wanted to record with Greg [Obis] and really loved the sound he was getting from his own music, so we were open to the notion of layering as much noise as we could. The original demo had a slightly different beat and I sort of rapped the lyrics. Once we got into the studio and everyone started adding their own take, I just went for the yell instead.”
Baltimore-born and Hamburg/Berlin-based, Sophia Kennedy shares new single ‘Imaginary Friend’ where she explores what it means to let go of a persona you’ve created yourself. Taken from new album Squeeze Me out 23rd May via City Slang, which follows the release of DJ Koze’s album Music Can Hear Us where Sophia is featured on two tracks. “Imaginary Friend is a song that has come a long way. It’s gone through many different stages to become what it is: a pop song”, Sophia says. “The song is also about a kind of transformation or metamorphosis of the different stages of coping with grief. It is about longing for reality and saying goodbye to an imagined idea of a person. Memories and longing can become obsessions, the imagined friend becomes an enemy. The decision to let go is therefore a liberating blow.” Director Timo Schierhorn said on making the video, “I’m not only a huge fan of Sophia Kennedy’s future-predicting pop songs, I also deeply admire her unique acting abilities. When we began developing ideas for the video, it quickly became clear that she needed a very specific kind of stage — something massive, hard to control, and a little bit dangerous. So we rented a 5.8-ton lift and moved it within just two millimetres of a three-million-euro glass facade. It gave her a performance space suspended 24 meters above the ground, where we could only communicate by radio.” He adds, “Cinematographer Tom Otte filmed from inside a shopping mall, through layers of glass, as Kennedy performed between six and nine characters in a single take. Every take was brilliant, but we had to choose just one. I still wonder who she was looking at. Far in the background, always present: the Atlantic.”
Stripped down compared to her previous works, Sophia embraces her talent for catchy melodies with pop appeal and psychedelic flourishes on Squeeze Me. A cinematic quality runs through the entire album’s 10 tracks — it’s no surprise, given Kennedy once studied film. Rigor and beauty, humor and melancholy, fatalism and strength – Squeeze Me inverts everything about Sophia Kennedy, echoing the album cover. Either she or the rest of the world is upside down, depending on each of our perspectives. More focused and more pop than ever, Squeeze Me is Kennedy’s most cohesive album, perhaps even a kind of artistic manifesto. It’s a multilayered, self-assured statement that thrives despite—or perhaps because of—all the inner and outer crises around and across it. Squeeze Me doesn’t ignore the world outside but instead counters it with one of its own—one we somehow recognize but have never glimpsed quite this way before.
Following her self-titled debut (2017, Pampa Records), a radiant dance between the glamour of the Great American Songbook, electronic textures, and clubland influences, earning her international acclaim, Kennedy released her second album, Monsters (2021, City Slang), and delved deeper into surrealism and transcendence. Now on Squeeze Me, Kennedy and her long-time musical collaborator and co-writer Mense Reents sketch a more disillusioned commentary on the status quo of the world at large. The complexity of interpersonal relationships, questions of power dynamics, and the quest for self-determination —longstanding themes for Kennedy—run as a cohesive narrative throughout the album.
More minimalist than her previous works, Squeeze Me brims with Kennedy’s gift for catchy melodies with a certain pop appeal and psychedelic hues: repetitive piano chords, shimmering synth bass lines, strangely flickering choirs, and even a scream set the sonic stage. The songwriting on Squeeze Me thrives in its stark simplicity, finding beauty in paring back. Over the hum of an organ and steady drum-machine beats, Kennedy casts off a stale, supposed dream state with irresistible charm and effortless cool. Sophia will play her second ever London show on 19th November at Shacklewell Arms – her first was almost 8 years ago in 2017. Tickets on-sale now.
Squeeze Me is out 23rd May via City Slang Records Pre-save / Pre-order
Tour Dates May 30th DE – Neustrelitz – Immergut Festival October 8th DE- Cologne- Bumann & Sohn October 9th DE-Offenbach – Hafen 2 October 10th DE-Stuttgart – Merlin October 11th CH-St. Gallen – Palace October 13th DE-Munich – Kranhalle October 14th AT-Vienna – Flucc October 15th DE-Dresden – Tonne October 16th DE-Leipzig – Conne Island October 19th DE-Berlin – Lido October 25th DE-Hamburg – Knust
Toronto psych-rock experimentalists LAMMPING return with “Never Never,” a full-tilt collaboration with Montreal rockabilly legend Bloodshot Bill, out May 6 via We Are Busy Bodies. The track supports their upcoming album Never Never, set for release on June 27, which marks the first installment of an ambitious four-album journey that will span genres, collaborations, and sonic time-travel over the next year.
