Seattle band Tacocat are set to release This Mess Is a Place, their new full-length album on LP/CD/Digital and Cassette on Friday, May 3rd. The sparkly new album is their first for Sub Pop, and heralds a more pop-driven and ebullient direction in their sound. Today, Under the Radar premiered ”The Joke of Life,” the third and final pre-release single from the highly-anticipated record.
Of the track, lead singer Emily Nokes says, “I love how this song turned out. This is also one of my favorite concepts on the album — the joke is that the joke is already a joke. You know when something is so unbelievable, in a bad way, that it can’t even be satirized because irony falls short of the real thing? Like we’ve entered a twilight zone of perpetual horror and now we’re just… adapting to it. Because what else are you going to do?”
Advance review copies of This Mess Is a Place are available upon request. Pre-orders are available now from u.subpop.com/thismess.
Tacocat will be touring the US this summer. See below for a full list of performances. Tickets for all shows are on sale now and available here.
May 09 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club May 10 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club May 11 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall May 12 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme May 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe May 15 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair May 17 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg May 18 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle May 19 - Washington, D.C. - U Street Music Hall May 21 - Durham, NC - The Pinhook May 22 - Atlanta, GA - The Drunken Unicorn May 23 - Nashville, TN - The High Watt May 24 - St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway May 25 - Kansas City, MO - The Record Bar Jun. 08 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox at the Market Jun. 12 - Spokane, WA - The Bartlett Jun. 13 - Boise, ID - Neurolux Jun. 14 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court Jun. 15 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge Jun. 17 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada Jun. 18 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall Jun. 19 - Austin, TX - Barracuda Jun. 21 - Sante Fe, NM - Meow Wolf Jun. 22 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar Jun. 23 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah Jun. 25 - Los Angeles, CA - The Bootleg Theater Jun. 26 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel Jun. 28 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
International tour dates include Japan (April) & Europe (May & July)
J Mascis has shared a cover of the classic Tom Petty song, “Don’t Do Me Like That” available today via all Digital Service Providers. This cover is chock-full of the classic Mascis shred that we’ve come to know and love. You can listen to this reconstructed ripper here above, and also on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Music.
Featured throughout the month of April, J Mascis will be hosting the weekly “Artist in Residence” feature on the Australian Radio station, Double J. You can listen to J share his record collection with you each Sunday Night (AU)/Saturday (US) here. The first playlist features the likes of Discharge, Joni Mitchell, Nirvana, America and, of course, some Neil Young. It’s going to be an exciting month of music, programmed by one of the truly great artists of our time.
[Photo Credit: Cara Totman]
J Mascis Tour Dates
Mascis has confirmed 2 headline shows on April 16th and 17th in Japan before crossing the pond in May, playing shows in Brighton, Leeds, Glasgow, Nottingham, Liverpool, Bristol, and Manchester. He will then return to Europe in late June/early July with shows in Athens, Berlin, Paris, Geneva, and Rome.
Apr. 16 - Tokyo, Japan - Shibuya WWWX Apr. 17 - Osaka, Japan - Drop May. 09 - Brighton, United Kingdom - Concorde 2 May. 10 - London, United Kingdom - Islington Assembly Hall May. 11- Leeds, UK - Belgrave Music Hall May. 13 - Glasgow, United Kingdom - St. Luke’s [SOLD OUT] May. 14 - Oxford, UK - O2 Academy Oxford May. 15 - Nottingham, United Kingdom - Rescue Rooms May. 17 - Liverpool, United Kingdom - Arts Club May. 18 - Bristol, United Kingdom - Thekla [SOLD OUT] May. 19 - Manchester, United Kingdom - Manchester Gorilla Jun. 15 - Provincetown, MA - Twenty Summers @ The Hawthorne Barn Jun. 21 - Athens, GR - AN Club Jul. 01 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust Jul. 03 - Berlin, Germany - Festsaal Kreuzberg Jul. 06 - Paris, France - La Maroquinerie Jul. 08 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso Noord Jul. 09 - Rotown - Rotterdam, Netherlands [SOLD OUT] Jul. 11 - Genova, Italy - Giardini Luzzati Jul. 12 - Prato, Italy - Festival Delle Colline Jul. 14 - Rome Unplugged in Monti - Rome, Italy
The Good News will be available everywhere May 17th, 2019 through Sub Pop.
Minor Poet’s Andrew Carter had this to say about new song “Museum District” , “When Minor Poet became a touring band, I was confronted with just how badly I struggled with social anxiety. Being a musician requires so much public interaction with strangers on top of the soul-bearing of playing intensely personal songs every night. On the other hand, when writing “Museum District,” I wanted to really emphasize how severe social anxiety is not one-dimensional. Everyone who deals with social anxiety also deals with a longing for the life they’re not living, a desire to be there for that one amazing night or life-changing party they’ll always miss because they couldn’t bring themselves to go. All while simultaneously knowing they couldn’t enjoy it even if they were there. Social anxiety is a mess of contradictions that add up to one powerfully limiting state.
