Transcendent folk-pop artist Shannon Lay will release August, her Sub Pop debut, on CD/LP/DL/CS worldwide on August 23rd. You can now watch the official video for “Nowhere,” the album’s lead single, directed by Lay and Chris Slater. She says of the song and visual, “I want this song to emphasize the importance of enjoying the journey. The video is moments of in between travel footage, different settings around my home, singing in the bounty of spring. There is so much power in presence, enjoy every moment, savor every second. Cherish the memories made along the way and appreciate how they change and shape you.”
The title August refers to the month in 2017 when Lay quit her day job and fully gave herself over to music. This was her liberation as an artist, and the album is devoted to paying that forward to her listeners. “It’s a thank you to the universe,” says the Los Angeles artist. Exquisitely uplifting, August doubles as an aural baptism renewing her purpose for making music. “I always picture music as this river. Everyone’s throwing things into this river, it’s a place you can go to and feed off of that energy,” she says, “and feel nourished by the fact that so many people are feeling what you’re feeling. It’s this beautiful exchange.” You can listen to her cover of the classic Karen Dalton track “Something On Your Mind” here.
August is now available for preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders of the album through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America, UK, and Europe will receive the limited Loser edition on orange vinyl (North America) and Sun Yellow vinyl (UK/EU) while supplies last.
As previously reported, Shannon Lay will be a member of Ty Segall’s Freedom Band for his upcoming full album residencies in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, London, Berlin, and Haarlem (See Pitchfork’s news story April 24th).
Following these shows, Shannon Lay will embark on an 18-date North American tour opening for Mikal Cronin, beginning November 8th in Portland at Mississippi Studios and ending on December 1st in San Diego at the Casbah. Click here for a full list of dates.
August Track Listing:
1. Death Up Close 2. Nowhere 3. November 4. Shuffling Stoned 5. Past Time 6. Wild 7. August 8. Sea Came to Shore 9. Sunday Sundown 10. Something On Your Mind 11. Unconditional 12. The Dream
Recently, Preservation Hall Jazz Band released “Kreyol,” a spirited tune from A Tuba To Cuba, the forthcoming soundtrack to the critically acclaimed documentary directed by T.G. Herrington and Danny Clinch. Listen and share “Kreyol” here.
[photo credit: Josh Goleman]
Preservation Hall Jazz Band has announced their A Tuba To Cuba tour today. The dates add to previously announced performances including Newport Folk Festival, SF Jazz, three-nights in Baltimore at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and more. A special pre-sale will begin on Wednesday, June 12th at 10am local and will end on Thursday, June 13th at 10pm local. All remaining tickets will go on sale Friday, June 14th at 10am local. For complete details on tickets and VIP packages please visit http://www.atubatocubatour.com. See below for full dates.
“When we travel to a place like Cuba, not only do we get to share our music, but we also get to experience other music, other traditions, and other’s rituals. It’s a door that we get to walk through and every now and then we get a glimpse behind the curtain. The people we meet become our friends and family. The imprint they leave becomes a part of us and our music, it’s a rare and beautiful thing. Now we get to share that experience with you.” - Ben Jaffe
A Tuba To Cuba follows Ben Jaffe of New Orleans’ famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band as he seeks to fulfill his late father’s dream of retracing their musical roots to the shores of Cuba in search of the indigenous music that gave birth to New Orleans jazz. A Tuba To Cubacelebrates the triumph of the human spirit expressed through the universal language of music and challenges us to resolve to build bridges, not walls. The film is available through Amazon Video, iTunes, DirecTV, Google Play, YouTube Movies and more. Check your local service provider for additional listings.
The New York Times says of the film, “This joyous, wide-ranging account of a New Orleans jazz band’s 2015 visit to Cuba is crammed with fascinating facts and toe-tickling tunes.” And the LA Times offers this, “Jaunty, at times poetic chats and drop-ins with many Big Easy and Cuban jazz artists, discussion of their music’s African lineage (the Atlantic slave trade factored in), stirring examples of native instrumentation, and pulsating performances combine with colorful, travelogue-type shots (love those old Cuban theaters) and vivid archival footage to create a vibrant and joyous portrait.”