After remixing Badge Époque Ensemble’s Clouds Of Joy album, Lammping’s Mikhail Galkin found himself re-immersed in the kind of sample-heavy hip-hop production he’d explored years earlier under the name DJ Alibi. Drawing on a style rooted in early ’90s East Coast rap but layered with live instrumentation and offbeat textures—somewhere between Pete Rock and The Avalanches—Galkin began blending those techniques into Lammping’s heavy psych-rock foundation.
The spark for Never Never came when the band reached out to Montreal rockabilly legend Bloodshot Bill, whose voice—gritty, elastic, and totally distinctive—felt like the perfect wildcard. The two had crossed paths over a decade earlier, and when Bill came to Toronto for a show, they booked a quick session. One track turned into three, and the album took shape around Jay Anderson’s breakbeat-style drumming, live jams, and flipped samples.
“‘Never Never’ was the first song that came out of this series of sessions, and it felt like a reset,” says Lammping producer Mikhail Galkin. “I was getting back into sampling, digging through records, pulling loops, then flipping them into songs. There are certain voices that always stood out to me. I always liked Bloodshot Bill’s voice and how he manipulates it and felt it would be a really cool instrument, so to speak, to feature on our stuff. It’s pretty harsh at times, but then he can drop it super low when needed. It generally has this animated feel.”
Originally built around a saxophone loop unearthed by bandmate Jay, the song became a springboard for collaboration. “I think the loop was kinda mischievous and rhythmically interesting, and it was recorded quite hot so it had a little bit of distortion. BB gravitated to it and used it as a springboard to write the song. He also shares a love of ’80s rap—when we were driving in his car, he had LL Cool J, Run DMC and Ultramagnetic MCs playing and all that, so it made sense that this project happened.”
Layer by layer, guitars, drums, and other samples were stirred into the mix, resulting in a gritty, genre-bending track that feels both chaotic and strangely cohesive. “I feel like BB is almost rapping on it,” Galkin adds, “but it still doesn’t become a hip-hop track. How weird the result became is what I love about the songs—I never get tired of it.”
Paired with a hallucinatory video directed and edited by Galkin himself, “Never Never” acts as a portal into the first chapter of Lammping’s upcoming 4 part series—a celebration of psychedelic music, hip-hop, the DIY punk aesthetic, and unfiltered creativity. It’s a record that doesn’t just reference influences, it inhabits them with total sincerity.
Today Swedish italo disco / synthpop duo Sally Shapiro share new single “Did You Call Tonight” from their upcoming album ‘Ready To Live A Lie’, which is due May 30th via Italians Do It Better.
On the track, the band said “Microcheating is the theme of this new single. Musically it’s inspired by 80s electro breakbeat, a bit slower and funkier than our usual style.”
Made up of producer Johan Agebjörn and an anonymous female vocalist who uses the pseudonym Sally Shapiro; the duo are known for their dreamy, melancholic sound and nostalgic homage to 1980s Italo disco and gained international recognition with their debut album Disco Romance (2007), which was then followed by My Guilty Pleasure (2009), Somewhere Else (2013) and their debut for Italians Do It Better Sad Cities (2022).
The name “Sally Shapiro” has always referred to both the duo, as well as the enigmatic anonymous singer whose real name is something else. But “Sally” is also a third entity: the fictional character singing about her love stories. It’s now been 18 years since Sally Shapiro’s debut album Disco Romance, that took influences from italo disco and indie pop with a naive and youthful flavor, as if everything “Sally” did was to “walk in the moonshine thinking about my love affairs”, as she once put it.
Ready To Live A Lie may, however, be the duo’s darkest album yet. The lyrics have shifted from the euphoria of first love to exploring “Sally’s” struggles in long-term relationships—love triangles, boredom, resentment, and the lingering sense of loneliness.
Ready To Live A Lie is out on Italians Do It Better on May 30th and includes the duo’s acclaimed Pet Shop Boys cover Rent.
Taking inspiration from synthwave, italo disco, nudisco, indie pop and bossanova, the album becomes their fifth studio album & their second for Italians Do It Better – again mixed together with label founder Johnny Jewel (Chromatics, Glass Candy, Desire).
Sally Shapiro’s forthcoming album ‘Ready To Live A Lie’ is now available for preorder on vinyl 2LP (pink vinyl or transparent electric blue vinyl), CD and digital from their Bandcamp page.
The Beths — the New Zealand-based quartet of vocalist Elizabeth Stokes, guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck — announce signing to ANTI- and release the new single/video, “Metal.” “Metal” is the first taste of new music from the band since the release of 2023’s Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe), the expanded version of their beloved 2022 album.
