Dinosaur Jr. announce 2017 tour dates.

Alt / grunge rock legends Dinosaur Jr. have announced tour dates for 2017 in support of their new album Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not.  Catch ’em if you can!

DINOSAUR JR. TOUR DATES (new dates in bold)
Sat. Dec 10 – North Adams, MA @ MASS MoCA
Thu. Jan. 12 – Sydney, Australia @ The Metro w/ Luluc
Fri. Jan. 13 – Newstead, Australia @ The Triffid
Sat. Jan. 14 – Miami, Australia @ Miami Tavern
Sun. Jan. 15 – Byron Bay Nsw, Australia @ The Northern
Wed. Jan. 18 – Perth, Australia @ The Capitol
Thu. Jan. 19 – Adelaide, Australia @ The Gov
Fri. Jan. 20 – Thornbury, Australia @ The Croxton
Sat. Jan. 21 – Thornbury, Australia @ The Croxton
Mon. Jan. 23 – Auckland, NZ @ The Studio
Thu. Jan. 26 – Nagoya-Shi, Japan @ Club Quattro Nagoya
Fri. Jan. 27 – Tokyo, Japan @ EX Theater Rappongi
Mon. Jan. 30 – Osaka-Shi, Japan @ Club Quattro Osaka
Thu. Mar. 9 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
Fri. Mar. 10 – Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall
Sat. Mar. 11 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
Sun. Mar. 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Mon. Mar. 13 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
Thu. Mar. 16 – Bloomington, IN @ Bluebird
Fri. Mar. 17 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
Sat. Mar. 18 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
Sun. Mar. 19 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
Wed. Mar. 22 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
Thu. Mar 23 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom
Fri. Mar. 24 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
Sat. Mar. 25 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Tue. Mar. 28 – St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
Wed. Mar. 29 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
Thu. Mar. 30 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theatre
Fri. Mar. 31 – Jacksonville, FL @ Mavericks
Sat. Apr. 1 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Keep your mind open.
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Tim Darcy of Ought to release solo album in February 2017.
“If ‘Tall Glass Of Water’ is meant to be a song of himself, as it were, Darcy visualizes it in terms that would be familiar to Walt Whitman, and that are consistent with the concept of Saturday Night: As an artist, he contains multitudes.” — NPR Music‘s “Songs We Love”
There’s a line in “Tall Glass of Water,” the lead single off Tim Darcy’s debut solo album, Saturday Night, where Darcy asks himself a rhetorical question: “if at the end of the river, there is more river, would you dare to swim again?” He barely pauses before the answer: “Yes, surely I will stay, and I am not afraid. I went under once, I’ll go under once again.” That river shows up again and again in the lyrics of Saturday Night. It’s about how wonderful it can be to feel in touch with that inner current. It’s about how good it feels to make art, and how terrifying; how you don’t always get to choose whether you’re swimming or drowning as we grow and move through life, just that you’re going to keep diving in. That’s the impulse that links all the songs on Saturday Night.

Each track on Saturday Night is woven to the next in a winding, complex journey through a charged, continuous present. Darcy’s unmistakable, commanding voice and lyrical phrasing are, as they are in Ought, vital to the entire affair. He over-enunciates. He whoops and croons. He makes damn sure you know there are no tossed-off lines here. At the same time there is an evident softness in these songs and an accompanying musicality. While there are moments that take their strength in sparseness, Darcy is unafraid to paint in economic technicolor as his wry lyricism floats nimbly upon chorused guitars and the occasional synthetic artifact.

The album title comes in part from the nights and weekends when it was recorded: a six month period that overlapped with the recording of Ought’s second album where Darcy gathered with friends to record in the storage room of a commercial studio in Toronto. The result sounds like a person exploring his voice in a room full of people he trusts: joyful, shot through with struggle, unfakeably honest. Intimate and rollicking as a house show, delicate as a late-night phone call.

