On November 1st, Omni will release their Sub Pop debut Networker. The first single, “Sincerely Yours”, delivers a tight groove accompanied by smart leads. Elements that have become a definitive part of Omni’s immediately recognizable sound. However, there is a new sonic brilliance to this recording. If spring single, “Delicacy”, was a taste for what was to come, “Sincerely Yours” lifts the curtain to reveal their lush, new sound.
Networker’s 11 tracks were written between tours and a handful of studio sessions, allowing Omni’s Frankie Broyles and Philip Frobos to push their songwriting boundaries while keeping the stage in mind, designing songs to enhance their tight, energetic performances. Longtime collaborator, Nathaniel Higgins returned to help capture what is their most “HI-FI” album to date. Together they recorded the LP in Vienna, GA between November 2018 - April 2019.
[Photo Credit: Emily Frobos]
Elaborating on the inspiration behind “Sincerely Yours”, Frobos shares that “The last couple of years marked a lot of friends making the 9 to 5 career change. While I’m aware that there are many advantages to that lifestyle, the song is written from an outsider’s perspective while remaining close to their struggles.” You can watch the new video for “Sincerely Yours” right here, and also here.
The band has announced a 26 date world tour this fall in support of their Sub Pop debut Networker. The North American run will kick off on Oct. 23rd in Nashville, and find the group touring through Chicago, Brooklyn, DC, and Raleigh, ending in their home city of Atlanta on Nov. 4th. They will then head overseas beginning on Nov. 10th in Kortrijk, Belgium with shows in Hamburg, Copenhagen, Berlin, Paris, Lille, Brighton, Glasgow, and London. See below for a full list of shows.
Networker is now available for preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders of the album through megamart.subpop.comand select independent retailers in North America, UK, and Europe will receive the limited Loser edition on opaque blue while supplies last.
Oct. 23 - Nashville, TN - The Basement Oct. 25 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle Oct. 27 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison
Oct. 28 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz Oct. 29 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right Oct. 30 - Brooklyn, NY - Sultan Room Nov. 2 - Washington, DC - Pie Shop Bar Nov. 3 - Raliegh, NC - Kings Raleigh Nov. 4 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl Nov. 10 - Kortrijk, BE - Sonic City Festival Nov. 11 - Hamburg, DE - Molotov Nov. 12 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen Nov. 13 - Berlin, DE - BERGHAIN KANTINE Nov. 14 - Utrecht, NL - Ekko Nov. 15 - Le Havre, FR - Mc Daids Nov. 18 - Paris, FR - La Boule Noire Nov. 19 - Lille, FR - La Bulle Nov. 20 - Brussels, BE - Le Botanique Nov. 21 - Colmar, FR - Le Grillen Nov. 22 - St. Gallen, CH Palace St. Gallen Nov. 23 - Lyon, FR - Sonic Nov. 25 - Brighton, UK - Hope Nov. 26 - Bristol, UK - Rough Trade (Bristol) Nov. 27 - Manchester, UK - YES Nov. 28 - Glasgow, UK - Mono (Glasgow) Nov. 29 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Nov. 30 - London, UK - Oslo
About Omni:
Enter Networker, the new album by Omni and first with indie giant Sub Pop Records. Their sound is still defined by sparse drums, locked-in bass, blistering guitar, and nonchalant, yet assured vocals, but from the first notes of “Sincerely Yours” you’ll immediately notice that Networker sounds much cleaner and more “HI-FI” than their prior two albums, Deluxe (2016) and Multi-task (2017). The departure in fidelity suits the new record and allows the listener to enjoy the nuances of their meticulous arrangements. Don’t worry, the riffs of Gang of Four and Wire are still present, but the production is more lush and the harmony is even more expansive. Despite nods to the sounds of the ’70s and ’80s what comes through is a record fully rooted in the here and now. Thematically, this is apparent on the title track “Networker” taking a candid snapshot of the “digital you” aspect of life in the age of the internet. The otherwise fun romp “Skeleton Key” also acknowledges the “direct message and obsessive” side of social media with lines like “if you don’t like what you see, the pretty face on the screen, scroll on by…”
Networker was written half between tours and half during recording sessions. The band, Philip Frobos on bass/vocals and Frankie Broyles on guitars/drums/keys, returned with longtime collaborator Nathaniel Higgins to the studio in South Georgia where they also recorded Multi-task and most recent single “Delicacy.” In this case, the “studio” is a cabin near Vienna, GA (pronounced Vye-anna) that was built by Frankie Broyles’ great-grandparents in the 1940s. The band completed four sessions between November 2018 and April 2019. Omni hit their stride in the cabin with songs such as “Moat,” which cruises along at a nice mid-tempo clip with sounds that are maybe piano or maybe the “behind the bridge” strings of a Jaguar a la Sonic Youth or This Heat. “Blunt Force” provides a nice contrast to some of the more upbeat cuts, getting jazzy with it’s less traditional arrangement and psychedelic outro.
