So Pitted just premiered their official video for “feed me,” a standout from neo (their Sub Pop debut!). The visual, directed by Eleanor Petry, is loosely inspired by Jane Child’s late 80s pop classic (+ video) “Don’t Wanna Fall In Love.”
LNTV had this to say of “feed me”: “[Drummer/vocalist Liam] Downey stars as a tour guide of sorts, leading us around Seattle by the neon glow of corporate signs and skyscrapers. The uneasy clip…is a not-so-subtle nod to Seattle’s rapid, irreversible growth.
“Downey roams Seattle’s streets and meets a lot of people, casually defiling things as he goes. When he briefly rejoins his bandmates in a barren lobby, it’s clear that fierce and apocalyptic apathy is the their preferred form of communication (see premiere March 9th).”
So Pitted’s neo is now available on CD / LP / DL / CASS worldwide from Sub Pop. So Pitted’s neo is available for purchase from Sub Pop Mega Mart,iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp and Google Play. LP preorders of neo through megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited “Loser” edition on white vinyl.
So Pitted is in the midst their first European tour, which resumes tonight, March 9th in Brighton,UK at Green Door Store and ends March 12th in Berlin, DE at West Germany. The band will then return to the U.S., for a series of shows in Austin, Texas for SXSW 2016 (March 18 - 20) and the remainder of their March tour. Highlights include:She Shreds Day Party at Studium (March 18th /1pm); Sub Pop Showcase at Blackheart Bar (March 18th / 11pm); FLOOD Day Party at Cedar Street Courtyard (March 19th / 1pm). (current tour dates below.)
neo has garnered praise from the likes of Pitchfork, FLOOD, Consequence of Sound, The Stranger, Seattle Weekly, Seattle Times, DIY, The Guardian, Uncut, Drowned in Sound, Brooklyn Vegan, Impose, Loud & Quiet, The Skinny, CLASH and more.
What people have said about So Pitted: “Minimalist force is what Seattle punk band So Pitted does. They excel at it. On neo, their debut, the trio sound like the proverbial (mechanical) bull in a china shop—except that bull is intentionally there to fuck up some fine dinnerware and is determined to have a hell of a time doing it.” - Pitchfork
“Catharsis and candor are embedded in these explosive tracks. So Pitted tap into the void that the likes of Black Flag and Nirvana looked into and saw themselves in.” - Consequence of Sound
“It’s grimy and tormented all right, but intent on subverting the many adolescent cliches and connotations that come with grunge.” - The Guardian
“Maddeningly loud, loosely formed, disgusting like a romantic weekend trip down the local sewers.” - DIY
“Their primal, scrappy rock and roll scrapes all optimism from your soul until you just don’t care about anything anymore.” [8/10] -Drowned In Sound
“…A barbed tarpit of sound.” - Loud & Quiet
“Snotty, snarling and belligerent.” - Uncut
“neo is part debut-album, part audio assault.” [4/5] - Upset
“It’s early in the year to make this sort of claim, but we can say with confidence that in ten months’ time you’ll be looking back on neo as one of 2016’s best debuts, by some distance.” - The Skinny
“…A raucous, inspiring noise, the buzzsaw melody is matched to wailing feedback - imagine Bikini Kill set against early Mary Chain and you’d probably be in the same ballpark.” - CLASH
“Quite simply, neo is noise rock like nothing else.” - London In Stereo
“…Making a name for themselves with a sneery, warped, post-apocalyptic punk sound and wild stage show.” - Brooklyn Vegan
“…Buzzing with nausea and excitement. [rot in hell] burns with the urgency of the music you need to make or you’ll crumple, music you’d be making whether other people heard it or not.” - Impose
“So Pitted are poised to start a riot that’s very much their own.” -Record Collector
“The triad has haunted Seattle’s DIY underground since 2010, sometimes playing three shows a week (seemingly re-dying their hair a different color for each), honing an incredibly loud, atonal style of neo-grunge, equal parts confusing and enthralling. Koewler plays her guitar through a bass amp to achieve the band’s defining metallic low-end scuzz. Rodriguez, plucking out chaotic leads on his heavily effected guitar, barks unintelligibly feral screeds into a microphone so hard that his veins often look as though they’ll pop. Downey usually performs with self-fashioned pipe-cleaner antennae sticking out from his head. He occasionally switches places with Rodriguez to mumble his own strange songs, a left-field take on ’80s New Wave filtered through a filthy meat grinder.” - Seattle Weekly