Preservation Hall Jazz Band Tour Dates:
Jul 05 - Elkhorn, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre* Jul 06 - Elkhorn, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre* Jul 28 - Newport, RI - Newport Folk Festival Aug 02 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Aug 03 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Aug 05 - Folsom, CA - Harris Center For The Arts Aug 06 - Folsom, CA - Harris Center For The Arts Aug 08 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ Aug 09 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ Aug 10 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ (7:00PM) Aug 10 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ (9:30PM) Aug 11 - San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz Center - Miner Auditorium Aug 15 - Philadelphia, PA - Old Pool Farm Aug 16 - Philadelphia, PA - Old Pool Farm Aug 17 - Philadelphia, PA - Old Pool Farm Aug 18 - Philadelphia, PA - Old Pool Farm Aug 24 - Arrington, VA - Lockn’ Music Festival Sep 20 - Louisville, KY - Bourbon & Beyond Festival Sep 21 - Franklin, TN - Pilgrimage Music Festival Sep 22 - Franklin, TN - Pilgrimage Music Festival Oct 22 - Ridgefield, CT - The Ridgefield Playhouse^ Oct 23 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Center for the Arts^ Oct 24 - New York, NY – The Town Hall^ Oct 25 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Center^ Oct 26 - Portsmouth, NH - The Music Hall^ Oct 28 - Montreal, QC - Place des Arts – Theatre Maisoneuve^ Oct 29 - Toronto, ON - Roy Thomson Hall^ Oct 30 - Pittsburgh, PA - Byham Theater^ Nov 01 - Kent, OH - The Kent Stage^ Nov 02 - Goshen, IN - Goshen College Music Center^ Nov 04 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall^ Nov 05 - Saint Paul, MN - Fitzgerald Theater^ Nov 07 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre^ Nov 08 - Los Angeles, CA - ACE Hotel Nov 09 - Phoenix, AZ - Music Theater at MIM^ Nov 11 - Livermore, CA - Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center^ Nov 13 - Chico, CA - CSU Chico - Laxson Auditorium^ Nov 15 - Santa Rosa, CA - Luther Burbank Center for the Arts^ Nov 16 - Arcata, CA - John Van Duzer Theatre ^ Nov 17 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall^ Nov 18 - Seattle, WA - Benaroya Hall – Taper Auditorium^ Nov 20 - Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theatre^ Nov 21 - Santa Barbara, CA - UCSB Campbell Hall^ Nov 22 - San Diego, CA - Wonderfront Music Festival Nov 29 - Baltimore, MD - Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Nov 30 - Baltimore, MD - Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Dec 01 - Baltimore, MD - Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
On September 6th, Sub Pop will release Frankie Cosmos’ fourth studio album, Close It Quietly. This album is a manifestation of the band’s collaborative spirit: Greta Kline and longtime bandmates Lauren Martin (synth), Luke Pyenson (drums), and Alex Bailey (bass) luxuriated in studio time with Gabe Wax, who engineered and co-produced the record with the band.
Recording close to home — at Brooklyn’s Figure 8 Studios— grounded the band, and their process was enriched by working closely with Wax, whose intuition and attention to detail made the familiar unfamiliar and allowed the band to reshape their own contexts. Close It Quietly is a continual reframing of the known, taking the band’s trademark micro-universe and upending it, spilling outwards into a swirl of referentiality that’s a marked departure from earlier releases, imagining and reimagining motifs and sounds throughout the album.
The synergy of its collaboration is clear upon listening to the debut offering “Windows.” “This song takes place during the waiting period of healing, not knowing how to proceed or how to find the path to forgiveness. The inner versus the outer- learning to see yourself as part of the whole. For me the lyrics cover some of the slow movements of relationships, the shifts that occur in ways of thinking over time,” says frontperson Greta Kline. You can watch the new video for “Windows” which was directed by Eliza Doyle and Greta Kline above, and also here.
Frankie Cosmos has announced a World Tour, splitting these shows into three legs. The first leg of dates will begin on September 18 in Boston, MA, and end on Sep. 29 in their hometown of New York City. They will then head overseas beginning on Oct. 8th in Munich, Germany with shows in Prague, Amsterdam, and Paris, ending on Oct. 22nd in London. The final leg of dates will run from Oct 31st - Nov 16th with shows in Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Berkeley. See below for a full list of shows.
Close It Quietly is now available for preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders of the album through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America, UK, and Europe will receive the limited Loser edition on blue pearlescent (North America) and opaque yellow (UK/EU) while supplies last.
