Do your ears a favor and click on over to Noisey where you can hear Mass Gothic’s self-titled album (in its entirety!) a full seven days before release.  Mass Gothic comes out next Friday, February 5th, and the band’s previously announced 2016 headlining tour in support of the album begins Thursday, February 4th in Philadelphia at Johnny Brenda’s and currently ends March 19th in Austin at SXSW. (See dates below.)

Noisey says of the album, “Don’t let the name Mass Gothic trick you into thinking the record is a spiral into sadsackism. Each song carries its own weight unreliant and wholly different from the track that came before it, creating a collection of different modes of music and feeling. Songs like “Nice Night” carry an unwavering heaviness and compliment the reflective nature of the lyrics, while the track “Territory” creates a variety of different electronic textures that all stay dancy and catchy. The record is a trip into a variety of different vibes and reasons to listen to music, forming into a wholly memorable and engaging listen. It warps what you think pop, rock, and punk can do when bleeding into each other, one song to the next (see album premiere January 29th-February 5th).”

Mass Gothic also recently shared an official video for “Every Night You’ve Got To Save Me”, the iridescent lead single.  This exuberant visual, directed by Addison Post (Colleen Green, Solvey), follows group members Noel Heroux and Jessica Zambri on a night out in Manhattan.

Village Voice had this to say about the video: “The four-minute clip follows Heroux as he wanders Chinatown, the East Village, and SoHo, karaoke mic in hand, lip-syncing to the track and going nowhere in particular. Along for the ride are his bandmate (and wife) Jessica Zambri, some random passerby, a few cab drivers, and Sub Pop co-founder Jonathan Poneman…The laid-back feel of the video matches the content (if not the upbeat sound) of the song, which covers Heroux’s feelings of alienation and depression when he was making music that didn’t resonate within. Mass Gothic is an honest record, and its lead single needed an honest video where Heroux could exhale and act naturally”. Watch the video here.

Mass Gothic was also named one of Vulture’s  “20 Artists You Need To Know in 2016” and said: “Noel Heroux started off working alone on a four-track, and after nine years and mild success with his old band, dance-rockers Hooray for Earth, he’s gone back to the way he used to do things. This became a necessity, really — a way of dealing with his depression — but the results capture something quintessential about the emotional experience at hand: There are definite highs, and there are definite lows on his self-titled debut as Mass Gothic for Sub Pop. Sometimes Heroux, who’s accompanied at turns by his wife Jessica Zambri, sounds like he’s trying to kick down the doors of his own brain with the sheer force of distorted riffs and heavy echoes and sharp turns. Other times, he’s just trying to shake off the bad stuff with a dance party where the playlist’s almost exclusively synth-pop.”

Meanwhile Q Magazine had this to offer: “Tracks such as the exhilarating “Nice Night” - layered stinging distortion - offer a cathartic energy that’s it’s hard not to be pulled in by. Other highlights include the crisp modern doo-wop of “Every Night You’ve Got To Save Me” an the pulsating digital clatter of “Want To Bad”. The sound of a man finding freedom, it’s an impressive reincarnation.”

[Photo Credit :: Shawn Brackbill]

Mass Gothic will be available on CD / LP / CASS / DL worldwide February 5th through Sub Pop. The self-produced effort was mixed Chris Coady (Beach House, TV on the Radio) and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound.  Preorder is available now from Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp, and Google Play.  LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited “Loser” edition on banana yellow while supplies last (and they’re going fast!).

Tour Dates

Feb. 04 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s*
Feb. 05 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop*
Feb. 06 - Chicago, IL - Schuba’s Tavern*
Feb. 08 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry*
Feb. 11 - Boise, ID – Neurolux*
Feb. 12 - Seattle, WA - Columbia City Theatre*
Feb. 13 - Portland, OR - Bunk Bar*
Feb. 14- San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop*
Feb. 16 - Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg*
Feb. 18 - Denver, CO - Lost Lake*
Feb. 19 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room*
Feb. 21 - Louisville, KY – Zanzabar*
Feb. 22 - Cincinnati, OH - MOTR Pub*
Feb. 23 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Café*
Feb. 25 - Allston, MA - Great Scott*
Feb. 26 - Providence, RI - Columbus Theatre*
Feb. 27 - Brooklyn, NY – Palisades*
Mar. 10 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
Mar. 12 - Savannah, GA - Savannah Stopover
Mar. 16 - Austin, TX - SXSW
Mar. 17 - Austin, TX - SXSW
Mar. 18 - Austin, TX - SXSW
Mar. 19 - Austin, TX – SXSW
*w/ Mazed

Find ticket links right over here.