Born in Arizona, Tim Darcy made his way to both Colorado and New Hampshire before ending up in Montreal where he found university, the city’s rich DIY scene, and the other members of Ought. He began writing poetry as early as the third grade and performed often, and his first attempts at songwriting were him feeling around in the dark to set some of them to music. In Montreal, he played in various projects, his and others, before settling into a groove as the singer and guitarist of Ought.

Tim Darcy’s Saturday Night is out February 17th via Jagjaguwar. All iTunes preorders come with an instant grat download of debut single, “Tall Glass of Water,” presented today with the video directed by Jonny Look. Darcy and band will tour North America throughout February and March (all dates are below).

Watch Tim Darcy’s “Tall Glass of Water” Video — 
https://youtu.be/MbgPiAGspB8

Saturday Night Tracklisting:
1. Tall Glass of Water
2. Joan Pt 1, 2
3. You Felt Comfort
4. Still Waking Up
5. First Final Days
6. Saturday Night
7. Found My Limit
8. Saint Germain
9. What’d You Release?
10. Beyond Me
11. Joan Pt 3 [HIDDEN TRACK]

Tim Darcy Tour Dates:
Mon. Feb. 13 – Hudson, NY @ Half Moon
Wed. Feb. 15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Fri. Feb. 17 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake
Mon. Feb. 20 – London, UK @ Lexington
Tue. Feb. 21  – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Wed. Feb. 22 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
Thu. Feb. 23 – Rennes, FR @ La Route Du Rock D’hiver
Fri. Feb. 24 – Paris, FR @ Olympic
Sat. Mar. 4 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
Mon. Mar. 6 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
Tue. Mar. 7 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
Wed. Mar. 8 – Washington, DC @ The Black Cat
Thu. Mar. 9 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
Fri. Mar. 10 – Raleigh, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Sat. Mar. 11 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover
Sun. Mar. 12 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Sat. Mar. 18 – Dallas, TX @ Not So Fun Wknd
Mon. Mar. 20 – Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
Wed. Mar. 22 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
Thu. Mar. 23 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
Sat. Mar. 25 – Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar

Pre-order Tim Darcy’s Saturday Night –
timdarcy.lnk.to/saturdaynight

Foreign Family Collective releases two new singles from electro artist Golden Features.
ODESZA’s Foreign Family Collective has unveiled its latest release with a double A-Side from Australian producer Golden Features aka Tom Stell. Wolfie/Funeral marks two years since Golden Features self-titled debut EP and a year since his last EP, XXIV.

“Wolfie” started as a lullaby for Stell’s nephew (for whom the song gets its title from) and ended up evolving into an ambient, atmospheric production featuring vocals from Julia Stone. The track is layered with velvet beats and gloomy synths creating delicate, headphone-worthy dance music. In contrast, “Funeral” delivers heavy, infectious and dark tones with a pulsating rhythm boasting incredible production and originality.

Foreign Family Collective founders, Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight of ODESZA, comment on discovering Golden Features, “Two and half years ago we played our first show in Australia where we were introduced to one of the most unique and forward thinking producers we’ve ever met. That person was Golden Features. Golden’s tracks are dark, brooding, and impressively detailed. He’s already made a name for himself in the Australian music scene and now we’re proud to say we’re bringing him into the family. “Wolfie” and “Funeral” exhibit his diverse range in production and songwriting. One’s blissfully nostalgic and the other is a dance party in hell.”

Since exploding onto the scene in 2014, Golden Features has become known for his genre-bending sound, collaborating with some of the biggest names in electronic music including Porter Robinson, Bixel Boys and What So Not. 2015 saw Golden Features sell out his Australian headline tour, hit the U.S. festival circuit with stops at HARD Summer, CRSSD and Holy Ship and join Alison Wonderland on her U.S. tour. Now with “Wolfie” and “Funeral,” we’re reminded why Spotify named Golden Features an Artist To Watch in 2016.

