Rock provocateur Marika Hackman returns with melodic earworm “i’m not where you are” which shows off a sharper and more liberated sound than ever before. The track was co-produced by Marika and David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx, Let’s Eat Grandma), and is available now digitally from Sub Pop (in North and South America) and AMF Records (for the rest of the world)
“i’m not where you are” “is about breaking up with people, or self-sabotaging relationships” Marika explains. “That feeling of not trusting one’s emotions because you can’t seem to get to the same place as the other person. On the surface, it seems like an arrogant everybody falls in love with me” kind of song but its actually incredibly lonely, introspective and self-deprecating”
“i’m not where you are” fits into a wider narrative, in which the process of writing was cathartic and - as the best songwriters do - she has strengthened her own voice through the process, exploring herself and emerging with a widescreen, heavy-hitting new sound.
Marika has deployed synthesizers that recall the off-kilter, oddball hits of OMD or New Order and places them at the heart of “i’m not where you are.” For all the urgency of the backing music, Marika’s natural delivery and sensuous tone offers a dreamlike quality to the proceedings and allows her to look within to find answers that make sense outside.
Hackman 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—which earned raves from The Guardian, Stereogum, and Pitchfork—and its sybaritic, swaggering hit “Boyfriend,” which boasts of seducing away a straight guy’s girlfriend. Marika’s new sound sees her dive into herself, peeling back the skin further and further, exposing herself in a big way, creating something for people to react to.
Having recently teased new music at theBBC 6 Music festival, Marika is gearing up to an exciting year of touring. More news to come.
[Photo Credit: Joost Vandebrug]
What people have said about Marika Hackman: “Her tactile lyrics keep the songs melodically strong and full of surprises…As a writer, Hackman may owe a bit to PJ Harvey, but I’m Not Your Man is the proper arrival of a bold young British force.” [I’m Not Your Man] - Pitchfork
“Hackman’s greatest weapon is her words, and she uses her dark wit to lure you in while conveying strong messages about her life and society.” [I’m Not Your Man] - Stereogum
“A bolder, more upfront record than her first, no longer couching her sexuality in metaphors about nature…” [I’m Not Your Man] - NPR Music
“Marika Hackman’s latest evolution is a triumph that finds equilibrium amid both wit and heart.” [I’m Not Your Man] - All Music
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
Today, Calexico and Iron & Wine added new shows to the previously announced UK, European and North American dates, including stops in Philadelphia, Austin, Los Angeles and more. See all dates and on sale info below.
Calexico and Iron & Wine recently announced Years to Burn, their first full–length album together, out June 14th via City Slang in the UK/Europe and Sub Pop in the rest of the world. This is their first release since 2005’s critic and fan favorite In The Reins. Alongside the Years To Burn news, the trio released the lead track “Father Mountain” to great reception.
Calexico and Iron & Wine Tour Dates + Ticket Links
Jun. 18 - Saxapahaw, NC - River Ballroom 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 ~ 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 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 Concertsby 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 Madison Cunningham +with Andrew Bird *with special guest Lisa O’Neill
Artist Presales: Wednesday, April 17 - 10 am local – Thursday, April 18 - 10 pm local Password: yearstoburn Local Presales: Thursday, April 18 - 10 am local General On Sale: Friday, April 19 - 10 am local
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
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).