Following Liz Stokes’s recent, sold–out solo show at Largo in Los Angeles with special guests Courtney Barnett and Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords), The Beths announce a world tour across North America, the UK and Europe this fall. The band returns to the U.S. for the first time since playing Coachella, Bonnaroo and Newport Folk Festival, and supporting The National, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service in 2023-2024. They’ll headline some of their biggest venues to date including The Wiltern in Los Angeles, The Fillmore in San Francisco, The Salt Shed in Chicago, Brooklyn Paramount in New York City, Union Transfer in Philadelphia, 9:30 Club in Washington, DC and more. Tickets go on sale Fri. May 2 at 10am local and are available here.
Today’s single “Metal” was born out of a time of rigorous touring, mental health struggles, and several diagnoses for Stokes. “In some ways ‘Metal’ is a song about being alive and existing in a human body,” she explains. “That is something I have been acutely aware of in the last few years, where I have been on what one might call a ‘health journey’. For parts of the last few years, I kind of felt like my body was a vehicle that had carried me pretty well thus far but was breaking down, something I had little to no control over. All of the steps in the Rube Goldberg machine of life are so unlikely, and yet here we are in it. I have a hunger and a curiosity for learning about the world around me, and for learning about myself. And despite all the ways that my body feels like a broken machine, I still marvel at the complexity of such a machine.”
“I can hold that knowledge in one hand, and yet with the other hand I can point to my reflection and just be like ‘you are shit’. Or ‘ugly’. Or ‘worthless’. I can reliably respond to any suggestion that I might be able to achieve any small thing with ‘no’. And these are variations of the ‘short word’ referenced in the song.”
Sonically, the track sees The Beths fully embracing jangle rock. Stokes says, “There was a propulsion to the acoustic strumming pattern on the original demo. Tristan’s drums meet that feeling so perfectly, the feeling of a train pushing up the tracks. Jonathan got to play his Burns 12 string guitar as sparkly as he wanted, and Ben as usual can’t be contained to the lower register. I think we ended up with an arrangement that embodies the frenetic intricacy of an engine in action. There’s a lot going on, until there isn’t.”
2023’s Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe) expanded 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). The third studio album from The Beths, Expert In A Dying Field 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, made their U.S. television debut on CBS Saturday Morning, and performed a NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, The Beths are undeniably one of the most exciting indie rock bands to emerge in recent memory.
The Beths Tour Dates: Thu. Sept. 18 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory Sat. Sept. 20 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall Sun. Sept. 21 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 TV Studio Mon. Sept. 22 – Leeds, UK @ Project House Wed. Sept. 24 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy Thu. Sept. 25 – Birmingham, UK @ XOYO Fri. Sept. 26 – London, UK @ Roundhouse Sat. Sept. 27 – Brighton, UK @ CHALK Mon. Sept. 29 – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix Tue. Sept. 30 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo Wed. Oct. 1 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Fri. Oct. 3 – Cologne, DE @ Kantine Sat. Oct. 4 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Sun. Oct. 5 – Hamburg, DE @ Krust Tue. Oct. 7 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan Wed. Oct. 8 Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene Thu. Oct. 9 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset Sat. Oct. 11 – Berlin, DE @ Lido Sun. Oct. 12 – Munich, DE @ Strom Mon. Oct. 13 – Zurich, CH @ Plaza Wed. Oct. 15 – Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz 2 Thu. Oct. 16 – Madrid, ES @ Nazca Fri. Oct. 17 – Lisbon, PT @ LAV Thu. Oct. 30 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel* Fri. Oct. 31 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse * Sat. Nov 1 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl * Mon. Nov. 3 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio At The Bomb Factory * Tue. Nov. 4 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s * Thu. Nov. 6 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * Fri. Nov. 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern * ^ Sat. Nov. 8 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore * Wed. Nov. 12 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades * Fri. Nov. 14 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom * Sat. Nov. 15 – Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre * Sun. Nov. 16 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom * Tue. Nov. 18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall * Wed. Nov. 19 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre * Fri. Nov. 21 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman * Sat. Nov. 22 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre * Sun. Nov. 23 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed (Indoor) * + Tue. Nov 25 – Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron * Wed. Nov. 26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre * Fri. Nov. 28 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall * Sat. Nov. 29 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre * Tue. Dec. 2 – Boston, MA @ Royale * Wed. Dec. 3 – Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall * Fri. Dec. 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount * # Sat. Dec. 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer * Tue. Dec. 9 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club *
Montreal based multidisciplinary artist Annie-Claude Deschênes returns with new single “Main de Fer“, out now via Italians Do It Better & Bonsound.
