International tour schedule for 2018 includes U.S. (September 4th-30th) & new European dates supporting Hot Snakes (October 11th-19th)
Lithium Zion, the latest offering from Australian band Deaf Wish is available today, July 27th via Sub Pop Records. Spread through this 11 track album is a veritable buffet of garage-punk energy, post-punk pathos, sardonic wit and the fearlessness that will thrust you to a higher level. In the words of the bands guitarist/vocalist Jensen Tjhung, who co-directed the video with his bandmate, Daniel Twomey, the new video for “Metal Carnage” features the bands Vocalist/Bassist Lee Parker “burning down Bell St with the Roof Rat up top, riding the lights 200kph down Sydney Rd d-d-do I stutter?!”
Deaf Wish have announced European shows in October, opening for labelmates Hot Snakes from October 11th-19th. These shows will have the band playing, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and London. Deaf Wish’s North American run will begin on September 4th in Columbus at Spacebar and end September 27th-30th in Memphis for Gonerfest. The tour will include stops in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin, New Orleans and an appearance at Raleigh’s Hopscotch Music Festival (September 6th). Along the way, Deaf Wish will be joined labelmates The Gotobeds (September 7th; 9th-14th).
Sep. 04 - Columbus, OH - Spacebar Sep. 05 - Asheville, NC - Mothlight Sep. 06 - Raleigh, NC - Hopscotch Sep. 07 - Baltimore, MD - Joe Squared * Sep. 08 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Pool Sep. 09 - Boston, MA - Great Scott * Sep. 11 - Pittsburgh, PA - The New Shop * Sep. 12 - Cleveland, OH - Now That’s Class * Sep. 13 - Detroit, MI - Deluxx Fluxx * Sep. 14 - Chicago, IL - GMan Tavern * Sep. 18 - Seattle, WA - Highline Sep. 19 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios Sep. 20 - Arcata, CA - Outer Space Sep. 21- San Francisco, CA - The Knockout Sep. 22- Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon Sep. 23- Tucson, AZ - Club Congress Sep. 25- Austin, TX - Barracuda Sep. 26- New Orleans, LA - Poor Boys Sep. 27- Atlanta, GA - The Earl Sep. 27-30 - Memphis, TN - Gonerfest Oct. 11- Berlin, DE - Lido $ Oct. 12- Hamburg, DE - Molotov $ Oct. 13- Lund, SE - Mejeriet $ Oct. 14- Goteborg,SE - Pustervik $ Oct. 15- Stockholm, SE - Debaser $ Oct. 16- Copenhagen, DK - Hotel Cecil $ Oct. 18- Kortrijk, BE - De Kreun $ Oct. 19- London, UK - Oslo $ * w/ The Gotobeds $ w/ Hot Snakes
The music on Lithium Zion was collaboratively written by Deaf Wish, with each member taking turns on lyrical and vocal duties throughout the album. Lithium Zion was recorded at Head Gap Recording Studio in Melbourne in April of 2017 with Nao Anzai, and mixed and mastered by Mikey Young of Total Control (who also mixed the group’s “St. Vincent’s” 7” single and Pain album, both released on Sub Pop).
Lithium Zion is available on CD/LP/DL/CS worldwide today July 27th, except for the UK on Friday, August 3rd, through Sub Pop [order here]. LP preorders of the album through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on hot pink vinyl (while supplies last).
What The People are saying about Deaf Wish’s Lithium Zion + singles:
“The quartet does love those cascading or ascending, hard-strummed octaves and unisons, not to mention singer/guitarist Jensen Tjhung’s vocals, which bear more than a passing comparison to Thurston Moore’s. Also much like Sonic Youth, every member writes and sings, and it all amalgamates perfectly. Guitarist/singer Sarah Hardiman’s rollicking “FFS,” perhaps about the strain of relationships whilst rockin’ (“I see my name up in lights / I see my name but the words are not nice… I feel like a fool / Out playing pool, hitting on you”) crashes into bassist Lee Parker’s “Metal Carnage.” Deaf Wish also know their way around a closer—“Smoke,” by drummer Daniel Twomey, sung by Twomey and Hardiman, is one of the year’s hookier indie-noise thunder-rolls. Deaf Wish remain kings of the daydream nation.” [Album of the Day] - Bandcamp
“FFS” feels like a flame war, a tense pyre to keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.” -Stereogum
“Straightforward and immensely satisfying three-chord garage punk…” - The Guardian
“It’s a boom time for Aussie aggro bands and here’s another corker. Thrill to the high repetition guitars and tough lyrics.” - MOJO
In the official video for Deaf Wish’s tense and epic track “The Rat Is Back” guitarist/vocalist Jensen Tjhung directs himself, delivering an unpredictable, humorous, and menacing performance. This new offering is from the band’s great forthcoming album, Lithium Zion.
Tour Dates + Ticket Links
Deaf Wish have scheduled US tour dates in support of Lithium Zion, beginning September 4th in Columbus at Spacebar and ending September 27th-30th in Memphis for Gonerfest. The tour will include stops in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin, New Orleans and an appearance at Raleigh’s Hopscotch Music Festival (September 6th). Along the way, Deaf Wish will join Sub Pop labelmates The Gotobeds (September 7th; 9th-14th).
