I hadn’t seen Washington D.C. post-punks Priests since the 2017 Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. They were promoting their excellent album, Nothing Feels Natural, at the time, and they put on a lively afternoon set under a bright sun. Seeing them at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall would be the first time I would see them playing tracks off their new album, The Seduction of Kansas (which is currently my favorite album of 2019), in a small club, and since one of their original bassist, Taylor Mulitz, amicably left the band to form Flasher – a good band in their own right.
Opening them were a fun band called Gurr, who hail from Germany (despite a drunk in the crowd loudly asking if they were from France or Canada). They played a loud post-PUNK that had an infectious energy you couldn’t ignore. They revealed that their touring van had been burglarized at a previous gig and all of the money they’d made on tour so far was gone, but they were still upbeat.
Gurr getting loud.
Priests came out with “Good Time Charlie,” one of the first singles released from The Seduction of Kansas. It was immediately evident that the new tracks take on a dangerous edge live, even with some low bass troubles for Alexandria Tyson at first (which were fixed by the sound crew by the time Priests reached the stinging “YouTube Sartre” and the defiant “Not Perceived”). Katie Greer’s vocals on “The Seduction of Kansas” were almost spooky at some points. She had us hypnotized and even a bit frightened.
Getting seduced by “The Seduction of Kansas”
A highlight was when drummer Daniele Daniele came to the front and sang lead on “68 Screen” and “I’m Clean.” She accidentally stepped on an effects pedal at one point during “I’m Clean,” cutting out some of the programmed drumming for a moment. “It’s live music, folks! You’ll never hear that version again,” Greer said before they tore into “Pink White House” from Nothing Feels Natural.
“It’s live music, folks!”
G.L. Jaguar was shredding by the time they reached “Texas Instruments” and closed with the knockout punch of “Jesus’ Son.” I walked out of Lincoln Hall with one word in mind – “dangerous.” In a small venue, with the powerful lyrics, vocals, and instrumentation behind them, seeing Priests was like being in a room with four somewhat frisky panthers prowling back and forth along the far wall. They encouraged you to play with them, but you knew they could maul you at any moment.
Keep your mind open.
[Why not subscribe before you split?]
[Thanks to Jim DeLuca and Jacob Daneman of Pitch Perfect PR for providing me with a press pass to the show.]
The title of Priests‘ excellent new record, The Seduction of Kansas, refers to a 2004 book by Thomas Frank entitled What’s the Matter with Kansas? That book discussed how the political leanings of Kansas more or less predicted the political leanings of the country at large for a century. Priests hail from the nation’s capital and are thus front and center for the political circus there, so it’s no surprise that The Seduction of Kansas lashes out at elitism, “bro” culture, 1%’ers, xenophobia, consumerism, and pretty much everything John Carpenter predicted in They Live.
The album opens with the hard-hitting “Jesus’ Son,” which is both a reference to Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground (who are definite post-punk influences on Priests) and a middle finger to douchebags who think they can get away with anything (i.e., “I am Jesus’ son. I’m young and dumb and full of cum. I am Jesus’ son. I think I’m gonna hurt someone.”) because they’re rich dudes. The title track practically has the subliminal “CONSUME” message from They Live woven through it as vocalist Katie Alice Greer sings about how corporations and mass media try to seduce us every day and convince us that they are really all we need.
“Youtube Sartre” is a slick takedown of dehumanizing technology and online trolls (and G.L. Jaguar’s guitar work on it is excellent – blending shoegaze and post-punk riffs). Drummer Daniele Daniele takes over the vocals on the sexy / scary “I’m Clean” – a song about a murderess who snaps after the pressures of modern society finally become too much for her to bear. Bassist Janel Leppin’s groove on it is the sheath and Daniele’s vocals are the knife. “Ice Cream” is almost an industrial goth track thanks to the creepy fuzz bass and Daniele’s machine-like beats.
The snappy “Good Time Charlie” is about the U.S. war machine and how war is, for some, damn good money. Daniele comes back to sing lead on “68 Screen” – a sharp song about objectification with the rhythm section going to the forefront and Jaguar smartly backing them up because he knows how damn good Leppin and Daniele are working together.