STREAM GOLDEN FEATURES’
“WOLFIE (FEAT. JULIA STONE)”/“FUNERAL”:
http://foreignf.am/wolfie-funeral

Rewind Review: D:Fuse – People 2: Both Sides of the Picture (2003)

Recorded live and without edits in Austin, Texas, D:Fuse’s People 2: Both Sides of the Picture is an outstanding double-album of house and ambient, chill and trance music. Disc 1 is entitled People Chilling and is nothing but chill music from D:Fuse and some of his favorite artists. Subtech’s “Piano Heaven” is a particularly good downtempo track that is still danceable. Joy’s “Timewave Zero” is over ten minutes of slow groove house that turns into an acid lounge track. Kaskade’s “Be There” has a sweet xylophone and hand percussion groove. D:Fuse plays three of his own tracks on the “Chilling” half of the album. The first is “Indecision,” on which he teams with Blueletter to bring a funky house dance mix that doesn’t get too heavy. The second is the club mix of “Everything with You,” and the third is a great chill-out version of “Blue Skies.”

Disc 2 is People Clubbing and starts with a grade fade-in on Scanners’ (featuring D:Fuse, no less) “Music Is About You.” “Is it trance? Is it house? Does it matter?” they ask. The answer: It doesn’t. Just get out there and shake your groove thing. Abraham Bam Boogie’s “Deep Satisfaction” is a sharp house mix. D:Fuse returns, along with Joy, on “House Sound of the Future.” It has a great classic rave vibe to it that takes me back to the early 1990’s and dancing in an abandoned high school gym. Liam Kennedy’s “dirtbag remix” of “Evaporate” has some sweet synth bass that kicks in about a third of the way through the tune. D:Fuse and Shane Howard’s “Wash” has even more of it. The hand percussion on Nathan Profitt’s “There Is Hope” is wicked and brings a tribal urgency to the song.

It’s a good double album. One side is good for making out, the other for dancing. One can always lead to the other, right?

Keep your mind open.

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Live – Earthless, Ruby the Hatchet, Marmora – Chicago,IL – December 02, 2016

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Imagine you flew from Guatemala to Chicago to see a band and they only played four songs (including the encore), but you were ecstatic by the end of the show.  This is what happens at Earthless shows.

My friend, Paul, and I went to see Earthless, Ruby the Hatchet, and Marmora at the Empty Bottle.  It was my third time seeing Earthless and Paul’s first.  We hadn’t seen either of the opening acts.  Paul and I are big fans of Earthless and their mostly instrumental cosmic rock, and the Empty Bottle (which was sold out) would be the smallest venue in which I’d seen them so far.

We met a couple who drove in from Wisconsin to see them for the first time.  We all talked about the number of songs we’d get to hear from Earthless.  They played four the first two times I saw them, so Paul and I were betting on at least three.  The couple from Wisconsin hoped for four, and they were correct.

First up were Marmora – a Chicago four-piece that blended stoner rock with punk.  Paul knew we were in for something groovy when their lead guitarist came out wearing a “Got blunt?” T-shirt.

img_4144
Marmora – rocking hard despite having a rough day at the office.

Marmora had been through a rough day.  The lead singer had screwed up his ankle, they mentioned having some sort of vehicle trouble earlier, they accidentally set their gear in dog poop while loading the van, the drummer’s foot pedal broke (thankfully, they had another), and the lead singer broke a string on his guitar.  They put on a good set despite all that, and their rhythm section is particularly good.

Ruby the Hatchet put on a fine set of witchcraft rock with song titles like “Pagan Ritual” and “The Unholy.”  They have a great organ player who brings a cool 1960’s vibe to their power.  Their lead singer commands a room and her hand gestures as she soaks in the band’s sound might as well have been learned from Dr. Strange.

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Ruby the Hatchet casting spells on all of us.