“Boldly going where no rock band has gone before—and fucking around a bit, too.” [“Breaking” feature] - FLOOD
Tour Dates Europe Mar. 09 - Brighton, UK - Green Door Store Mar. 10 - Lille, UK - La Peniche Mar. 11 -Brussells, BE - Homeplugged Mar. 12 - Berlin, DE - West Germany
SXSW / Austin, TX Mar. 18 - She Shreds Day Party @Studium / 2108 Rosewood Ave. (1pm) Mar. 18 - House Show / 9402 Rowlands Sayle Rd (4:30pm) Mar. 18 - Sub Pop Showcase @ Blackheart / 86 Rainey St. (11pm) Mar. 19 - FLOOD Showcase @ Cedar Street Courtyard / 208 W 4th St (1pm) Mar. 19 - Beeswax Booking & Hive Mind PR Day Party @ Wonderland / 1104 E 6th St (2:30pm) Mar. 20 - Beerland / 711 Red River St (9pm)
Northwestern US Mar. 23 - 27 - Boise, ID - Treefort Music Fest Mar. 26 - Missoula, MT - The Palace** Mar. 27 - Spokane, WA - The Bartlett** ** w/ Diarrhea Planet
Noisey had this to say of “Brass Not Rash”:“A catchy post-punk gem that dips in and out of its own melody when it damn well sees fit. It comes off like a petulant nod to Les Savy Fav: shouty, affirmative and brainy (see track premiere April 27th).”
The Gotobeds have scheduled North American shows from April 28th through July 17th to support of Blood // Sugar // Secs // Traffic. These dates will include stops in Detroit, Brooklyn, Toronto, Montreal, DC, Boston, and more. Additional live dates to be announced soon. (Tour dates below.)
The Gotobeds’ Blood // Sugar // Secs // Traffic will be available on CD/LP/DL/CASS worldwide June 10th through Sub Pop, and is available for preorder now at Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon, Google Play,Bandcamp, and independent retailers near you. LP preorders will receive the limited “Loser” edition on baby poop yellow vinyl.
The 11-track album, featuring “Real Maths/Too Much” and the aforementioned “Brass Not Rash,” was produced by the band and Matt Schor in their friend My War Matt’s basement, and mastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering.
More on The Gotobeds by Protomartyr’ Joe Casey: Hey, what’s this? Well that, my friend, is the newest album from The Gotobeds, entitled Blood // Sugar // Secs // Traffic. It’s their second full-length LP and their first for Sub Pop. Whoa, whoa, please slow down. I’m already completely lost. What you just said sounded like a stream of complete gibberish. Okay, I’ll lay it out for you and if you have any questions could you yell them at me? SOUNDS GOOD. The Gotobeds formed vaguely around 2009 in Pittsburgh and play a mutant strain of rock music that is often filed under punk, indie rock, or 99-cent discount bin. WAIT, THE GOTOBEDS? I HEARD THEY WERE KNUCKLEHEADS! Only if the knuckle is the part of the human body that contains the brains. Much like their previous releases on underground stalwart labels like Mind Cure and 12XU, this new album artfully slips intelligence and experimentation into a dying art form. It’s a harder feat than you’d think. [read at Sub Pop].
Tour Dates Apr. 28 - Columbus, OH - Big Room Bar Apr. 29 - Detroit, MI - Donovan’s Pub Jun. 11 - Brooklyn, NY - Northside Festival Jun.18 - Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox Jul. 06 - Bloomington, IN - the Bishop Bar Jul. 08 - Madison, WI - the Frequency Jul. 11 - Toronto, ON - Drake Hotel Jul. 12 - Montreal, QC - Le Divan Orange Jul. 13 - Allston, MA - Great Scott Jul. 14 - Portsmouth, NH - 3s Artspace Jul. 15 - Providence, RI - Aurora Jul. 17 - Washington, DC - DC9
Yeah, it’s us! Sub Pop will release Wolf Parade’s Apologies to the Queen Mary: Deluxe Edition, a reissue of the group’s acclaimed first album, worldwide on 3xLP/DL May 13th. The reissue features the original album, now as a double LP, along with the band’s pre-Sub Pop, self-titled EPs (released in 2003 and 2004), both of which are making their vinyl debut. The package features new artwork and includes the previously unreleased track “Snakes on the Ladder” from the Apologies… sessions. (There will also be a cassette version of the remastered original album (without bonus tracks) available on May 13th.) The album was remastered for this release by the band’s longtime associate Harris Newman at Grey Market Mastering. The reissue of Apologies to the Queen Mary: Deluxe Edition comes on the heels of Wolf Parade’s recently-announced 2016 reunion.