In an interesting turn, Priests follow a song about objectification of women and being held up to standards found in media with a song called “Not Perceived” – a song about how easy it is to fade into loneliness and obscurity despite having access to devices that let us connect to anywhere in the world in a few seconds. “I’m a haunted house made of marrow and bone.” is one of the best, and for some people, truest lyrics of the year regarding the subject of loneliness and being disenfranchised.
Greer gets her Patti Smith groove on in “Control Freak” – a track that comes at you like a thunderstorm. Leppin’s rumbling bass is the thunder, Jaguar’s guitar the lightning, Daniele’s drums the driving rain, and Greer’s voice the raging wind. “Carol,” on the other hand, is almost a dreamy cruise on a summer day…but with a hint of mystery you can’t quite describe. The album ends with “Texas Instruments” – a lyrically searing takedown of xenophobia with Jaguar’s guitar work coming back to the lead with roaring riffs.
This is one of the best albums of the year so far. It’s packed with intriguing lyrics that reveal more with each listen and is a vital diary of modern times in not only the nation’s capital, but the rest of the country.
WATCH “GOOD TIME CHARLIE” https://youtu.be/nEN_GTab-ro
WATCH “THE SEDUCTION OF KANSAS” https://youtu.be/coR59SSPWv8
Priests, the Washington, D.C. rock trio consisting of drummer Daniele Daniele, vocalist Katie Alice Greer, and guitarist G.L. Jaguar (and joined live by bassist Alexandra Tyson) share “Jesus’ Son” from their forthcoming album, The Seduction of Kansas, out April 5th via Sister Polygon Records. They also share an accompanying a new music video, presenting the band giving a dramatic staged-performance with a filter of muted colors. Following the tightly wound “Good Time Charlie” and their purest pop song to date, “The Seduction of Kansas,” “Jesus’ Son” is a grand-scale rock statement.
“The mythology of a rock band relies heavily on building a captivating arsenal of visual signifiers, one of which is often a ‘live performance’ music video. I put quotations around live performance because usually these are theatrically staged pantomimes of what the band would like the viewer to believe the actual live experience of their work to be like. We decided to try our hand at this as an expression of our identity— we are, in fact, a rock band— and so, we pay homage to those who have come before us (Blink 182, the Stone Roses, the Smiths, and perhaps most explicitly here, Nine Inch Nails). So now you know, in case you didn’t before: we are a rock band. Hope you enjoy the song and video. As for the song itself, we are of course nodding to Lou Reed’s declaration that he felt ‘just like Jesus’ Son’ way back when, a statement that launched a thousand others who perhaps too have felt like the son of god at one point or another. Many inquiring minds have already said they’d like to know who the song is about, it is certainly an apocalyptic sci-fi tale of epic proportions… perhaps it is about more than just a person? We hope you enjoy it.”
The Seduction of Kansas probes the realities and mythologies of America in 2019. For The Seduction of Kansas, the band took a decidedly less hermetic approach – collaborating with someone outside of their DC-based community for the first time. Finding a kindred spirit in producer John Congleton (Angel Olsen, St. Vincent), the band spent two weeks recording at his Elmwood Studio in Dallas. They also enlisted help from primary bassist and fourth songwriting collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Janel Leppin, who played on the band’s previous album, Nothing Feels Natural. The songwriting process found the group once again analyzing the textures and scopes of albums as aggressive as they are introspective, like Massive Attack’s Mezzanine, Portishead’s Third, and Nine Inch Nails’ Downward Spiral.
Priests will soon embark on a North American tour. Later, they will tour extensively in Europe before returning stateside.