Earthless walked on stage with no muss or fuss.  They said hello and then unleashed.  A brother-sister duo from Guatemala were next to me and told me how they’d come to the States to follow Earthless on their current tour.  They were big fans of stoner / doom metal.  The brother, David, told me he’s been reaching out to stoner metal bands in hopes of convincing them to tour in Guatemala, where there is no stoner metal scene according to him.  He and his sister had a great time, although his sister couldn’t understand why the audience wasn’t dancing more.  “American audiences are so fucking stiff,” she told me.

She probably changed her mind by the time a fight broke out in a mosh pit started by some dude high and / or drunk out of his mind.  I saw her grab the guy by the face while he was being dragged out by fans and security.  Earthless, meanwhile, were too busy detaching the roof from the Empty Bottle and rocketing into space to notice or care.  All three of them were on fire, but I must mention that this was the hardest I’ve seen drummer Mario Rubalcaba play so far.  He beat his kit like it stole his skateboard.

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That’s not a disco ball above Earthless. It’s a small moon they pulled down from the heavy gravity of their set.

Their first song, “Uluru Rock,” was 25 minutes long.  The second, “Violence of the Red Sea,” was 15.  The third, “Sonic Prayer,” was a half-hour.  They came back on for a quick encore – a blazing cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown” that lasted under five minutes and left everyone stunned.  “I liked them before,” Paul said.  “I like them even more now.”

Walking back out into the low 30’s weather after getting our faces melted was jarring, but it felt great.  We’d been elevated.  I’ve always said that Earthless chose that name for their band because their music can’t be confined to this planet.  They proved that again in Chicago.

Keep your mind open.

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A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service

a-tribe-called-quest-we-got-it-from-here-thank-you-4-your-service-cover-art

Hip hop legends A Tribe Called Quest (Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Q-Tip, Jarobi White) have returned after a long hiatus, the Paris bombings of 2015 (which happened the night of their appearance on The Tonight Show), and the death of Phife Dawg with perhaps the best rap album of the year – We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service. The two-disc album is loaded with guest stars like Andre 3000, Jack White, Elton John, Kendrick Lamar, Talib Kweli, Kanye West, and Busta Rhymes and is a great send-off for Phife (who named the album before his death). It’s a bit tough to hear Phife’s everyman flow knowing he’s left us, but he went out on a high note.

The album starts with “The Space Program,” which encourages all of us to “get it together to make somethin’ happen.” Smooth synth grooves and a looped Vincent Price laugh from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” back even smoother rhymes about the 99% of us looking out for each other while the 1% run away with everything. “We the People…” is a scathing rant against gentrification. “Guilty pleasures take the edge off reality,” Q-Tip says in a verbal backhand to all of us who bury our heads in our phones and TV screens to ignore the harsh reality for many around us.

“Whateva Will Be” starts with a Rudy Ray Moore sample (“Girl, this motherfucker’s got rhythm!”), so it’s an instant win, and a triple play when you add Phife’s flow and Muhammad’s killer cuts and beats. Speaking of killer cuts and beats, Muhammad gives a master class on “Solid Wall of Sound” as he twists, warps, and reforms Elton John’s “Benny and the Jets” (with Sir Elton playing and singing the classic track, no less) like it’s Play-Doh. He does it again on “Dis Generation,” sampling Musical Youth’s “Pass the Dutchie” and some jazz guitar while Phife, White, Q-Tip, and Busta Rhymes move around the song with effortless flow.

“Kids…”, a song about the illusions we have as teenagers, and often continue to have as adults, starts with rhymes from Andre 3000 and sounds like an Outkast tune with its simple beats and distorted chorus (“Kids, don’t you know that all that shit is fantasy?”). “Melatonin” has a great funky swagger. “Enough!!” ends the first half of the album. While the title could be a summary for everyone’s feelings on 2016, it’s a bit of a slow jam seduction as the Tribe flirt with foxy ladies and wonder if they’re doing enough to land them.