Close It Quietly Tracklisting:
1. Moonsea 2. Cosmic Shop 3. 41st 4. So Blue 5. A Joke 6. Rings (On A Tree) 7. Actin’ Weird 8. Windows 9. Never Would 10. Self-destruct 11. Wannago 12. I’m It 13. Trunk Of A Tree 14. Last Season’s Textures 15. Even Though I Knew 16. UFO 17. Marbles 18. Did You Find 19. A Hit 20. With Great Purpose 21. This Swirling
Frankie Cosmos Tour dates: Sep. 18 - Boston, MA - Royale Sep. 19 - Burlington, VT - Arts Riot Sep. 20 - Montreal, QC - L’Astral Sep. 21 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern Sep. 22 - Detroit, MI - Deluxx Fluxx Sep. 23 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall Sep. 25 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups Sep. 26 - Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit Hall Sep. 27 - Washington, DC - Black Cat Sep. 28 - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA Sep. 29 - New York, NY - Webster Hall Oct. 08 - Munich, DE - Heppel & Ettlich Oct. 09 - Vienna, AT - Chelsea Oct. 10 - Prague, CZ - Underdogs’ Oct. 11 - Cologne, DE - MTC Oct. 12 - Luxembourg, LU - Rotondes Oct. 13 - Amsterdam, NL - Bitterzoet Oct. 14 - Paris, FR - Badaboum Oct. 15 - Reims, FR - La Cartonnerie Oct. 16 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt Oct. 17 - Bristol, UK - Exchange Oct. 19 - Leeds, UK - Belgrave Music Hall Oct. 20 - Sheffield, UK - Delicious Clam Oct. 21 - Manchester, UK - Night & Day Oct. 22 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall Oct. 31 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom Nov. 01 - Tacoma, WA - Alma Mater Nov. 02 - Vancouver, BC - Hollywood Theatre Nov. 03 - Seattle, WA - Laser Dome @ Pacific Science Center Nov. 07 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater Nov. 08 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge Nov. 10 - Tucson, AZ - Hotel Congress Nov. 12 - Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction Nov. 13 - San Diego, CA - Che Cafe Nov. 15 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720 Nov. 16 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre
[Photo credit: Jackie Lee Young]
More About Frankie Cosmos and ‘Close it Quietly’:
Close It Quietly is a continual reframing of the known. It’s like giving yourself a haircut or rearranging your room. You know your hair. You know your room. Here’s the same hair, the same room, seen again as something new. Close It Quietly takes the trademark Frankie Cosmos micro-universe and upends it, spilling outwards into a swirl of referentiality that’s a marked departure from earlier releases, imagining and reimagining motifs and sounds throughout the album. FC’s fourth studio release is a manifestation of the band’s collaborative spirit: Greta Kline and longtime bandmates Lauren Martin (synth), Luke Pyenson (drums), and Alex Bailey (bass) luxuriated in studio time with Gabe Wax, who engineered and co-produced the record with the band.
Recording close to home— at Brooklyn’s Figure 8 Studios— grounded the band, and their process was enriched by working closely with Wax, whose intuition and attention to detail made the familiar unfamiliar and allowed the band to reshape their own contexts. On opener “Moonsea,” an unaccompanied Greta begins, “The world is crumbling and I don’t have much to say.” Take that as a wink and a metonym for the whole album, as her signature vocals are joined by Alex’s ascending bassline and Lauren’s eddying synths, invoking a loungey take on Broadcast or Stereolab’s space-disco experimental pop. There’s much more than “not much” to say here, and it’s augmented and expanded by experimentation with synth patches, textures, and other recording nuances courtesy of Wax.
As the lineup has solidified into the most permanent expression of full-band Frankie Cosmos, the bandmates have felt more comfortable deviating from their default instruments and contributing bigger-picture ideas to continue pushing the sound forward. The synergy of its creation is clear upon listening: the multiple hands dipping and re-dipping into each song form a multifaceted whole. The band’s closeness and aesthetic consistency freed its members to take more musically-formal risks, notes Luke: “Everything will sound like Frankie Cosmos because Greta has such a distinct voice (literally and figuratively). We have so much latitude to experiment with the instrumental music, and this time around we really took advantage of that.”
The album forms its own vortex of reinvention that’s embodied through both the tracks themselves and the recording and arranging processes. “A Joke” curls in on itself, in word and indeed, a series of undercuts defining negative space: “It’s just a joke I wasn’t trying to tell;” “It wasn’t really a game;” “I do not know what I am for/I wasn’t really keeping score.” Inverting technology’s human mimicry, Luke impersonates a drum machine until the song’s end. “A Joke’s” tricks scratch at something bigger, a small song embodying the laughability of attempting to neatly organize or adhere to any particular role.