PRIESTS 2019 TOUR DATES Mon. April 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer Tue. April 16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Thu. April 18 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Fri. April 19 – Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo Sat. April 20 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison Sun. April 21 – Detroit, MI @ El Club Mon. April 22 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall Thu. April 25 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon Fri. April 26 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry Sat. April 27 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Sun. April 28 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews Tue. April 30 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Wed. May 1 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups Sat. May 11 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape Sun. May 12 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Mon. May 13 – Manchester, UK @ YES (Pink Room) Tues. May 14 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug and Pint Wed. May 15 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Thu. May 16 – London, UK @ 100 Club Fri. 17 May – Lille, FR @ Aeronef Sat. 18 May – Paris, FR @ Supersonic Mon. 20 May – Brussels, BE @ Botanique (Witloof Bar) Tue. 21 May – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn Wed. 22 May – Munich, DE @ Import/Export Thu. 23 May – Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik Fri. 24 May – Heidelberg, DE @ Queer Festival (Karlstorbahnhof) Sat, 25 May – Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling Mon. 27 May – Aarhus DK @ Tape Tue. 28 May – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen Wed. 29 May – Berlin, DE @ Kantine am Berghain Thu. 30 May – Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklag (Goldener Salon) Fri. 31 May – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival Sat. 1 June – Neustrelitz, DE @ Immergut Festival Sat. June 15 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club Sun. June 16 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook Mon. June 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn Tue. June 18 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa Thu. June 20 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Fri. June 21 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda Sat. June 22 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Mon. June 24 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Tue. June 25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Wed. June 26 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar Thu. June 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Sat. June 29 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club Mon. July 1 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall Tue. July 2 – Vancouver, BC @ The Bitmore Wed. July 3 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos Sat. July 6 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court Sun. July 7 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Tue. July 9 – Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar Wed. July 10 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
PRAISE FOR “GOOD TIME CHARLIE” “The group’s unique twist on rock music has always resisted easy categorization, and these new singles find them continuing to stretch themselves in exciting ways.” – Stereogum
“It’s a heavy topic delivered with a heavy sound, yet Priests still manage to make the song a rollicking good time for all of us, not just Charlie.” – Paste
“‘Good Time Charlie’ sounds like a spaghetti western in a neon hellscape, in the absolute best way possible.” – The FADER
PRE-ORDER THE SEDUCTION OF KANSAS Sister Polygon pre-order – http://sisterpolygonrecords.bigcartel.com iTunes Pre-order – https://apple.co/2TvJs3c
“Almost every song Black Midi performs unfolds in surprising ways, one riff quickly switching to another, one mellow passage blooming into caustic screams and dissonant guitars, songs constantly collapsing in on themselves and being born again.” – Stereogum, “Band To Watch”
“Black Midi are less interested in proving themselves the future of indie rock than in imagining indie rock from the future” – Pitchfork
“They were one of the most talked about groups at SXSW this year, and for good reason—Black Midi laid waste to every stage they stepped onto and damn near burned the city to the ground.” – Paste, “The 20 Best Acts We Saw at SXSW 2019”
“[black midi]’s twisted, slow-burn arrangements, noisy spasms of guitar and panicked vocals conjured visions straight out of a horror movie…” – Chicago Tribune, “12 best up-and-coming bands and artists at SXSW”
Enigmatic London-based black midi shares a caustic new single, “Crow’s Perch,” via Rough Trade Records. The accompanying video, directed and edited by Vilhjálmur Yngvi Hjálmarsson, also known as susan_creamcheese, reflects the track’s frenetic energy, juxtaposing saturated graphics and peculiar scenes with mundane images.
Since forming just over a year ago, black midi — Geordie Greep (vocals/guitar), Cameron Picton (bass/vocals), Matt Kelvin (guitar/vocals) and Morgan Simpson (drums) — have quickly cemented their reputation as one of the hottest new underground bands, following a string of sold-out UK live dates and surprise shows punctuated by constantly shifting sets and blistering musicianship. Recently, the band played their first North American live shows, were named a standout act at SXSW and sold out their first two shows in New York.
Available digitally and as a CD-R single, “Crow’s Perch” is the follow-up to black midi’s “eerily precise and austere” (Pitchfork) “Speedway” single. The “Speedway” single was accompanied by an EP of remixes by Proc Fiskal, Kwake Bass, and Blanck Mass. The 300 copies of their first-ever single, “bmbmbm,” released on Dan Carey’s label, Speedy Wunderground, sold out instantly and had to be re-pressed within the first week.
black midi will return stateside this July to play the Bowery Ballroom in New York, Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, and Minneapolis. All upcoming tour dates are below.