On “Courtesy Call,” Omni successfully ride the line of being able to pleasantly reference influences without mimicking. They venture into experimental Haruomi Hosono territory while still managing to sound like Thin Lizzy. The same could be applied to “Sincerely Yours” where the fantastic guitar work and a beautiful breakdown in the middle dive into late 70’s jazz production. On standout cut “Present Tense,” Yellow Magic Orchestra vibes are present in the fun synthesizer riff while the guitar counterpoint checks this direction pulling the song back into something fresh, sharp, and definitely Omni.
Overall, Networker is simultaneously fun, catchy, and contains some truly impressive musicianship. This combo is especially hard to pull off as bands that are great players often don’t have great or memorable songs. Omni and Nathaniel Higgins have done a stellar job of reigning in their diverse influences into a cohesive record by curating their sounds into a tight package that leaves you just on the cusp of understanding where the band is coming from, while still feeling like you’re hearing something totally fresh. While their earlier records had more of a “post-punk” sound, Networker is an amalgamation of the best sounds of the ’70s and ’80s, all arranged with (mostly) guitars, bass, and drums for our contemporary age, and it really works! There are hooks everywhere, vocal and instrumental, that will leave you humming along, even during the first listen. As Philip Frobos says in “Present Tense,” “guess who’s on my mind right now?” Well, Omni’s on mine and will be on yours soon.
“It’s Marika’s rawness that makes Any Human Friend such an emotive and compelling album” - ★★★★ ½ DIY
Marika Hackman’s internationally acclaimed new album Any Human Friend is out today, Friday, August 9th in North and South America from Sub Pop, and the rest of the world through AMF Recordings.
The powerful, sexually-charged album, which is led by the highlights “i’m not where you are,”“the one,”“all night,” ”hand solo,” and “blow,” was produced by Hackman and David Wrench (Frank Ocean, the xx, Lets Eat Grandma). She will embark on a headlining North American tour this October and November with support from Hardly Art artists Girl Friday, who will also act as her backing band for the entire tour.
Marika Hackman has also scheduled a Reddit “Indieheads” AMA for Wednesday, August 14th at 12:30 pm PDT/3 pm EDT.
Any Human Friend is now available from Sub Pop. LP purchases through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America will receive the limited Loser edition on Salmon-colored vinyl (while supplies last).
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*
*w/ Girl Friday
What “The People” have said about Any Human Friend:
“A treasure trove of zippy guitar hooks, glimmering synths, and lemony vocals.” - (9.3/10) PASTE
“Infectious, assured, and eclectic…, Album of the Week.” - Stereogum
“Any Human Friend is all bangers, all the time…there is not a single low point on the album.” - ★★★★★ DORK
“Any Human Friend sees Hackman wholly uncensored, and all the better for it.” - ★★★★ Q
“Signals Hackman’s coming of age as an artist with real purpose and star power.” - ★★★★ The Telegraph
“Her most universal album yet.” - (8/10) Uncut
“A contender for album of the year.” - (8/10) CLASH
“A quantum leap forward” - (8/10) PopMatters
“Any Human Friend is an explosive body of work.” - (8/10) The Line of Best Fit
“The arrangements are sharper, the choruses bigger…” - (8/10) Loud & Quiet
On Sep 20th, Sub Pop will release Morning in America, a new 7-song EP of tracks recorded during the sessions for Mudhoney’s 2018 album, Digital Garbage (“…an astute, politically relevant and commendably fired-up garage punk belter of an LP,” – The Quietus). The tracks include “Let’s Kill Yourself Live Again” (an alternate version of the Digital Garbage stand-out “Kill Yourself Live,” and the bonus track for the Japanese CD version of that album), “One Bad Actor” (a new version of Mudhoney’s track on the limited-edition, and now very sold-out, SPF30 split 7” single w Hot Snakes), album outtakes “Snake Oil Charmer,” “Morning in America” and “Creeps Are Everywhere,” plus “Ensam I Natt” (“So Lonely Tonight,” a Leather Nun cover) and “Vortex of Lies” from a very limited EU tour 7”.
The songs were mixed at Johnny Sangster’s studio Crackle & Pop! The release of this EP coincides with Mudhoney’s fall 2019 US tour – see below for dates.