The second half starts with “Mobius,” bringing popping beats and warped loops with it. “Black Spasmodic” has a reggae groove, which isn’t surprising when you consider ATCQ have often acknowledged their reggae and dub influences. “The Killing Season” goes after the rash of violence against black youth in the country, and the low, creeping bass line throughout it underlines the seriousness of the issue. “Lost Somebody” continues the conversation. We’ve all lost somebody, some from illness, some from age, some from violence.

“Movin Backwards” is about surging forward when life pushes you backward. White’s opening rhymes give way to soul vocals by Anderson Paak and then the synth beats fade in and get your head bobbing. The low-end synths on “Conrad Tokyo” remind me of John Carpenter tracks, but Phife’s strong rhymes are classic Quest. “Ego” is another song about illusion; particularly ones our egos create. “Ego has no ending, has people pretending…This is the last Tribe and our ego hopes that you felt us,” Q-Tip says. We have. This record makes it impossible not to feel what they’ve done.

The album ends with “The Donald,” and you might think it’s about Donald Trump, but it’s actually a loving tribute to Phife. Every line from Busta Rhymes in the beginning namedrops him, and all of Q-Tips lyrics pay tribute to him (i.e., “You speak wicked every verse.”). Phife’s name is the last lyric on the album. It’s a great way to end a great record.

This is one of those albums that everyone wanted, but didn’t realize how much until they heard it. It begs multiple plays just to hear all the great beats and to attempt to catch all the wicked lyrics. It was in my top 10 of 2016 after the first listen.

Keep your mind open.

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Gary Wilson – It’s Christmas Time with Gary Wilson

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Gary Wilson releasing an album of original Christmas music? No standards? I’m there. I’m there all through the holiday season.

After a brief introduction that features cackling geese, Wilson’s distorted voice repeating “holiday” over and over, and warped synths, It’s Christmas Time with Gary Wilson brings “A Christmas Tree for Two.” Wilson sings about buying a silver Christmas tree for his love. “I don’t wanna cut down a Christmas tree. It makes me sad when it starts to bleed,” Wilson sings. Would you expect Gary Wilson to have anything but a swanky reflective tree with a spinning multi-colored light under it?

“I Saw Santa Dancing in the Dark” has Wilson singing about his eager return to his hometown (Endicott, NY) and taking his girl to the famous (to him and his fans) north side pool before a return home for drinks and dancing, but the mysterious Linda is “crying in the park.” Will Gary’s date go as planned? Here’s a hint: It rarely does.

As evidenced on “A Sled Ride Tonight,” in which Wilson’s been dumped during the Christmas season and all he wanted was to take his lady on a sled ride. It’s a song that would fit on any of his records, let alone a Christmas album. The chaotic synth instrumental “The Snow” is a perfect musical accompaniment to the hypnotizing, weird visuals you get when looking at blowing snow in the headlights of your car at 2am. “Holiday” is a jaunty tune in which Wilson tells his girl he’s going to introduce her to “the chromium clown.” It might be a bit creepy, but the song is nothing but bouncy lounge fun.

It wouldn’t be a Gary Wilson album without him singing about his lost loves, and “Cindy Wants to Cry” certainly qualifies. Don’t miss the nice saxophone work and quirky percussion while he sings, “Linda wants to cry, Karen wants to cry, Cindy wants to cry on Christmas.”

“Wintertime in Johnson City” has Wilson excited about yet another upcoming date, but he admits that Johnson City is “a town that has no pity” and knows that she might not show up. Meanwhile, “It’s Snowing in Endicott.” “Sounds so nice, so sad,” Wilson says at the beginning of the tune. The town is forever linked with Gary Wilson, as are its painful memories known only to him. He has his house and Christmas tree ready, doing his best to cut through the gray skies and loneliness. Maybe he’ll get his Christmas wish this year, but you doubt it.