Watch black midi’s “Crow’s Perch” Video — https://youtu.be/A-6hI2Mnb3s
black midi Tour Dates: Sat. April 6 – Brussels, BE @ BRDCST Sat. April 20 – Rotterdam, NL @ Motel Mozaique Sun. May 5 – Manchester, UK @ Sounds From The Other City Thu. May 9 – Sat. May 11 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape Festival Sat. May 25 – Totnes, UK @ Sea Change Thu. May 30 – Nimes, FR @ This Is Not A Love Song Festival Fri. May 31 – Düdingen, CH @ Bad Bonn Kilbi Sat. June 1 – Neustrelitz, DE @ Immergut Festival Wed. June 5 – Thu. June 6 – Gothenburg, SE @ Garden Festival Sat. June 8 – Sun. June 9 – Paris, FR @ Villette Sonique Mon. June 10 – Moers, DE @ Moers Festival Sat. June 15 – Bergen, NO @ Bergenfest Tue. June 18 – London, UK @ EartH (Concert Hall) Thu. June 20 – Bristol, UK @ Fiddlers Fri. June 21 – Liverpool, UK @ Phase One Sat. June 22 – Glasgow, UK @ Mono Sun. June 23 – Nottingham, UK @ Contemporary Space Fri. July 5 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival Fri. July 5 – Sun. July 7 – Moscow, RU @ Bolь Festival Fri. July 12 – Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival Sun. July 14 – Nijmegen, NL @ Valkhof Festival Thu. July 18 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom Sun. July 21 – Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival Mon. July 22 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry Tue. July 23 – Madison, WI @ The Terrace at University of Wisconsin Fri. July 26 – Hyéres, FR @ Midi Festival Fri. Aug. 2 – Sun. Aug. 4 – Katowice, PL @ Off Festival Sun. Aug. 4 – Waterford, IE @ All Together Now Thu. Aug. 8 – Sat. Aug. 10 – Rees Haldern, DE @ Haldern Pop Sat. Aug. 10 – Oslo, NO @ Øya Festival Fri. Aug. 16 – Viana do Castelo, PT @ Paredes de Coura Fri. Aug. 16 – Sun. Aug. 18 – Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands Festival Sat. Aug. 24 – Gueret, DR @ Check In Party Fri. Aug. 29 – Sun. Sept. 1 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival Thu. Sept. 19 – Paris, FR @ La Boule Noire Mon. Oct. 7 – Berlin, DE @ Lido Tue. Oct. 8 – Hamburg, DE @ Kampnagel Wed. Oct. 9 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn
Recorded in May of 2018 at two different venues in the United Kingdom, BODEGA’s first live album, Witness Scroll, is a great capture of their apparently wild shows…which I still haven’t seen, much to my dismay.
Opening with a quirky mix of samples and computer sounds, the bass-heavy “Name Escape,” kicks the album off to a funky start as the band complains and pokes fun at not being able to remember people you see at the same clubs and coffee shops every day. The stabbing guitar chords of “Bookmarks,” (an all-too-true song about becoming a slave to modern technology) remind one of early B-52’s records.
The live version of “Can’t Knock the Hustle” is downright dangerous with it’s hard-hitting guitar chords and thudding beats. Lead singer Ben Hozie describes the previously unreleased song “New Vanguard Revival” as “a genre exercise.” I think he means an exercise in post-punk, because the jagged tempo of it is pure post-punk. “Margot” leads into “Stain Glaze” – a Husker Du-loving tune from Ben Kozie and co-vocalist Nikki Belfiglio‘s first band, Bodega Bay. Next up is the self-pleasure anthem “Gyrate,” which ramps up the guitar fuzz live compared to the album version on their excellent debut Endless Scroll from last year.