[Photo Credit : Shawn McDonald]
New to Wolf Parade? We made this handy Beginner’s Guide playlist just for you!
Wolf Parade’s late spring-summer touring kicks-off with a series of residency shows in New York (May 17th-21st; Sold Out), Toronto (May 24th-28th; Sold Out), and London (June 14th-15th). They’ve also scheduled the following international headlining club and festival appearances: Tavaista in Helsinki (June 10th); Best Keep Secret in Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands (June 17th-19th); Gridlock Festival in Halifax (July 10th); Ottawa Bluesfest (July 16th); WayHome Music and Arts Festival in Oro-Medonte, Ontario (July 22nd-24th); Montreal’s Osheaga Festival (July 29th - 31st) and aftershow at The Corona Theatre (July 29th); Pickathon in Happy Valley, Oregon (August 4th-6th); Seattle’s Neptune Theatre (August 7th). (complete tour dates are below.)
Apologies to the Queen Mary: Deluxe Edition is now available for preorder at Sub Pop Mega Mart, Wolf Parade.com, Amazon and Bandcamp. The limited Loser Edition 3xLP set will come on pink, blue, and peach-colored vinyl, and is now available to pre-order at megamart.subpop.com, the band’s web store and at select independent record stores (while supplies last).
Wolf Parade – Spencer Krug, Dan Boeckner, Arlen Thompson, and Dante DeCaro – formed in Montreal in 2003. After the aforementioned self-titled EPs, the group released Apologies to the Queen Mary to much acclaim in September 2005, on Sub Pop. The album was recorded by Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock and engineer Chris Chandler at Audible Alchemy in Portland, Oregon. The album was an entirely collaborative effort, barreling headfirst and breathlessly through songs written during Wolf Parade’s early years together as a band. The album has sold over 100,000 in the U.S. alone.
LP 1 A1. You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son A2. Modern World A3. Grounds For Divorce A4. We Built Another World B5. Fancy Claps B6. Same Ghost Every Night B7. Shine A Light B8. Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts
LP 2 C9. I’ll Believe In Anything C10. It’s A Curse D11. Dinner Bells D12. This Heart’s On Fire
LP 3 A1. Disco Sheets A2. Lousy Pictures A3. Modern World A4. Wits or a Dagger A5.Secret Knives A6. Dinner Bells B7. Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts B8. We Built Another World B9. Grounds for Divorce B10. It’s a Curse B11. The National People’s Scare B12. Killing Armies B13. Snakes on a Ladder
Tour Dates
May 17 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom [Sold Out] May 18 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom [Sold Out] May 19 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom [Sold Out] May 20 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom [Sold Out] May 21 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom [Sold Out] May 24 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace [Sold Out] May 25 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace [Sold Out] May 26 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace [Sold Out] May 27 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace [Sold Out] May 28 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace [Sold Out] Jun. 14 - London, UK - Scala Jun. 15 - London, UK - Scala Jun. 16 - Helsinki, FN - Tavaista Jun 17-19 - Hilvarenbeek, NL - Best Kept Secret Fest Jul. 10 - Halifax, NS - Gridlock Festival Jul. 16 - Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Bluesfest Jul. 22 - 24 - Oro-Medonte, ON - WayHome Music and Arts Festival Jul. 29 - 31 Montreal, QC - Osheaga Festival Jul. 29 - Montreal, QC - The Corona Theatre (Osheaga Festival Aftershow) Aug. 04 - 07 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Aug. 07 - Seattle, WA - The Neptune
[Photo Credit: Shawn Brackbill / Icebox Project Space at Crane Arts Philadelphia]
Beach House’s previously announced “Installation Shows” for April and May will go on sale Thursday, April 7th at 11am (local time) and will be available from the band’s website right over here. These unique shows are interspersed throughout the group’s 2016 headlining spring tour in support of Thank Your Lucky Stars and Depression Cherry.
The remaining “Installation Shows” will be held in art spaces, galleries, community centers, and various alternative venues in the following cities: Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. Venues will be announced 24-48 hours before each show for those who have purchased tickets.
Each show will have Beach House performing in their original formation (as a duo), within a special installation the band created for this tour. A majority of the material will focus on tracks from Thank Your Lucky Stars, Devotion, and their self-titled debut. Images from previous installations shows can be viewed here: http://nyti.ms/1N5mKF9.