“Rings of a Tree” frees itself from its original context: released earlier this year on Greta’s solo piano album Haunted Items, she didn’t initially anticipate a major deviation; then, Luke says, “Lauren and I had the same arrangement idea without talking about it. Like, ‘let’s make this song funky. Let’s channel Orange Juice.’ We texted Greta and Alex before practice and Alex came in with a new guitar part that perfectly captured what Lauren and I heard in our heads.”
“I’m just fucking glad for my bubble/despite how often it is penetrated by evil” Greta sings on “Last Season’s Textures,” taking to task the accusation that young people cloister themselves in complacency: she’s quick to point to, thank, and feel suspicious of that sphere all at once. The song explores the feeling of safety in her realm; reasonable despair re: reality (“the news is excruciating”); and a quick admission that darkness isn’t something a liberal-minded social network can block out. Kline notes how the song is “partly about misogyny and internalized misogyny–moments where I’ve felt betrayed by what is meant to be a safe space.”
Without losing any intimacy of prior albums, Close it Quietly is different, is outer. The album functions as a benign doppelganger, a shadow self of past releases; where other Frankie Cosmos records shine brightest looking inward, Close it Quietly refracts the self into the world, and vice versa, miraculously echoing Thoreau’s assertion that “when I reflect, I find that there is other than me.”
Reflection–and refraction–isn’t tidy. “Flowers don’t grow/in an organized way/why should I?” Greta sings on “A Joke.” Growth isn’t linear. Change happens in circles. While recording the album, Alex says, “I closed my eyes a lot.” Stand in the sun, listen to Close it Quietly, and do the same.
Any Human Friend is out August 9th in North and South America from Sub Pop (and the rest of the world through AMF Records)
[Single Art Photography by Joost Vandebrug]
Marika Hackman is back with “the one,” the second single from her forthcoming album Any Human Friend, out August 9th via Sub Pop in North and South America and AMF Records for the rest of the world.
Displaying an unapologetic attitude and a more liberated sound than ever before, “the one” was co-produced by David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx, Let’s Eat Grandma) and Marika herself. Layered synthesizers make this the album’s most unexpected musical turn, alongside Marika’s signature new wave guitar fretwork and Blondie style delivery, she’s never sounded as widescreen.
The first song written for Any Human Friend, “the one” is “probably the poppiest song I’ve ever written” she says. “ I loved the idea of inhabiting this ridiculous arrogant rock star character who has totally fucked their career by writing too many sad songs.” To that end, it features a riot grrrl Greek chorus hurling such insults at her as “You’re such an attention whore!”
Marika is a ‘Rid of Me’-era PJ Harvey for the inclusive generation: unbounded by musical genre, a preternatural lyricist and tunesmith who isn’t afraid to go there. Hackman’s 2015 debut, We Slept at Last, was heralded for being nuanced and atmospheric. She really found her footing with her last release, I’m Not Your Man, and its exceptional, swaggering International hit “Boyfriend”, which boasts of seducing away a straight guy’s girlfriend.
Marika Hackman’s fall international headlining tour in support of Any Human Friend begins September 21st in Bristol, UK at Thekla and ends November 6th in West Hollywood, CA at The Roxy Theatre. The fall shows are preceded by an appearance at the UK’s Green Man Festival.
Aug.15 - Beacon Breacons, UK - Green Man Festival Sep. 21 - Bristol, UK - Thekla Sep. 23 - Glasgow, UK - Oran Mor Sep. 24 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club Sep. 25 - Manchester, UK - Band On The Wall Sep. 26 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall Oct. 11 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl Oct. 12 - Durham, NC - The Pinhook Oct. 13 - Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall Oct. 14 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle Oct. 15 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere Oct. 18 - Allston, MA - Great Scott Oct. 19 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall Oct. 20 - Montréal, QC - Bar Le ‘Ritz’ P.D.B. Oct. 21 - Toronto, ON- The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern Oct. 23 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups Oct. 24 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig Oct. 25 - Chicago, IL- Sleeping Village Oct. 26 - Milwaukee, WI - Back Room at Colectivo Coffee Oct. 28 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry Nov. 01 - Seattle, WA - Neumos Nov. 04 - Oakland, CA - Starline Social Club Nov. 06 - West Hollywood, CA - The Roxy Theatre
Today, Calexico and Iron & Wine released Years to Burn via City Slang in the UK/Europe and Sub Pop in the rest of the world. The work of Calexico’s Joey Burns and John Convertino and Sam Beam of Iron & Wine, the album is their first full-length release and follows the critically acclaimed 2005 In the Reins EP. Calexico and Iron & Wine will embark on an extensive North American, European, and UK tour, including a June 21st performance at Celebrate Brooklyn! festival at Prospect Park which will be live audio streamed by WFUV HERE. [Full list of tour dates is below.] In addition, the collective released Years to Burn Behind the Scenes featuring exclusive interviews with the band and their long friendship and spirit of collaboration as seen here and also HERE.