It’s no surprise that the album version of “Jack in Titanic” tore up the BBC radio airwaves after this tour because it and this live version are so damn catchy (and witty) you can’t ignore them. The album ends with a nearly ten-minute version of “Truth Is Not Punishment” – a vicious track with some surf touches that slowly builds to a frantic pace and urgency.
If this album doesn’t make you want to see BODEGA live, I’m not sure if anything will. Something might be wrong with you. You might be too deep in your Twitter or Instagram feeds and missing an amazing band.
WATCH “GOOD TIME CHARLIE” https://youtu.be/nEN_GTab-ro
WATCH “THE SEDUCTION OF KANSAS” http://smarturl.it/TheSeductionOfKansas
Washington, D.C. rock trio Priests – comprised of drummer Daniele Daniele, vocalist Katie Alice Greer, and guitarist G.L. Jaguar – share “Good Time Charlie,” off of their forthcoming album, The Seduction of Kansas, out April 5th via Sister Polygon Records. They also share an accompanying lyric video. Following the lead single and the band’s purest pop song to date, “The Seduction of Kansas,” “Good Time Charlie” is a tightly wound track spun out of America’s westernized vision of violence.
“I like to think of this song a little bit like the Gilligan’s Island Theme song, but for a Hollywood tale of Charlie Wilson. It’s also a little bit about 9/11 but much like Otessa Moshfegh’s My Year Of Rest And Relaxation, the character sketch is more drawn out in its absence rather than presence. I saw a documentary about the history of the United States’ relationship with the Middle East, and there was clip of an 80s lady who looked a little like Vanna White (who turned out to be Joanne Herring) saying how she wanted to get the Mujahadeen guns to fight the communists because she believed they worshipped the same god as her. So I got curious about how this story unfolded, but even more so, how the tale has been told in western culture. I watched the movie Charlie Wilson’s War and it was so unintentionally funny the way they told this story, like think of the movie Team America, except the filmmakers weren’t joking (at least I don’t think). And then I read in the film’s Wikipedia page: “The film’s happy ending came about because Tom Hanks ‘just can’t deal with this 9/11 thing.’” I don’t know why exactly but this got stuck in my head and made my brain feel like it was exploding. So, with Daniele and GL and Janel Leppin on bass, we made it into a song. Hope you like it!”
The Seduction of Kansas probes the realities and mythologies of America in 2019. Marking the first time the band has collaborated with someone outside of their DC-based community – a decidedly less hermetic approach – they found a kindred spirit in producer John Congleton (Angel Olsen, St. Vincent). The band spent two weeks recording at his Elmwood Studio in Dallas. They also enlisted help from primary bassist and fourth songwriting collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Janel Leppin, who played on the band’s previous album, Nothing Feels Natural. The songwriting process found the group once again analyzing the textures and scopes of albums as aggressive as they are introspective, like Massive Attack’sMezzanine, Portishead’sThird, and Nine Inch Nails’Downward Spiral.
Priests will soon embark on a North American and European tour. All dates are below.