On “Main de Fer”, Annie-Claude Deschênes fuses minimal techno with avant-garde to trigger a disorienting exploration through emotional isolation. An invisible grip engulfs the mind and erases the contours of the self, leading to a silence where breath is extinguished as the soul dissolves in the shadow of control. Its disturbing soundscapes and fragmented textures challenge the blindness of the self and others, offering us the opportunity to free ourselves from our inhibitions in a controlled chaos.
As a key figure on the Montreal independent music scene for the last two decades, she has left her mark as a performer & visual artist with Duchess Says & PyPy; two bands that are renowned as much for their electrifying live shows as they are for their artistic sensibilities. Always forward, her exploratory approach takes her into uncharted territory with her debut as a solo artist. The urgency that characterises her work remains, but frustration & aggression give way to introspection & vulnerability.
Over the course of her career, Annie-Claude Deschênes shared the stage with a number of renowned bands, including The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, The Black Lips, The Hives, The Hot Snakes & Buzzcocks, among others. Her debut solo album titled ‘LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE’ was released last year via Italians Do It Better & Bonsound.
Emerging from London’s underground music scene, The Sick Man Of Europe is distinctly monochrome in its outlook. Each note counts in this climate – economical but played with absolute precision and conviction. Propelled forward by machines and seeking solace in repetition. There are echoes of the post-punk and European art rock pioneers at the cusp of the 80s, but re-tooled for the present. The same fears. Looking for answers or something to believe in, but finding more questions in an age of absolutes.
Today we announce the debut set-titled album from The Sick Man of Europe, which is set for release June 20th via The Leaf Label and the lead single/video “Obsolete” is out now.
The Sick Man Of Europe demo tape arrived in a brown manila envelope accompanied by a short typewritten letter. Information was limited but what was clear, from the name, the imagery and typography, right through to the music – the project arrived almost fully formed. Minimal, but with a strong eye for the right detail.
On the eponymous debut album, that eye is focussed firmly on the battle between the internal and the external; the tensions between human identity, technological advancement and the pursuit of meaning in the modern world. “Where does the machine end and humanity begin?” TSMOE asks. “Can we transform ourselves in an increasingly impersonal world? Every day we feel the pressure to adapt and fit in, but that’s often at odds with our need for solitude and self-reflection. That’s where this record comes from.”
The Sick Man Of Europe name connects the current post-Brexit landscape to the austerity of Thatcherite Britain and the social conditions that shaped the likes of Bauhaus and Joy Division. These are touchstones for TSMOE, but the influence and discipline of Neu!, Suicide and Swans are just as intrinsic to the sound. Produced as a reaction to previous musical projects, TSMOE was looking for clarity and complete control in its creative endeavours. It’s consciously anti-rock in its recorded approach – no low-end bass guitar, minimal effects and no live drums. Dedication to the craft of focussed song writing rather than attempting to follow current production trends.
Lead single “Obsolete“ was the first track produced under these self-imposed restrictions. “There’s nothing more human than the fear of the inevitable and we’re reminded of it everywhere we look,” TSMOE explains. “As the relentless pace of progress takes over, everything we’ve ever made is retired so quickly in the name of endless growth. At what point do we become obsolete?”
The term ‘the sick man Of Europe’ has been associated with many nations over the years, having first been coined by Tsar Nicholas I to describe the Ottoman Empire in 1833, and has been used more recently as a label for the UK, Greece and Germany. It means something different depending on when and where you grew up, and the music of TSMOE holds that same ambiguous power. The debut album is a timely release as cold war maps are re-drawn and geopolitical tensions ramp up. TSMOE is a global citizen of an increasingly fractured world.
The Sick Man Of Europe will be released on black vinyl and as a limited edition of 300 on ‘Sanguine Red’ vinyl for sale through indie shops and on Bandcamp. The album follows the release of the Moderate Air Quality EP on cassette in February, and the EP tracks are included on the CD version of the album.
The Sick Man Of Europe accompanied Snapped Ankles on their recent UK tour, and will be performing widely over the course of this year with more dates to be announced soon.
Tour dates: Fri 16 May – Alternative Escape, Brighton UK Sat 17 May – In Colour Festival, Leeds, UK Sat 2 Aug – Multitude Fest, Milton Keynes, UK Sat 26 Jul – Deershed Festival, North Yorkshire, UK Sat 2 Aug – Multitude Fest, Milton Keynes, UK Sat 30 Aug – Manchester Psych Fest, Manchester, UK 23-25 Oct – Left Of The Dial Festival, Rotterdam, NL