Morning in America will only be available on 12” vinyl and through digital services. Pre-orders for this new Mudhoney EP are available from Sub Pop now. And, the limited Loser Edition of Morning in America, on white vinyl marbled with black, is available frommegamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers inNorth America, UK, and Europe, while supplies last.
Morning in America Tracklisting 1.Vortex of Lies 2. Creeps Are Everywhere 3. Ensam I Natt 4. Morning in America 5. Let’s Kill Yourself Live Again 6. Snake Oil Charmer 7. One Bad Actor
Mudhoney will be touring the US following the release of this EP: Sep. 27 – Sep. 29 - Dana Point, CA - Ohana Festival Oct. 4 - Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall @ Oct. 5 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall * Oct. 6 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer * Oct. 7 - Richmond, Virginia - The Broadberry * Oct. 8 - Pinhook, Durham - NC * Oct. 9 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West * Oct. 10 - Ashville, NC - Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall * Oct. 11 - Knoxville, TN - Concourse # Oct. 12 - Nashville, TN - Basement East $ Oct. 14 - St Louis, MO - Off Broadway % Oct. 15 - Detroit, MI - El Club % Oct. 16 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop % Oct. 17 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls % Oct. 18 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage % Oct. 19 - Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel %
@ w/ Shut Up * w/ Pissed Jeans # w/ Pissed Jeans, Kings of the Fucking Sea $ w/ Porcupine & Kings of the Fucking Sea % w/ Kid Congo Power + the Pink Monkey Birds
NPR
Music has released the latest installment of
their stellar Tiny Desk Concert Series featuring
Calexico and Iron & Wine. The
group performed “Father Mountain” and “Midnight Sun” off their critically acclaimed full-length album Years to Burn, as well as
“He Lays in the Reins” from 2005’s In the Reins EP. Watch their performance here.
Calexico and Iron & Wine will also be featured on NPR Music’s World Cafe next week. Their episode will air online on Tuesday, August 6th at 5pm ET. To listen live, fans can check
their local station’s Program Schedule for the World Cafe broadcast time HERE. To listen live online, fans
can hear the WXPN Philadelphia stream at 2pm ET at XPN.org by choosing WXPN from the ‘Listen Live’ drop-down at the top
of the page.
Calexico and Iron & Wine are currently on an extensive tour of North America,
Europe and the UK. Their recent stops included a June 21st performance at the Celebrate Brooklyn! festival at
Prospect Park. Watch them perform “Father Mountain” at Celebrate Brooklyn! HERE. In addition, the collective recently released Years to Burn Behind the Scenesfeaturing exclusive
interviews with the band and their long friendship and spirit of
collaboration. Watch the short vignette HERE.
Full list of tour dates below.
[Photo Credit: Piper Ferguson]
Calexico and Iron & Wine World Tour Dates + Ticket Links
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\
Today, Marika Hackman releases the grunge laced, x-rated track “all night” ahead of the release of her new album Any Human Friend, out August 9th via Sub Pop in North and South America and AMF Records for the rest of the world.
“all night” leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination, a song with a laid back groove that belies the up-front, no holds barred lyricism on show.
Marika on the single: “I thought it would be exciting to write a really overtly sexual song about a woman from the perspective of a woman. You don’t hear much about sex between women in music, or if you do its usually from a fetishised male perspective, I thought I’d reclaim a bit of that power”.
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. Any Human Friend is a step-up again for Marika. There’s a sense of liberation, a sense of sexual freedom, and being a solo entity again - and working out what that means.
Having recently teased new music at the BBC 6 Music Festival, The Great Escape, All Points East, and Field Day, Marika is gearing up for a headlining North American tour this October and November with Hardly Art’s Girl Friday, who are also acting as her backing band for these dates.
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* *w/ Girl Friday
This past Saturday, Calexico and Iron & Wine’s incredible performance of “Father Mountain” and “Midnight Sun” from their recently
released and critically acclaimed album Years to Burn aired on CBS This Morning Saturday. You can
watch them perform both songs as well as a performance of “He Lays in the Reins” from their 2005
EP online starting right here and also HERE.
Calexico and Iron & Wine recently released
Years
to Burnvia 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 soon embark on an extensive North American,
European, and UK tour. Their recent stops included a June 21st performance at
the Celebrate Brooklyn! festival at
Prospect Park. Watch them perform “Father Mountain” at Celebrate Brooklyn! HERE. Full list of tour
dates below.
In addition, the collective
recently releasedYears to Burn Behind the Scenesfeaturing exclusive
interviews with the band and their long friendship and spirit of
collaboration. Watch the short vignette HERE.
[Photo credit: Piper Ferguson]
Calexico and Iron & Wine Tour Dates + Ticket Links
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\