PRIESTS 2019 TOUR DATES Fri. March 8 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover Music Festival Sat. March 9 – Birmingham, AL @ The Firehouse Mon. March 11 – Fri. March 15 – Austin, TX @ SXSW Sun. March 17 – Nashville, TN @ Exit / In Mon. March 18 – Knoxville, TN @ The Pilot Light Mon. April 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer Tue. April 16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Thu. April 18 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Fri. April 19 – Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo Sat. April 20 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison Sun. April 21 – Detroit, MI @ El Club Mon. April 22 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall Thu. April 25 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon Fri. April 26 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry Sat. April 27 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Sun. April 28 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews Tue. April 30 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Wed. May 1 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups Sat. May 11 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape Sun. May 12 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Mon. May 13 – Manchester, UK @ YES (Pink Room) Tues. May 14 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug and Pint Wed. May 15 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Thu. May 16 – London, UK @ 100 Club Fri. 17 May – Lille, FR @ Aeronef Sat. 18 May – Paris, FR @ Supersonic Mon. 20 May – Brussels, BE @ Botanique (Witloof Bar) Tue. 21 May – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn Wed. 22 May – Munich, DE @ Import/Export Thu. 23 May – Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik Fri. 24 May – Heidelberg, DE @ Queer Festival (Karlstorbahnhof) Sat, 25 May – Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling Mon. 27 May – Aarhus DK @ Tape Tue. 28 May – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen Wed. 29 May – Berlin, DE @ Kantine am Berghain Thu. 30 May – Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklag (Goldener Salon) Fri. 31 May – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival Sat. 1 June – Neustrelitz, DE @ Immergut Festival Sat. June 15 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club Sun. June 16 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook Mon. June 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn Tue. June 18 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa Thu. June 20 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Fri. June 21 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda Sat. June 22 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Mon. June 24 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Tue. June 25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Wed. June 26 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar Thu. June 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Sat. June 29 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club Mon. July 1 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall Tue. July 2 – Vancouver, BC @ The Bitmore Wed. July 3 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos Sat. July 6 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court Sun. July 7 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Tue. July 9 – Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar Wed. July 10 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
PRAISE FOR “THE SEDUCTION OF KANSAS”
“[“The Seduction of Kansas”] is a reminder of what makes the band’s sharp, cerebral music so exciting.” – NPR Music
“[“The Seduction of Kansas”] swings and glides in ways that the band’s past work only hinted at.” – Rolling Stone
“[“The Seduction of Kansas”] is like a semiotics class set to an arty dance beat: the singer Katie Alice Greer flings around signifiers of American culture — Superman, Dorothy, Applebee’s — before repeating a vow that teeters between genuine and controlling: ‘It’s true, I’m the one that loves you.’” – The New York Times
“True to the ‘seduction’ part of the equation, the song also finds Priests wielding a poppiness and slickness new to their sound.” – Stereogum
PRE-ORDER THE SEDUCTION OF KANSAS Sister Polygon pre-order – http://sisterpolygonrecords.bigcartel.com iTunes Pre-order – https://apple.co/2TvJs3c
Japanese four-piece CHAI shares a new single, “CHOOSE GO!,” off of their sophomore album, PUNK, due March 15th via Burger Records, and an accompanying video. Following rebellious single, “Fashionista,” and previously released “GREAT JOB,” “CHOOSE GO!” is an upbeat anthem to be free to choose whatever it is you want to do, however you want to do it. Directed by previous collaborators – Japan-based creative collective Team Mikansei (“Boyz Seco Man”) – the video features vibrant set designs, coordinated costumes, synchronized dance moves, and an eccentric twist on sports.
“Cheerleaders, who are usually known for cheering for athletes on the sideline, now become the actual athletes and are shown as baseball players! It’s the evolution of what is already in existence like sports or cheerleaders to then what would be considered non-existent or fantasy like cheerleaders turned into baseball players and barbies tossed instead of footballs by football players, which makes this music video so cool! CHOOSE GO! CHOOSE FREEDOM!”
PUNK follows their debut album, PINK. If PINK was a plastic, hyper-bright introduction, then PUNK is a deeper, more impactful graduation. It’s the movement from vivid orange to radiating red.
CHAI will bring their energetic live shows to North America in support of PUNK. All tour dates are below.
CHAI TOUR DATES Wed. Mar. 13 – Sat.. Mar. 16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW Mon. Mar. 18 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage Tue. Mar. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel Wed. Mar. 20 – Toronto, ON @ The Velvet Underground Fri. Mar. 22 – Sat. Mar. 23 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Festival Mon. Mar. 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge Wed. Mar. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop Fri. Mar. 29 – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project Sat. Mar. 30 – Portland, OR @ Holocene PRAISE FOR CHAI
“‘Fashionista,’ similarly, is still dressed in a patina of femininity, even as resentment bubbles beneath the surface. Pitted against the capitalist behemoth of the beauty industry, CHAI know the best way to fight their enemy is from within.” – Pitchfork
“By the end of the song, dissonant guitar chords have surfaced, the beat is crashing and ricocheting around, and that cloud of voices has turned into a typhoon: a party out of bounds, or a consumer revolt?” – The New York Times, on “Fashionista”
“”CHAI bursts with an energy that is carefree, effervescent, and unmistakably feminine” – She Shreds
Recorded in Ty Segall‘s house, Into the Iris, the new EP by Flat Worms (Tim Hellman – bass and vocals, Will Ivy – guitar and vocals, Justin Sullivan – drums) is six tracks of fuzzy riffs that could jumpstart a car during the recent polar vortex.