Years to Burn
1. What Heaven’s Left 2. Midnight Sun 3. Father Mountain 4. Outside El Paso 5. Follow The Water 6. The Bitter Suite (Pájaro / Evil Eye / Tennessee Train) 7. Years To Burn 8. In Your Own Time
For more information on Years to Burn, the full bio is available here.
Early praise forYears to Burn:
“In incorporating more voices and sources of ideas, Years to Burn feels most of all like the work of a complete, cohesive and individual band — a group of old friends who’ve gathered together to sing in a single voice…The new set finds Sam Beam, John Convertino, Joey Burns and members of the extended Calexico and Iron & Wine casts at their loose-limbed best… They all sound comfortable, collaborating deep in the pocket, but they’re still exploring.” - NPR
“The warm voice of singer-songwriter Sam Beam (who performs as Iron & Wine) guides the album’s lead track “Father Mountain,” which features an airy acoustic progression and uplifting harmonies from Calexico’s Joey Burns.” - Rolling Stone
“Years to Burn proves that the time spent waiting on a second collaboration was worth it, but more meaningfully the album feels like the product of a cohesive unit rather than a tag team…Years to Burn rings with Beam’s soulful sobriety and Calexico’s gusty American Southwestern aesthetic, but the songwriting—again, primary credit goes to Beam—is the maypole around which the two bands braid their influences and proclivities. Unraveling one from the other is impossible.” - Paste
“Years to Burn, recorded with producer Matt Ross-Spang again marries vocalist and acoustic guitarist Sam Beam’s nimble lyricism with the incredible chops of Calexico nucleus Joey Burns and John Convertino. Together they make gorgeously sensual music” -American Songwriter
“Years to Burn is a beautiful sounding recording and for fans of Calexico and Iron & Wine’s initial collaborative release, this is a nice treat after all these years.” - Exclaim!
[Photo credit: Piper Ferguson]
Calexico and Iron & Wine Tour Dates + Ticket Links
Jun. 18 - Saxapahaw, NC - River Ballroom % [SOLD OUT] Jul. 19 - Lisbon, PT - Super Bock Super Rock # Jul. 20 - Arlesheim, CH - Stimmen Festival Jul. 22 - Milan, IT - La Triennale di Milano Jul. 23 - Gardone Riviera, IT - Anfiteatro del Vittoriale Jul. 24 - Rome, IT - Villa Ada Jul. 25 - Florence, IT - Cavea del Nuovo Teatro dell’opera Jul. 26 - Monforte D’ Alba, IT - Auditorium Horszowski Jul. 28 - Vienna, AT - Konzerthaus Jul. 29 - Palma, ES - Auditorium de Palma de Mallorca Jul. 31 - Hamburg, DE - Stadtpark Aug. 02 - Cambridge, UK - Cambridge Folk Festival Aug. 03 - Leuven, BE - M-idzommer Festival Aug. 04 - Crozon, FR - Festival Du Bout Du Monde Aug. 16 - Phoenix, AZ - Orpheum Theatre ~ Aug. 17 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre ~ Aug. 19 - Denver, CO - Denver Botanic Gardens ~ [SOLD OUT] Aug. 21 - Ogden, UT - Twilight Series at Ogden Amphitheater ^ Aug. 22 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory Concert House ^ Aug. 23 - Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium ^ Aug. 24 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre Aug. 25 - Port Townsend, WA - The Thing Sep. 18 - Grand Rapids, MI - Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park “Meijer Gardens” \ Sep. 19 - Pittsburgh, PA - Roxian Theatre \ Sep. 20 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer \ Sep. 21 - Boston, MA - Rockland Trust Bank Pavillion + Sep. 22 - North Adams, MA - FreshGrass Festival Sep. 24 - Richmond, VA - The National \ Sep. 26 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City \ Sep. 27 - New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues \ Sep. 28 - Austin, TX - Stubb’s Waller Creek \ Sep. 29 - Dallas, TX - Majestic Theater \ Sep. 30 - Oklahoma City, OK - Tower Theatre \ Oct. 02 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues \ Oct. 03 