Wilson’s girl doesn’t make it to his house because she’s “Lost in the Snow.” He can’t find her, yet again, but he never gives up hope. This never-ending optimism is one of the best things about Wilson’s music. There are themes of loss, loneliness, and bad luck, but he always gets up from the couch after another lonely night in Endicott. He never gives up hope of a fun Friday night with Linda, Karen, Cindy, or others.

There’s wonderful jazz lounge piano in “She Danced Near the Frozen Lake.” “Let’s take a walk into outer space,” Wilson sings on “A Date for New Year’s Eve.” I can’t imagine a better way to start 2017 than that. I don’t know what Wilson’s going to with the “pound of baking flour” he mentions buying in the song, but I’m sure it will end up everywhere. Check out one of his live shows and you’ll understand.

“Santa Claus Is Coming to My Lonely Town” keeps hope alive once more. Wilson’s met a new girl he kissed on the planet Mars. Is this after Santa Claus conquered the Martians? He’s brought Wilson’s wish list and it’s all walks in the park, kisses in outer space, beautiful snow, and every night being Friday night. It’s a wish list we’d all take and far better than more junk you’ll hate in four months.

The album closes with the instrumental “Lonely Holiday,” linking it back to the beginning of the record. The Christmas spirit, like Wilson’s perpetual optimism and search for love, should last all year.

Keep your mind open.

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Failure offer “Fantastic Planet Live” through PledgeMusic campaign.

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1990’s shoegaze / alt-rock maestros Failure have begun a PledgeMusic campaign to offer a live album from their October 2016 tour (which, sadly, I missed).  They played their outstanding album Fantastic Planet in its entirety and chose the best versions of each song from the tour for this live record.

In case you don’t know, Fantastic Planet is one of the best records of the 1990’s and a masterpiece of engineering.  You deserve to hear it, so jump on this campaign before all the signed stuff is gone.

Keep your mind open.

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Pitchfork Music Festival 2017 tickets go on sale tomorrow.

THE PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL 2017 ANNOUNCES HOLIDAY SALE
BEGINNING NOVEMBER 28, 2016JULY 14-16, 2017 AT CHICAGO’S UNION PARK
The Pitchfork Music Festival will return to Chicago’s Union Park next summer for its twelfth year. The 2017 event will run from Friday, July 14 through Sunday, July 16. This year, the festival is announcing a holiday sale beginning Monday, November 28. A holiday 3-day pass will be available to purchase for $140 for a short amount of time. Once those are gone, three-day passes will be on sale for the regular price of $165. Single day tickets will be available for $65. A layaway option for regularly priced three-day passes will also be offered, where you will be able to pay the $165 price over three installments. This offer will expire on March 1.

The Pitchfork Music Festival continues to be one the world’s most welcoming and exciting festivals, consistently dedicated to striking a balance between discovery and celebration. Stay tuned for the lineup announcement, as well as much more from Pitchfork Music Festival 2017!

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE BEGINNING NOV. 28 —  www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com 

Pitchfork is the most trusted voice in music. Over the last 20 years, Pitchfork’s online magazine has defined how music is covered in the digital era, leading The New York Times to call it “the most prominent brand in online music journalism” and TIME Magazine to recognize it as one of the world’s 50 best websites. In addition to setting a new standard in music coverage, Pitchfork has developed a global reputation for its music festivals. Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival has been held every year since 2006, and in 2011, Pitchfork launched Pitchfork Music Festival Paris, bringing its vision of the live music experience to Europe. In 2015, Pitchfork was acquired by Condé Nast, joining a family of brands that includes The New Yorker, Wired, and GQ, among many others, enabling growth in the U.S. and beyond.

Visit www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com and www.facebook.com/pitchforkmusicfestival for more information. Follow @pitchforkfest for the latest news, announcements and exclusive content.

Keep your mind open.

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Electro duo Kllo release new single and upcoming tour dates.