“Surreal New Year” is an opening salvo of post-punk guitars mixed with drums that are more precise than you realize at first. I can’t help but wonder if the title track is a reference to Suspiria. The song is certainly chaotic enough in the last half to reflect a harrowing battle with an invisible witch. It’s all screaming, fuzzy guitars and breakneck beats.
Ivy’s opening guitars on “Plastic at Home” sound like a broken xylophone being thrown down a flight of stairs – and I mean that in the best possible way. It’s a song about how the glossy perfection of suburbia often disguises kinky vices and boiling resentment. Hellman and Sullivan are in especially fine sync throughout this whole track.
“Shouting at the Wall” was the first single. It opens with guitars that sound like alarms and then Sullivan goes wild to kick to the song into fifth gear. “Scattered Palms…” is post-punk psychedelia with Hellman’s bass doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the short instrumental. “At the Citadel” is like a lost Stooges track with its heavy bass, roaring drums, squeaking guitars, and snotty, bratty vocals.
Into the Iris packs more fuzz and power into six tracks than most full-length LPs will all year. Don’t miss it.
Keep your mind open.
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WATCH “GREAT JOB!” https://youtu.be/5Odk94mxeHU Japanese four-piece CHAI may worship at the altar of kawaii – their homeland’s culture of cute– but they’re not about to be pushed around by the idle bosses and the ignorant patriarchy. The ultra-concise pop of their debut LP PINK is about to be overhauled on their new album. CHAI are ready to light the fuse; CHAI are PUNK (outMarch 15th via Burger Records).
“’PUNK’ for us, of course, is not the genre of music,” say the band. “‘PUNK’ to us is to overturn the worn-out values associated with ‘kawaii’ or ‘cute’ created up to this point. ‘PUNK’ is a word that expresses a strong sense of self. To be yourself more, to become the person you truly want to be, to believe in yourself in every instance!”
First single “Fashionista” is a rebellious demand for self-acceptance in the face of society’s pressures: “Even if you don’t dress or do your makeup like how society expects you too, you’re still a “Fashionista” by expressing yourself how you want to. You decide what you want to wear, how you want to look, what you don’t want to wear, and that is what makes you a Fashionista!”
At the core of their music is the concept of “Neo-Kawaii.” They outlined to concept in several interviews in 2018. In Pitchfork’s Rising interview, it’s described as “a move towards the embrace and celebration of human imperfection. ‘Neo-Kawaii’ is properly summarized on the single ‘N.E.O.’ from Pink, which directly comments on oppressive beauty standards, offering a list of supposed imperfections that translate to ‘Small eyes/Flat nose/No shape/Fat legs!’ CHAI seek to reclaim them as perfect.”
Late last year, the band also shared the delightfully insane video for“GREAT JOB,” another song off the forthcoming album, where CHAI compare house work to ridding yourself from all negativity. “Some people look at house work as a negative duty but it’s actually a positive duty that represents a refreshed, new you.” Yuuki picks up on this: “Of course we want to continue show our style of positivity-meets-pop but in life there’s definitely times of sadness, times of frustration and even irritating moments that with PUNK, we want everyone to know can be used as energy to fuel the positivity from the negativity”.
Their inner strength comes out in the music. If PINK was a plastic, hyper-bright introduction, then PUNK is a deeper, more impactful graduation. It’s the movement from vivid orange to radiating red. Drummer Yuna adds: “Compared with our first album, PUNK represents a more concentrated version of our individualities.”
Yuuki crafted the irrepressible album sleeve, with a laughing girl bursting through a shell. The message, they say, is clear: “Hello, New Me!”
