Washed Out’s “Hide,” a standout from Purple Noon, his acclaimed album of 2020, has been remixed by producer/DJ Amtrac, and is available now on all DSPs from Sub Pop.
Washed Out’s Ernest Greene says of the remix, “I’ve been a fan of Amtrac’s music for a long time as I’ve been DJing his music for years. I think his songs transcend a lot of other more obvious club music as at their core they are very emotionally resonant. I had a feeling he would reinvent “Hide” in this same way. He took a very insular and personal song and translated it into something that feels much more anthem-like - that is best shared by a large group of people on a dance floor. I can’t wait to play it at my next DJ gig…”
Washed Out’s previously announced headline tour for 2022, will see Greene and longtime band members Dylan Lee and Cameron Gardener, take their incredible live show on the road beginning Monday, January 10th, 2022 in Asheville, NC at the Orange Peel runs through Saturday, February 12th, 2022, closing with a hometown show in Atlanta, GA at the Eastern. The tour will feature support from Ghostly International artists Brijean. For more information on tickets, please visit https://washedout.net/Tour.
Mon. Jan. 10 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel* Tue. Jan. 11 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl* Thu. Jan. 13 - Houston, TX - Stereo Live* Fri. Jan. 14 - Austin, TX - Empire Control Room* Sat. Jan. 15 - Dallas, TX - The Granada Theatre* Mon. Jan. 17 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren* Tue. Jan. 18 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory* Thu. Jan. 20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern Theatre* Fri. Jan. 21 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory* Sat. Jan. 22 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom* Mon. Jan. 24 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom* Tue. Jan. 25 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market* Thu. Jan. 27 - Boise, ID - El Korah Shrine* Fri. Jan. 28 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Gallery* Sat. Jan. 29 - Denver, CO - The Gothic Theatre* Mon. Jan. 31 - Minneapolis, MN - USA - Fine Line Music Cafe* Tue. Feb. 01 - Chicago, IL - Metro* Thu. Feb. 03 - Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall* Fri. Feb. 04 - Montreal, QC - L’Astral* Sat. Feb. 05 - Boston, MA - Paradise* Mon. Feb. 07 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel* Wed. Feb. 09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club* Thu. Feb. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts* Fri. Feb. 11 - Chapel Hill, NC - Cat’s Cradle* Sat. Feb. 12 - Atlanta GA - The Eastern* * w/ Brijean
Tracklisting: 1. Too Late 2. Face Up 3. Time to Walk Away 4. Paralyzed 5. Reckless Desires 6. Game of Chance 7. Leave You Behind 8. Don’t Go 9. Hide 10. Haunt
Once Twice Melody, the first album produced entirely by Beach House, was recorded at Pachyderm studio in Cannon Falls, MN, United Studio in Los Angeles, CA, and Apple Orchard Studios in Baltimore, MD. For the first time, a live string ensemble was used, with arrangements by David Campbell. Once Twice Melody was mostly mixed by Alan Moulder but a few tracks were also mixed by Caesar Edmunds, Trevor Spencer, and Dave Fridmann.
Once Twice Melody features 18 tracks, and in the lead up to the physical release, will be presented in 4 chapters with lyric animations for each song. The first 4-song chapter of Once Twice Melody will be available on all DSPs at midnight Eastern on November 10th. The entire chapter and song release schedule will be as follows:
Chapter 1 on November 10th, 2021 1. Once Twice Melody 2. Superstar 3. Pink Funeral 4. Through Me
Chapter 2 on December 8th, 2021 5. Runaway 6. ESP 7. New Romance 8. Over and Over
Chapter 3 on January 19th, 2022 9. Sunset 10. Only You Know 11. Another Go Around 12. Masquerade 13. Illusion of Forever
Chapter 4 (full album release) on February 18th, 2022 14. Finale 15. The Bells 16. Hurts to Love 17. Many Nights 18. Modern Love Stories
Earlier today, Beach House debuted the first new music from Once Twice Melody with a world premiere of the album’s title track, on SiriusXMU.
Beach House is also announcing headlining tour dates for 2022, which begin on February 18th in Pittsburgh at Stage AE and run through Sunday, July 24th in Washington, DC at Anthem. Tickets will be on sale on Friday, November 19th, 2021 at 10 am (local). To register for artist presale, please visit oncetwicemelodytour.com.