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre \ Oct. 04 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey’s Concerts by The Bay\ Oct. 06 - Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery \ Nov. 05 - Utrecht, NL - TrivoliVrendenburg - Ronda # Nov. 06 -Luxemborg, LU - Den Atelier # Nov. 07 - Antwerp, BE - De Roma # Nov. 09 - Berlin, DE - Tempodrom # Nov. 10 - Linz, AT - Posthof # Nov. 11 - Munich, DE - Muffathalle # Nov. 12 - Budapest, HU - Müpa Nov. 14 - Mannheim, DE - Musensaal Rosengarten # Nov. 15 - Cologne, DE - Palladium # Nov. 16 - Paris, FR - La Cigale # Nov. 18 - Edinburgh, UK - Usher Hall * Nov. 19 - Liverpool, UK - Philharmonic Hall * Nov. 20 - Manchester, UK - Bridgewater Hall * Nov. 21 - Conventry, UK - Warwick Arts Centre * Nov. 23 - London, UK - Royal Festival Hall * Nov. 24 - Bexhill-On-Sea, UK – De La Warr Pavillion *
% with special guest Daughter of Swords ~ with special guest Madison Cunningham ^ with special guest Orville Peck \ with special guest Natalie Prass + with Andrew Bird # with special guest Adia Victoria * with special guest Lisa O’Neill
On July 12th, Sub Pop will release a chronological trip through the lesser known material of METZ. Automat is a collection of non-album singles, B-sides, and rarities dating back to 2009, from the widely-adored and delightfully noisy 3-piece punk band. This will be the first time that this 12-song collection will be available on LP.
The band has shared a new video for their song “ Dry Up.” “METZ have been making music together for over 10 years,” says the band’s frontman Alex Edkins. “It’s been a blur. We’ve very rarely allowed ourselves to look backward. We’ve been hyper-focused on always moving forward at breakneck speed, perpetually fixated on what’s next. The video for ‘Dry Up,’ as well as the Automatalbum, is an attempt to pause, take a breath, look backward and take stock of our past. It’s intended to express how grateful we are to be able to do what we do. It’s a love letter to the incredible places we’ve traveled, the beautiful people we’ve met, to community, music, and friendship.”
Consumers of the vinyl format of Automat will be rewarded with a bonus single that includes three additional tracks: a cover of Sparklehorse’s “Pig,” from a very limited 2012 Record Store Day split single originally released by Toronto’s Sonic Boom record shop; “I’m a Bug,” a cover of The Urinals’ art-punk classic, originally released on YouTube (not an actual record label) in 2014; and METZ’s previously unreleased rendition of Gary Numan’s “M.E.”
All tracks on Automat have been lovingly remastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering Service.
METZ are currently hard at work on their 4th full-length LP which will be released on Sub Pop when we are all damn good and ready.
METZ are heading overseas on June 23rd, to begin a 14-date EU run with performances at Loose Ends Festival in Amsterdam, Lars Rock Festival in Chiusi Scalo, IT, Pointu Festival in Island Gaou, FR, and wrapping up July 14th in Montmartin-sur-Mer, FR. See below for a full list of shows.
Jun. 23 - Amsterdam, NL- Loose Ends Festival Jun. 25 - Bristol, UK - Fleece Jun. 26 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Jun. 27 - Manchester, UK - YES Jun. 28 - London, UK - Studio 9294 Jun. 29 - Eindhoven, NL - Effenaar Jul. 02 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Jul. 03 - Lyon, FR - Ninkasi Gerland / Kao Jul. 05 - Chiusi Scalo, IT - Lars Rock Festival Jul. 06 - Milan, IT - Santeria Social Club Jul. 07 - Ile du Gaou, FR - Pointu Festival Jul. 09 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn Jul. 10 - Luxembourg-Bonnevoie, LU - Rotondes Jul. 11 - Bremen, DE - TOWER Musikclub Jul. 12 - Herk-De-Stad, Belgium - Rock Herk Festival Jul. 13 - Paris, France - La Station, Gare Des Mines for Garage MU Festival Jul. 14 - Montmartin-sur-Mer, FR - Chauffer Dans La Noirceur