“Even from an early demo stage, I knew that I wanted “Museum District” to feel outsized, like a person struggling to get outside of themselves. As soon as I wrote the opening drumbeat, I could hear the horns, the sleigh bells, the harmonies, and most of all the disparate yet interlocking rhythms coming from each instrument. In that sense it needed to be kinetic, like a weirdly constructed puzzle that had to fit together perfectly or the whole thing would fall apart.”
The Good News, which features the aforementioned “Museum District” and “Tropic of Cancer,” was produced by Andrew Carter and Adrian Olsen (Natalie Prass, Foxygen) at Montrose Recording in Richmond.
The Good News is now available for preorder through Sub Pop Mega Mart. Preorders of the LP through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America, UK and Europe will receive the limited Loser edition on clear with red and blue swirl vinyl (while supplies last).
Hear the album now in full through NPR Music’s “First Listen” -> n.pr/2CtUCiG
“Titanic Rising is a revelation.” 5/5 - MOJO
“Album of the Month.” 9/10 - Uncut
“the Californian nails your heart to the wall” - The Sunday Times
“Mering’s supple, winsome compositions are grounded in the solid songcraft of the classics, but at their heart, they’re steeped in the magic stuff of fantasies and daydreams.” - NPR Music
“Mixing warm, New Age-suggestive electronic tones with conversational, heart-to-heart lyrics meant to stick on first listen, her work floats through space with a glistening, emotionally rich shimmer.” - LA Times
“Ms. Mering’s fourth and best full-length record” - Wall Street Journal
“Rich and arresting” - Vulture
Weyes Blood’s headlining “True Love is Making a Comeback Tour” in support of Titanic Rising, her critically acclaimed album, begins today, Monday, April 1st and runs through June 13th. Additionally, she added festival appearances to her touring schedule for 2019 including Denmark’s Roskilde July 5th and Outside Lands in San Francisco August 9th-11th.
True Love is Making a Comeback Tour 2019 - Ticket Links California Apr. 01 - Fresno, CA - Strummers Apr. 02 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Atrium at The Catalyst Apr. 03 - Santa Barbara, CA - Velvet Jones Apr. 04 - Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Lodge [Sold Out]
UK/Europe Apr. 22 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt Apr. 23 - Bristol, UK - The Exchange Apr. 24 - Manchester, UK - YES (The Pink Room) Apr. 25 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall Apr. 27 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain Apr. 28 - Hamburg, DE- Turmzimmer Apr. 29 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Upstairs Apr. 30 - Dunkerque, FR - 4Ecluses May 02 - Paris, FR - La Maroquinerie May 03 - Orleans, FR - Astrolabe May 04 - Brussels, BE - Le Nuits Botanique (Venue: Rotonde)
North America May 14 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent May 16 - Seattle, WA - The Tractor Tavern May 17 - Vancouver, BC - St. James Hall May 18 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge May 21 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club May 22 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall May 24 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern May 25 - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus May 26 - Portland, ME - SPACE Gallery May 28 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair May 29 - New York, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg May 31 - Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall Jun. 01 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s Jun. 03 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl Jun. 04 - Nashville, TN - The High Watt Jun. 06 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada Jun. 07 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall (upstairs) Jun. 08 - Austin, TX - Antone’s Jun. 10 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace Jun. 11 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf Jun. 12 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar Jun. 13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour Jul. 05 - Roskilde, DK - Roskilde Aug. 09 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Aug. 10 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Aug. 11 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands
Weyes Blood will release Titanic Rising, her fourth album and Sub Pop records debut, worldwide on CD/LP/DL/CS this Friday, April 5th, 2019. The album features the singles “Everyday,”“Movies”and “Andromeda,”and “Something to Believe.” The cover for Titanic Rising was shot in a bedroom submerged fully underwater by photographer Brett Stanley (zero CGI).
Titanic Rising is available for pre-order from Sub Pop. LP pre-orders in North America through weyesblood.com, megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on maroon colored vinyl (while supplies last). LP preorders of Titanic Rising throughout the UK and Europe from select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on red vinyl (while supplies last). There will also be a new T-shirt design available.
Support dates with Foals and Preoccupations Beginning April 12- April 30th with additional headline dates throughout May
[Photo Credit: Emily Frobos]
We are thrilled to share that Sub Pop has signed a worldwide recording deal with angular Atlantans, Omni. The band is currently working on their third album, after two acclaimed LPs of tightly wound, tuneful & cerebral, post punk-pop on the highly regarded, Trouble in Mind Records.
Omni has contributed two new tracks to the latest edition of the iconic Sub Pop Singles Club series. You can now stream “Delicacy” and “I Don’t Dance” via all digital service providers, including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.