Sep. 04 - Columbus, OH - Spacebar Sep. 05 - Asheville, NC - Mothlight Sep. 06 - Raleigh, NC - Hopscotch Sep. 07 - Baltimore, MD - Joe Squared * Sep. 08 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Pool Sep. 09 - Boston, MA - Great Scott * Sep. 11 - Pittsburgh, PA - The New Shop * Sep. 12 - Cleveland, OH - Now That’s Class * Sep. 13 - Detroit, MI - Deluxx Fluxx * Sep. 14 - Chicago, IL - GMan Tavern * Sep. 18 - Seattle, WA - Highline Sep. 19 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios Sep. 20 - Arcata, CA - Outer Space Sep. 21- San Francisco, CA - The Knockout Sep. 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon Sep. 23 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress Sep. 25 - Austin, TX - Barracuda Sep. 26 - New Orleans, LA - Poor Boys Sep. 27 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl Sep. 27-30 - Memphis, TN - Gonerfest * w/ The Gotobeds
The music on Lithium Zion was collaboratively written by Deaf Wish, with each member taking turns on lyrical and vocal duties throughout the album. Lithium Zion was recorded at Head Gap Recording Studio in Melbourne in April of 2017 with Nao Anzai, and mixed and mastered by Mikey Young of Total Control (who also mixed the group’s “St. Vincent’s” 7” single and Pain album, both released on Sub Pop).
Lithium Zion will be available on CD/LP/DL/CS worldwide on Friday, July 27th, except for the UK on Friday, August 3rd, through Sub Pop right over here. LP preorders of the album through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on hot pink vinyl (while supplies last).
‘Lithium Zion’ will be available worldwide from Sub Pop on Friday, July 27th, with the exception of the UK on Friday, August 3rd
Melbourne’s Deaf Wish have returned with an official video for “FFS”, the propulsive and excellent lead single from Lithium Zion, their forthcoming album. “FFS” was directed by band members Jensen Tjhung and Daniel Twomey, is shot in glorious black and white, and stars guitarist/vocalist Sarah Hardiman delivering an intense and engaging performance of the song.
The music on Lithium Zion was collaboratively written by Deaf Wish, with each member taking turns on lyrical and vocal duties throughout the album. The album was recorded and mixed in Melbourne in April of 2017 with Nao Anzai, with additional mixing from Mikey Young of Total Control (who also mixed the group’s “St. Vincent’s” 7” single and Pain album, both released on Sub Pop).
Lithium Zion will be available on CD/LP/DL/CS worldwide on Friday, July 27th, except for the UK on Friday, August 3rd, through Sub Pop [pre-order here]. LP preorders of the album through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on hot pink vinyl (while supplies last).
Lithium Zion Tracklisting
1. Easy 2. FFS 3. Metal Carnage 4. The Rat is Back 5. Ox 6. Hitachi Jackhammer 7. Lithium Zion 8. Deep Blue Cheated 9. Birthday 10. Afraid For You 11. Smoke
[Photo Credit: Ela Stiles]
More on Deaf Wish’s Lithium Zion by Matt Korvette: There’s an inherent flaw in the perennially alternating “rock is back” and “rock is dead” arguments: they are based on the idea that rock music is a logic-based choice a person consciously chooses to make. Contrary to the critics who are looking to suss out cultural trends and movements (but have never actually lifted a greasy bass cab onto a stage in order to entertain a couple dozen people), the decision to play loud, distorted, unabashed guitar-rock isn’t a strategic move but a higher calling (or curse, depending on one’s point of view). Some might say the pursuit of rocking out via deafening amplifiers, crusty drums and a beer-battered PA is a spiritual one, an affliction that either strikes or doesn’t. Few groups today embody this sentiment like Melbourne’s aptly-named Deaf Wish.
They’re more likely to ask a fellow musician what they do for their “real” job (for one, guitarist Jensen Tjhung works as a builder) than talk shop about publicists, ticket counts and online promotions. They’re a grisly rock group and they’ve already signed to Sub Pop, which is to say they’ve already succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, so anything that comes after (performing in strange new cities, meeting like-minded souls, maybe even selling a t-shirt or two) is a bonus. And if they come to your town, you would be wise to clear your calendar: “I’ve started pouring a can of beer on my head every show. If that ain’t worth five bucks then I’m quitting show biz for good,” promises Tjhung.