PUNK TRACKLISTING 1. CHOOSE GO! 2. GREAT JOB 3. I’m me 4. Wintime 5. THIS IS CHAI 6. Fashionista 7. FAMILY MEMBER 8. Curly adventure 9. Feel the BEAT 10. Future
CHAI TOUR DATES Mon. Mar. 11 – Sun. Mar. 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW Mon. Mar. 18 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage Tue. Mar. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel Wed. Mar. 20 – Toronto, ON @ The Velvet Underground Fri. Mar. 22 – Sat. Mar. 23 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Festival Mon. Mar. 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge Wed. Mar. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop Fri. Mar. 29 – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project Sat. Mar. 30 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
PRAISE FOR CHAI
“Moments of pure joy are in short supply these days; a Chai show is a reprieve.” – Pitchfork [RISING FEATURE]
“Drawing inspiration from the likes of Basement Jaxx, Tom Tom Club, and Devo—groups that have also crafted their own signature, unconventional sounds that defy the pop landscape—the band plays preconceived definitions of cute against each other to create their own new one.” –FLOOD Magazine
“CHAI bursts with an energy that is carefree, effervescent, and unmistakably feminine” – She Shreds
It’s a bit shocking to realize Art Brut‘s Bang Bang Rock & Roll came out 13 years ago this year, because it sounds like it was recorded yesterday. The wild post-punk / no wave record is bound to be a classic.
“Formed a Band” has Art Brut singing its praises and encouraging the listener to “stop buying your albums from the supermarket. They only sell records that have charted, and Art Brut, we’ve only just started.” Chugging guitars roar almost nonstop throughout it. The funny “My Little Brother” is a great song about worrying your siblings are turning into hipsters with bad taste in music (“…he made me a tape of tootles and B-sides. And every song, every single song on that tape said exactly the same thing. Why don’t our parents worry about us?”).
“Emily Kane” is one of Art Brut’s greatest hits as lead singer Eddie Argos sings an ode to the girlfriend he had when he was fifteen and still misses. “Rusted Guns of Milan” is a funny story about Argos not being able to have sex with a beautiful woman due to him having drank too much (although he claims otherwise), it being too dark, and his mind being elsewhere – perhaps thinking about Emily Kane.
“Modern art makes me want to rock out,” Argos sings on “Modern Art” – a crunchy, squeaky, loud tune about artwork and its effect on him. “Good Weekend” has Argos bragging about a new girl he’s met…or has he? One can’t help but wonder if he’s made up the whole story in an attempt to impress friends or give an excuse for preferring to be alone. It’s a fun garage rock track with a beat you can’t ignore.
“I can’t stand the sound of the Velvet Underground,” Argos sings on the title track (even though the song does devolve into a VU type of riffing by the end). He just wants songs that don’t retread old cliches (“No more songs about sex and drugs and rock and roll. It’s boring.”), even though he and the rest of the band embrace those cliches throughout the whole album. “Fight!” has Argos drunk and ready to take on a bigger, drunker guy outside the pub while his bandmates cheer him on. It’s a punk track in the middle of a no wave album. It’s great.
“Moving to L.A.” has Argos considering a move far away from dreary English weather and “drinking Hennessy with Morrissey on a beach.” It’s a fun send-up of California pretentiousness and rock. “Popular culture no longer applies to me,” Argos sings on “Bad Weekend.” Boy, I can relate to that. Ian Catskilkin‘s guitars hit hard on it, driving the tune to almost a racing speed. Those guitars flow in and out of distortion on “Stand Down” – a track about admitting when you’re wrong. “18,000 Lira” might be a song about touring in Italy. “These Animal Meanwe@r” is a heavy song about bullying that channels Weezer and Pixies. “Really Bad Weekend” is a tale of Argos nearing cheating on his girlfriend, but being rescued by he and / or his near-lover falling asleep instead. “Maternity Ward” ends the album with Argos telling kids in a maternity ward that “everything’s gonna be all right.” I hope he still means that thirteen years later.
It’s a fun, snarky, witty record that rocks harder than you might expect. It heralded good things for the band, who just released a new record last year. They’re also touring again, which is good news for all of us.
Keep your mind open.
[It would be a good weekend for me if you subscribed.]