Fri. Feb. 18 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE Sat. Feb. 19 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre Sun. Feb. 20 - Grand Rapids, MI - GLC Live at 20 Monroe Tue. Feb. 22 - Kansas City, MO - Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland Wed. Feb. 23 - Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom Fri. Feb. 25 - Madison, WI - The Sylvee Sat. Feb. 26 - St. Paul, MN - Palace Theatre Sun. Feb. 27 - Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Theater Tue. Mar. 01 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre Wed. Mar. 02 - Cincinnati, OH - PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION Tue. Mar. 22 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz Wed. Mar. 23 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern Fri. Mar. 25 - Austin, TX - Moody Amphitheatre at Waterloo Park Sun. Mar. 27 - Dallas, TX - The Factory in Deep Ellum Tue. Mar. 29 - Santa Fe, NM - Lensic Performing Arts Center Wed. Mar. 30 - Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom Fri. Apr. 01 - Missoula, MT - The Wilma Sat. Apr. 02 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory Sun. Apr. 03 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre Tue. Apr. 05 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre Wed. Apr. 06 - Portland, OR - The Keller Auditorium Fri. Apr. 08 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley Sat. Apr. 09 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre Sat. May 21 - Dublin, IE - The National Stadium Mon. May 23 - Glasgow - Barrowland Ballroom Tue. May 24 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy Thu. May 26 - London, UK - O2 Academy Brixton Sat. May 28 - Antwerp, BE - De Roma Mon. May 30 - Brussels, BE - Ancienne Belgique Tue. May 31 - Paris, FR - L’Olympia Thu. Jun. 02 - Nimes, FR - Paloma Sat. Jun. 04 - Barcelona, ES - Primavera Sound Festival Tue. Jun. 07 - Cologne, DE - Carlswerk Victoria Wed. Jun. 08 - Berlin, DE - Columbiahalle Thu. Jun. 09 - Copenhagen, DK - Falkoner Centre Fri. Jul. 08 - Richmond, VA - The National Sat. Jul. 09 - Asheville, NC - Rabbit Rabbit Sun. Jul. 10 - Louisville, KY - Old Forester’s Paristown Hall Tue. Jul. 12 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre Wed. Jul. 13 - Chicago, IL - Radius Fri. Jul. 15 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall Sat. Jul. 16 - Montreal, QC - MTELUS Mon. Jul. 18 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall Tue. Jul. 19 - Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre Wed. Jul. 20 - Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre Fri. Jul. 22 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner Sat. Jul. 23 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met Sun. Jul. 24 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
Limited “GOLD” Edition 2xLP in a gold-embossed, hinged box on gold and clear vinyl with full-color booklet and 2 exclusive posters
“SILVER” Edition 2xLP in a silver embossed black sleeve, on classic black vinyl with double-sided exclusive poster
Long considered one of the planet’s most bombastic live acts and foremost purveyors of abrasive melodicism, METZ has spent the majority of their 11-year tenure crisscrossing the globe and bringing their unparalleled energy directly to the people. Determined to connect with their fans and to find a way within the confines of the pandemic to create a live experience as dynamic as their most recent full length, Atlas Vending, METZ took to the stage in October 2020 at the Opera House in Toronto to livestream a performance of Atlas Vending in its entirety. Directed by the band’s longtime video collaborator Scott Cudmore, you can now watch this stunning performance on YouTube. Click here to watch.
The film is a reminder of METZ’s intense, life-affirming performances, which they are bringing back to the stages of North America this November and December with longtime friends and equally excellent bands, Preoccupations and FACS. The tour begins November 18th in Phoenix and will close with METZ headlining a two-night stand in Toronto at Lee’s Palace on December 17th-18th. The band will return to Europe and the UK in the spring of 2022.
Live at the Opera House was recorded by Graham Walsh, mixed by Seth Manchester and is available now on all digital service providers. The limited-edition 1,000-piece pressing on tricolor (Black/White/Oxblood) vinyl is practically sold out. If you miss the chance to buy this handsome, collectible LP online, you can and should (FINALLY) go see METZ at one of their upcoming shows where they will have a limited number of these Live at the Opera House LPs for sale.
METZ on the road:
2021
Thu. Nov. 18 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
Fri. Nov. 19 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
Sat. Nov. 20 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
Mon. Nov. 22 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
Tue. Nov. 23 - Seattle, WA - The Tractor Tavern
Wed. Nov. 24 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore
Fri. Nov. 26 - Calgary, AB - Commonwealth Bar & Stage
Sat. Nov. 27 - Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
Mon. Nov. 29 - Winnipeg, MB - Winnipeg Park Theatre
Tue. Nov. 30 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
Thu. Dec. 02 - Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room - Colectivo
Fri. Dec. 03 - Detroit, MI - Museum of Contemporary Art
Sun. Dec. 05 - Ottawa ON - Bronson Centre
Mon. Dec. 06 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount
Tue. Dec. 07 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
Thu. Dec. 09 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere: Hall
Fri. Dec. 10 - New York, NY - The Bowery Ballroom
Sat. Dec. 11 - Philadelphia, PA - The Foundry at The Fillmore
Sub Pop is currently accepting resumes from energetic, responsible, detail-oriented, and dependable candidates for a part-time/weekend/holiday Sales Associate position for November through January at our terribly impressive store at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. This guy.