Frontman for the band, Philip Frobos says “Delicacy” was one of the first songs we wrote after a couple of years of non-stop touring behind Deluxe and Multi-task. It came naturally to Frankie and I but felt like we were headed someplace new. It’s written about falling in love, with who would become my wife, on a 23-hour layover in Casablanca, exploring a new continent, feeling intrigued and truly alive.
Keep your ears open for new music in the near future, and be sure to catch Omni on their upcoming tour with Foals and Preoccupations starting tonight, April 12th with a three-night stint at Brooklyn Steel, with additional shows in DC, Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto, Chicago, and Minneapolis. The band will then return to the road on May 10th, performing at this years KVRX Festival in Austin with additional shows throughout the month in El Paso, Tucson, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Everett, WA for the Fisherman’s Village Music Fest, Salt Lake City and Denver, ending on May 22nd in Nashville, TN. Dates are as follows:
Apr. 12 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel * Apr. 13 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel * Apr. 14 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel * Apr. 16 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club * Apr. 18 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club * Apr. 19 - Boston, MA - House of Blues Boston * Apr. 20 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia * Apr. 22 - Toronto, ON - Rebel * Apr. 25 - St Louis, MO - The Pageant * Apr. 26 - Detroit, MI - Saint Andrews Hall * Apr. 27 – Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre * Apr. 28 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave Eagles Club * Apr. 30 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue * May 10 - Austin, TX - KVRX Fest May. 11 - El Paso, TX- The Monarch May. 12 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress May. 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon May. 14 - San Francisco, CA- Bottom of The Hill May. 16 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios # May. 17 - Everett, WA - Fisherman’s Village Music Fest May. 19 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court May. 20 - Denver, CO - Globe Hall May. 21 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater May. 22 - Nashville, TN - Springwater * w/ Foals, Preoccupations # w/ Downtown Boys & Cool Flowers
What “The People” have said about Omni: “If Atlanta’s Omni were a machine with a rhythm switch, it would probably just have one setting: staccato. Nearly all of the trio’s songs are built around twitchy, start-stop beats that instantly get pulses rushing and nerves tingling.”- NPR Music
”Multi-task is 11 tracks worth of sonic goodness, heavy on thick and fun guitar licks matched by equally complicated but light lyrics.” -Noisey
“The wiry Atlanta, Ga. rock trio Omni sells its nervous energy as a logical way of dealing with the world. Where other bands might smooth things out, Omni finds angles and sharp turns.” -Pitchfork
“Omni remains a band that’s best at its most berserk. Multi-Task hits its high marks when the band is doing as much as it can, or, if you will, multi-tasking.” -PASTE
“The Atlanta trio Omni…make twitchy, bouncy, catchy-as-hell post-punk, the sort of thing that NME would’ve fallen in love with if it had come from Glasgow in 1983.” - Stereogum
Mass Gothic’s Jessica Zambri says of the song, “The lights turned on for me. Committing to something can be relieving, even pleasurable. I used to think I had to protect myself from anything that I perceived to get in the way of making music, but all that did was close me off. Whatever is happening I want to enjoy it. I wrote this song as a reminder to live and not be lived.”
Director Evan Fellers had this to say of the visual, “I wanted to create strange realistic feeling environments that also felt a bit digital. I used a process called photogrammetry to grab a bunch of real-world elements and turned them into 3d models which make up most of everything you see. Anything from small rocks to large sections of woods, trees, moss and dirt, to Jess and Noel.
“I knew I wanted to take the viewer through these different environments, but I wanted it to be more than just a camera flying around — something simple and purposeful, searching for something. I wanted there to be this feeling of a journey. I also wanted to trace specific paths through the environment I thought were pleasing. Creating a single red orb that illuminated the environment was a nice way to accomplish all of those goals with the story, and control the way in which I revealed each scene at the same time. The red orb also came to represent the voice of the song to me.”
Mass Gothic’s I’ve Tortured You Long Enough is available on CD/LP/DL/CS worldwide through Sub Pop.
What people are saying about Mass Gothic: “Essential…Their earworm-ready songs are made to fight for their right to party.” - Loud and Quiet
“Mass Gothic’s identity is nearly undefinable, with the pair blasting through genres and ideals with a sort of unsettled energy. Whether losing yourself to the starry synths and complimentary vocals found in the spacey fuzz of “J.Z.O.K.” or floating off in the dazzling airiness, throbbing rhythms and vast instrumental expanse of the album’s title track, the release is one sure to keep you enraptured.” - The Grey Estates
“Mass Gothic’s greatest strength has always been their freedom to avoid any sort of strict definition…By taking an anything goes approach on their latest album and balancing their creative duties, there’s a through-line that holds the various sounds of their record together…This is a highly intriguing record with so much packed into every moment you’ll be dying to come back.” [8/10] - Northern Transmissions
“A compelling listen…a record worthy of your time.” - Bristol Live