Lithium Zion is their fifth full-length album (and second for Sub Pop following 2015’s Pain), and while it’s a rare case that a group’s fifth album is their best, particularly any band operating under a “loud fast rules” ethos, Deaf Wish make a strong case as the exception. Their previous albums were all recorded in makeshift studios (Is that a basement with some quilts stapled to the ceiling? Now it’s a “studio”!), which of course is a wise aesthetic choice for capturing the hazardous riffing, chemically-stained vocals and fiery rhythms conjured by a group such as this, but this step toward a slightly more professional sound only enhances their power - think of the difference between a tangled pile of firecrackers and a red stick of TNT lodged in a hornets nest. The record opens with “Easy”, a languid rocker in the rich Australian tradition of groups like X and The Scientists. From there it’s onto “FFS”, a moody downhill rocker sung by guitarist Sarah Hardiman (“I feel like a fool / out playing pool / hitting on you”) that confirms Deaf Wish’s relation to fellow Sub Pop employees like feedtime and Hot Snakes. “The Rat Is Back” is tense and epic; “Hitachi Jackhammer” pays a brief and noisy tribute to Hitachi’s second most notable device (you’d be forgiven for assuming this song is about vibrators). Lithium Zion is a veritable buffet of garage-punk energy, post-punk pathos, sardonic wit and the fearlessness that comes with Aussie rock, a natural consequence for anyone living on a continent teeming with grapefruit-sized spiders and man-eating mosquito swarms.
As has always been the case, the whole group shares vocal duties, even drummer Daniel Twomey (you know the band is slightly unhinged if they’re letting the drummer sing). Hardiman and Tjhung are as ragged and hairy as ever, chugging along as though krautrock was trying to speed past the late ‘70s but got caught in the sticky grasp of punk. Such is the way of Deaf Wish, a group destined to write songs that are simultaneously stupid and sublime, vulnerable and ferocious, and play them with the unbridled intensity they demand. Anyone serving a life sentence to rock will surely concur.
Melbourne’s mighty Deaf Wish will bring their thunderous live show stateside this October in support of Pain. The tour begins October 6th in Chicago at Township and ends October 24th in Seattle at Black Lodge.
In case you missed it: We suggest you experience the visual odyssey for “On” directed by Vincenzi Vandella, who describes it thusly: “Rainbows, Snakes, Chrome, Champagne. A live broadcast from the Deaf Wish cathedral.”
Allow us to also mention that Pain is available for purchase on CD / LP / DL from Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp. LP orders from megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited Loser edition on clear, black marbled vinyl (while supplies last).
Tour Dates Oct. 06 - Chicago, IL - Township Oct. 07 - Columbus, OH - Double Happiness Oct. 08 - Cleveland, OH - Now That’s Class Oct. 09 - Detroit, MI - Marble Bar Oct. 10 - New York, NY - Cakeshop Oct. 11 - Brooklyn, NY - Alphaville Oct. 12 - Washington, DC - DC9 Oct. 13 - Asheville, NC - Lazy Diamond Oct. 14 - Atlanta, GA - Eyedrum Oct. 15 - Memphis, TN - Murphy’s Oct. 16 - New Orleans, LA - Sidney’s Saloon Oct. 17 - Austin, TX - Sidewinder Oct. 18 - Austin, TX - Trailer Space Records Oct. 19 - Phoenix, AZ - The Rebel Lounge Oct. 20 - Los Angeles, CA - House of Gods Oct. 21 - Oakland, CA - 1-2-3-4 Go! Records Oct. 22 - San Francisco, CA - Hemlock Oct. 23 - Portland, OR - They Know Oct. 24 - Seattle, WA - Black Lodge
For more information + ticket links, please go here.
You can now experience Deaf Wish’s official video for “On,” from Pain, their new album releasing today - yes, it’s finally here - worldwide.
When pressed for a description of the visual, director Vincenzi Vandella offered this: “Rainbows, Snakes, Chrome, Champagne. A live broadcast from the Deaf Wish cathedral (see Brooklyn Vegan video premiere August 7th).”
Pain was recorded & produced by the band at Reservoir, Victoria, mixed by Mikey Young and mastered by April Golden at Golden Mastering.
Deaf Wish have confirmed a few Australian dates in support ofPain, including August 28th in Geelong, AU at Barwon Club and the band’s official CD release show on September 5th in Melbourne, AU at The Tote. (Never fear: a North American tour will be announcement shortly.)
Starting today, Pain is available for purchase on CD / LP / DL from your local purveyor of fine records, and also online from Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp. LP orders from megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited Loser edition on clear, black marbled vinyl (while supplies last).
Tour Dates Aug. 28 - Geelong, AU - Barwon Club Geelong Sep. 05 - Melbourne, AU - The Tote
You can now listen to Deaf Wish’s Pain in its entirety via SPIN. The band’s first album on Sub Pop Records releases worldwide next ween on August 7th.
Pain is available for preorder from Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp. Why preorder, you ask? All LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited Loser edition on clear, black marbled vinyl (while supplies last), and you may (or may not be) surprised to hear… there’s also a t-shirt for that.
SPIN had this to say of the album, “The group debuted on Sub Pop last October with their four-track EP St. Vincent’s, a short, dissonant introduction to the band for the wider public. With the release of their first LP for the label, Pain, it’s safe to say that the Australian foursome has since abandoned that initial mission, proving through nauseous instrumentation and chiming vocals that they have something worth sticking around for. Songs off Pain play with the whole spectrum of anxious indie rock. Some are small ruptures of electrified rage (“Newness Again,” “Eyes Closed”) while others are more mellow and melodic (“Sunset’s Fool,” “On”). All four members take turns on vocals, and each offers a hypnotically haunting aura no matter if they’re screaming or taking it easier on their vocal cords (see album premiere July 30th)”