Responsibilities include:
• Greeting and assisting customers in a friendly manner. • Full compliance with Sea-Tac operation rules and strict TSA regulations and restrictions. • Efficient handling of cash and credit card transactions. • Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively. • Availability to work nights, weekends, and holidays. • Assisting in organizing and restocking the store. • Maintaining the general appearance of the store. • Contributing to the team retail effort by accomplishing related tasks as needed.
Qualified candidates will have:
• Previous experience in the retail environment. • Knowledge of the Sub Pop catalog, Pacific Northwest music, the Seattle music community, and the City of Seattle. • A friendly and enthusiastic disposition with customers and staff. • Strong and clear communication skills. • A general understanding of retail Point of Sale systems. • Flexibility in schedule and willingness to work early or late hours.
The Sub Pop Airport Store at Sea-Tac is open unusually long hours, generally, 6am - 10pm, and 365 days a year.
Earlier this year, CHAI released WINK, their Sub Pop debut that “maintain[s] the unwavering commitment to self-love and community that makes their music so endearing” (Pitchfork). This embracement of community is often found in their electric live shows, and today, CHAI announce their WINK TOGETHER NORTH AMERICA TOUR, plus a sold-out west coast run supporting Mitski. Tickets for their headline dates are on sale this Friday at 10am local time here. For a preview of what to expect at one of CHAI’s fun, aesthetic driven shows, watch the tour trailer below.
CHAI TOUR DATES (NEW HEADLINE DATES)
Fri. Feb. 4 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Sat. Feb. 5 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
Sun. Feb. 6 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Wed. Feb. 9 - Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Fri. Feb. 11 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Sat. Feb. 12 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
Sun. Feb. 13 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Tue. Feb. 15 - Brooklyn NY @ Elsewhere
Thu. Feb. 17 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel * - SOLD OUT
Fri. Feb. 18 - Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz * - SOLD OUT
Sat. Feb. 19 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern * - SOLD OUT
Mon. Feb. 21 - Birmingham, AL @ Iron City * - SOLD OUT
Tue. Feb. 22 - New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Thu. Feb. 24 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Outside Lawn) * - SOLD OUT
Fri. Feb. 25 - Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory * - SOLD OUT
Sat. Feb. 26 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater * - SOLD OUT
Mon. Feb. 28 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * - SOLD OUT
Wed. March 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * - SOLD OUT
Thu. March 3 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * - SOLD OUT
Fri. March 4 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * - SOLD OUT
Sat. March 5 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * - SOLD OUT
Mon. March 7 - Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall * - SOLD OUT
Wed. March 9 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Thu. March 10 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Sat. March 12 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Sun. March 13 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Tue. March 15 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
Thu. March 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
*= supporting Mitski
PRAISE FOR WINK
“Chai is a professional purveyor of whimsy.” - New York Times
“[CHAI] have reimagined their songcraft for cozy dance music. With their creative process reduced to Zoom and phone calls, they traded in their maximalist pop for a more groove-friendly sound, inverting the CHAI formula to great effect.” - New Yorker
“challenging your expectations is a key tenet of this band.” - NPR Music
“Inspired by the varied genres they were listening to at home, WINK injects the effervescent energy of their past dance-punk work into funk, chiptune, and more.”
- Pitchfork
“This is the year CHAI breaks through like never before.” - Complex
“WINK looks to possess a glitzy, glossy appeal all its own, incorporating EDM and R&B in gleefully idiosyncratic ways.” - AV Club
“Whelan is as equally expressive and in command on the minimalist piano ballads as on the full-blown rockers… the best music Whelan has ever made.” – New York Times
“This is exciting, dynamic, hooky indie rock and if it’s not quite a Wrens song, that doesn’t make it any less great.” – Brooklyn Vegan “… a heartening return to form from Whelan.” – Consequence of Sound
Following his return to music after more than a decade, Kevin Whelan of AEON STATION is offering another look into his upcoming debut album Observatory(release date: December 10, 2021 via Sub Pop) with the release of the second single “Leaves”. Premiering today on Pitchfork, the track is a very special piece for one of the main songwriters of iconic indie rock band The Wrens. “‘Leaves’ is about finding the courage to leave negative people or situations behind. It is not about giving up or feeling defeated. It’s about learning self-love, finding your voice, and setting on a path for a chance at something better.”