Beach House’s 2016 North American and European tour schedule resumes Saturday, April 9th in Dallas at the Bomb Factory and has now been extended through August 27th-28th at FYF Music Fest in Los Angeles.
Depression Cherry (released Aug. 28, 2015) is the second consecutive top 10 album for Beach House, coming in at #8 on theBillboard Top 200 chart, and spent 5 weeks at #1 on the CMJ Top 200.
Thank Your Lucky Stars (released October 16th, 2015) entered at #38 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and peaked at #5 on the CMJTop 200 chart.
2016 Tour Dates
Installation Shows (All venues TBA) Tickets on sale Thursday, April 7th at 11am (local time) Apr. 10 - Austin, TX Apr. 21 - Los Angeles, CA Apr. 26 - San Francisco, CA Apr. 29 - Portland, OR May 03 - Seattle, WA
For links and more on the “Installation Shows,” please visit beachhousebaltimore.com. Theatre / Club Performances Apr. 09 - Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory Apr. 11 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at Moody Theatre [Sold Out] Apr. 13 - El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls Apr. 14 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre [Sold Out] Apr. 17 - Indio, CA - Coachella [Sold Out] Apr. 19 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy &Hariett’s [Sold Out]* Apr. 20 - San Pedro, CA - Warner Grand Theatre [Sold Out] Apr. 24 - Indio, CA - Coachella [Sold Out] Apr. 28 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom [Sold Out] Apr. 30 - Vancouver, BC - The Vogue [Sold Out] May 04 - Seattle, WA - The Paramount Jun. 01 - Bordeaux, FR - Theatre Barbey Jun. 03 - Barcelona, ES - Primavera Sound Jun. 05 - Nimes, FR This Is Not a Love Song Jun. 06 - Nantes, FR - Stereolux Jun. 07 - Toulouse, FR - Bikini Jun. 10 - Porto, PT - Primavera Sound Jun. 12 - London, UK - Victoria Park Jun. 13 - Bexhill, UK - De La Warr Pavillion Jun. 14 - Paris, FR - Casino de Paris Jun. 17 - Hilvarenbeek, NL - Best Kept Secret Jun. 18 - Aarhus, DK - Northside Jul. 15 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival Jul. 16 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival Jul. 17 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival Aug. 05 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Aug. 06 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Aug. 07 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Aug. 12 - Eau Claire, WI - Eaux Claires Music Festival Aug. 13 - Eau Claire, WI - Eaux Claires Music Festival Aug. 27 - Los Angeles, CA - FYF Festival Aug. 28 - Los Angeles, CA - FYF Festival * w/ J. Mascis
Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop’s Love Letter for Fire is out today, worldwide from Sub Pop/Black Cricket Recording Co.
Their beautiful new video for “Every Songbird Says” was directed by Nacho Rodriguez and Sara Lopez (www.mistercoo.com). Stereogum says of the animated visual, “The clip…segues from rapidly shifting illustrations of Beam and Hoop into a range of colorful, earthy animations, all culminating in a joyous fireside celebration (see video premiere April 14th).”
Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop’s previously announced 2016 North American and European headlining tour (with full band) spans May 17th-September 11th. Preceding the tour, the duo has scheduled a few instore performances: A solo appearance by Jesca Hoop on April 16th in Brooklyn at Rough Trade Records, and as a duo on May 2nd in Long Beach, CA at Fingerprints. (complete tour dates below.)
Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop have also scheduled radio performances including New York’s WFUV (airdate TBA), KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” (May 2nd) and KCSN (May 3rd) in Los Angeles, “The Current” in Minneapolis (June 9th), and “Acoustic Cafe” (airdate TBA).
Love Letter for Fire is available on CD / LP / DL / CASS via Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Bandcamp and at an independent retailer near you. The limited Loser edition on Smoke-colored vinyl is available from the duo on tour and at independent retailers near you (while supplies last, and we’re almost out of Losers!).
The thirteen-track album was produced, recorded and mixed by Tucker Martine (Modest Mouse, Decemberists, Neko Case) at Flora Recording & Playback in Portland, and mastered by Richard Dodd in Nashville. Love Letter for Fire features Beam and Hoop on vocals and guitar along with Robert Burger (keys), Eyvind Kang (violin, viola), Glenn Kotche (drums, percussion), Sebastian Steinberg (bass) and Edward Rankin-Parker (cello).