KLLO SHARES “WALLS TO BUILD” (MALL GRAB REMIX)
https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/walls-to-build-mall-grab-remix-1 ON TOUR NOW IN SUPPORT OF WELL WORN EP;
DATES WITH RÜFÜS DU SOL & NAO

“They’re poised to attract a ton of attention stateside.”
– NYLON (“The 7 Breakout Stars Of Summer 2016”)“a pleasant and fluid pop tune that blurs lines between R&B and two-step”
– Pitchfork“a velvety, warm, and comforting soundscape”
– The FADER

Melbourne duo Kllo’s much anticipated new EP, Well Worn, came out back in August on Ghostly International (North America), Different Recordings/PIAS (UK/Europe/Japan) and Good Manners Records (AU/NZ/ROW). In just 3 months since release it has amassed over 10 million Spotify plays and established the group as one of the most exciting new electronic prospects. Today the band shares Mall Grab’s rework of “Walls To Build,” one of the lead singles from the EP.Handpicked by Kllo, up-and-coming Australian producer Mall Grab adds a driving bass beat while altering the pace of the original, injecting some space into the song to emphasize its depth. He’s effectively managed to turn Kllo’s smart pop into low light R&B, showcasing the duo’s wide, cross-genre appeal.

Guided by the ghosts of UK garage and like-minded strains of underground dance music, the original “Walls To Build” melds Simon Lam‘s synth lines with Chloe Kaul‘s vapor-trailed verses; “Bolide” sets a skittish beat against a clipped chorus: and the one-two punch of “Sense” and “On My Name” build a couple piano-laced ballads from a pillowy sound bed of laid-back loops and lovelorn melodies. “Don’t Be The One” is deceivingly simple as well, bringing the record to a close alongside a rubbery, elusive rhythm and a growing sense of tension and release. Catchy, yes, but also compelling enough to leave us all longing for the pair’s inevitable LP.

Things happen so fast these days that Kllo barely had a Facebook page or a proper song before a wave of interest began to build around their breakthrough EP, Cusp. What a telling record title; in the year since its release, cousins Lam and Kaul have played sold-out shows and festival slots throughout Australia (Dark Mofo, Splendour in the Grass and Melbourne Music Week among many others) and overseas (The Great Escape, Primavera Sound), racked up millions of plays on Spotify, and landed on several Artists to Watch lists.

The duo is currently on their first ever world tour taking them across Europe with RÜFÜS DU SOL and NAO and North America with RÜFÜS DU SOL again later this month. To cap off the year, they’ll make their New York City live debut at Baby’s All Right on December 8th. A full list of dates is below.

STREAM KLLO’S “WALLS TO BUILD” (MALL GRAB REMIX):
https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/walls-to-build-mall-grab-remix-1
LISTEN & WATCH:
“Bolide” stream – https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/bolide
“Bolide” video – https://youtu.be/NYd4t5uINNY
“Bolide” (Lone Remix) stream – https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/bolide-lone-remix
“Walls To Build” stream – https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/walls-to-build
“Walls To Build” video – https://youtu.be/PmiygZRFtvo
“Sense” video – https://youtu.be/kSPETjXwLOA
KLLO TOUR DATES:
Wed. Nov. 16 – Hamburg, DE @ Knust (w/ NAO)
Thu. Nov. 17 – Berlin, DE @ Berghain/Panorama Bar (w/ NAO)
Thu. Nov. 24 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial (w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL)
Fri. Nov. 25 – Seattle, WA @ The Neptune (w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL)
Sat. Nov. 26 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom (w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL)
Wed. Nov. 30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore (w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL)
Thu. Dec. 1 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore (w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL)
Fri. Dec. 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern (w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL)
Sat. Dec. 3 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box (w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL)
Sun. Dec. 4 – Los Angeles, CA @ Multiply
Thu. Dec. 8 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right

“Walls To Build” (Mall Grab Remix) artwork