After roughly 18 years since The Wrens’ Meadowlands (2003) left the indie rock world in a daze, Whelan surprised last month with the release of “Queens,” the first single from Observatory. Pitchfork points out that its “reliable Pixies-indebted soft-loud dynamic roars to life in thrilling distorted guitar riffs that remind me of old Weezer B-sides, and just as the song comes to a close, Whelan bursts into a barroom acoustic strummer that slowly fades.” UPROXX added, “The five-minute single starts off slowly but locks into place with crashing percussion and hard-driving guitar. From a sonic perspective, it’s quite the ‘we’re back’ proclamation.” Stereogum called the track “exhilarating” while MXDWN lauded it as “a hypnotic rock song that features an explosive chorus, ripping guitars and ethereal vocal lines creating a mesmerizing wall of sound.”
More than a decade in the making, Observatory is an album about the perseverance of the soul, not scared of vulnerability but not backing down to adversity either. The album pushes Whelan forward from his previous band’s sound, highlighting the gorgeous music pastiches he layered into those songs and amplifies them to soaring heights. With help on assorted tracks from his Wrens bandmates Jerry MacDonald (drums) and Greg Whelan (guitar) and producer/guitarist Tom Beaujour, this collection of tracks shines a bright light on his songwriting. “It’s the best I’ve done and may ever do frankly,” Whelan states. “It’s written over such a long period of my life. Music I did in the past was tinged with expectations or presumptions, but this time, it was just for me.”
About Observatory: Aeon Station’s Observatory is an epic statement more than a decade in the making, with miles of timeless melodies and the kind of overpowering songwriting that will reaffirm your belief in life itself. Longtime Wrens member Kevin Whelan’s first solo album draws heavily from the perseverance of the soul, resulting in rock music possessing an infectious and inspiring sonic uplift. If you’re familiar with Whelan’s past work, these ten tracks bear a certain and unmistakable familiarity—but they also mark an exciting new chapter in Whelan’s musical career, as he steps out with more vulnerability than ever before.
Observatory came together carefully for Whelan—over the course of 14 years, specifically, as clusters of demos and sketches were eventually assembled and recorded largely by Whelan himself, with assistance from Wrens’ bandmate Jerry MacDonald and Greg Whelan as well as Tom Beaujour in his Union City recording space. Additionally, his wife Mary Ann provided backup vocals. “It’s the best I’ve done and may ever do frankly,” Whelan states. “It’s written over such a long period of my life. Music I did in the past was tinged with expectations or presumptions, but this time, it was just for me.”
The long gestation of Observatory means that a lot of lived experience went into making this album. As time passed, Whelan got married, started a family, and moved to the Asia Pacific region for a period of time; at 15 months old, his son (now eight) was also diagnosed with autism, and the title of Observatory itself is inspired by Whelan’s own relationship with his son. “The moment you’re told your child is not ‘neurotypical,’ your whole world expands in ways you never imagined,” he explains. “Even though he doesn’t speak much at all, or look at anyone directly, you can see him observing everything around him. The album title reflects upon the stories within the songs — each one observing a certain situation or feeling.”
Whelan’s scope of musical vision on Observatory is wide open and free with possibilities—at once recalling the reflective wisdom of Bruce Springsteen, Broken Social Scene’s huge anthemic burn, and the Wrens’ own pulsing-with-life take on rock music. Above all, this is music not only for dreamers but for those who realize and appreciate the enormity of every moment. “It’s about never letting go about those dreams and your passion,” he states. “The album starts from a place of realizing that everything is temporary, what we love eventually changes or leaves us, and regardless we continue to search and find our way back home.”
The pounding “Queens” builds to a truly thrilling climax of huge guitars and frantic drumming, while the steady build of “Leaves” is accompanied by Whelan’s reflections on “Being lost and then found”: “It musically captures the album as it starts small and intimate, crescendos into a peak both musically and lyrically, and then settles down into a repeating mode of a hopeful but uncertain mantra about the future,” he explains while discussing the song’s themes and creation.
Then there’s the gleaming harmonies of “Fade,” a song about breaking past your own insecurities to discover what’s on the other side. “Whether you limit yourself because of your own fears and insecurities, or because what others think and say,” Whelan says, “The song is about when you stop waiting and start believing deeper in your own path.” Observatory ends with the hushed and lush “Alpine Drive,” with Whelan’s voice lit by pinwheel plucked piano strings—a tender moment that packs as much power as the nine songs that come before it.
“I hope people feel a sense of strength when they hear this album,” he states while discussing his artistic aims as a whole. “Most importantly, I hope that it connects to them in some personal way.” And if you’ve ever caught air in your lungs or felt your heart beating in your chest, there’s no doubt that you’ll find some level of connection with Observatory’s open-hearted, instantly classic-sounding rock.
Aeon Station - Observatory
Tracklisting: 1. Hold On 2. Leaves 3. Fade 4. Everything at Once 5. Move 6. Queens 7. Empty Rooms 8. Air 9. Better Love 10. Alpine Drive