What people are saying about Love Letter for Fire: “Love Letter for Fire was, at least in part, inspired by the pair’s desire to make songs that function as conversations rather than soliloquies, and their work backs that up…With the help of producer Tucker Martine and a smart, subtle band, the two achieve a fine balance — of songwriting sensibilities, of time in the spotlight — in the service of songs that feel at once fresh and timeless [“First Listen’] - NPR Music
“The musical magnetism between first-time collaborators Jesca Hoop, California songwriter and adopted Manchester resident, and cult folk artist Sam Beam of Iron and Wine, allows for space and nuance, more two friends lamenting late into the night than tussling theatrics.” [4/5 stars] - The Guardian
“The result is Beam’s best release since In The Reins, with a far more dynamic batch of songs, and a wider introduction to Hoop’s compelling and naturally chameleonic songwriting style.” [B+] - The AV Club
“This pairing of Iron And Wine’s Sam Beam with Jesca Hoop is indie music’s most intriguingly fruitful alliance since Isobel Campbell got in touch with Mark Lanegan…There’s a curious congruence to the duo’s harmonies that brings their songs to unique life.” [4/5 stars] -The Independent
“Love Letter for Fire shows what can happen when two near-strangers explore each other’s deepest emotions and private pains in song: They may still ultimately remain strangers, but they’ve created something profound in the process.” - American Songwriter
“Love Letter for Fire is a triumph of rustic minimalism and unforced, chamber-pop poise, with charm by the skipload” [8/10] - Uncut
“Beam and Santa Rosa folk singer Jesca Hoop pass the love-stricken vocal baton with real charm, typically trading individual lines before converging for stirring harmonies” - Q Magazine
“Duets naturally arrive at a conversational, kinetic charm that solo songs can’t. With Love Letter for Fire, Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam and singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop aim to channel the rapport of Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton or George Jones/Tammy Wynette classics—where two singular voices merge in a dialogue that deepens the atmosphere. Each musician boasts a skill the other doesn’t—with Hoop’s vivacious, multi-hued sweetness brightening Beam’s smoky rumble and croon. Blending their voices in harmony, call-and-response and unison, they sing of love, spirituality and world-weary perseverance, often all at once…Love Letter for Fire is built on this elegant give-and-take—it’s the rare A-list collaboration more compelling than the sum of its parts.” - Relix
“Their musical tastes overlap, as their former collaboration on Hoop’s “Hunting My Dress” song from her last album showed, so there was no reason to doubt that a full-length album between them would be nothing short of excellent. However, not only do Beam and Hoop meet those high expectations, they shatter them on Love Letter for Fire by crafting some of their best songs to date.” [9/10 stars] - PopMatters
“Two vocalists creating openhearted love songs could prove to be a risk for unlistenable, saccharine material....Beam and Hoop convey their emotions sweetly, offering their own imperfect glimpses of an old theme told in new ways.” - Consequence of Sound
Tour Dates May 17 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark* May 18 - Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall* May 20 - New York, NY - The Town Hall* May 21 - Washington, DC - The Lincoln Theatre* May 22 - Boston, MA - The Wilbur Theatre* May 24 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer* May 26 - Atlanta, GA - The Buckhead Theatre* May 27 - New Orleans, LA - The Civic Theatre* May 28 - Dallas, TX - The Kessler Theater* May 30 - Tucson, AZ - The Rialto Theatre* May 31 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre* Jun. 02 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall* Jun. 03 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater* Jun. 04 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre* Jun. 05 - Boise, ID - The Egyptian Theatre* Jun. 07 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater* Jun. 08 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown* Jun. 09 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater* Jun. 10 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom* Jun. 11 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall* Aug. 28 - Edinburgh, UK - Edinburgh International Festival Aug. 29 - Bangor, UK - Marine Court Aug. 30 - Dublin, Ireland - Olympia Theatre Aug 31 - Manchester, UK - Royal Northern College of Music Sep. 01 - London, UK - Union Chapel Sep. 02-04 - Salisbury, Larmer Tree Gardens, UK - End of the Road Festival Sep. 07 - Berlin, DE - Passionskirche Sep. 08 - Cologne, DE - Kulturkirche Sep. 09 - Brussels, BE - Botanique-Orangerie Sep. 10 - Groningen, NL - Take Root Festival Sep. 11 - Amsterdam, NL - De Duif * w/ Marlon Williams
