News – Page 47 – 7th Level Music

Blackwater Holylight’s new album is due October 22nd, but the first single is out now.

Portland, OR band Blackwater Holylight announce their forthcoming third album Silence/Motion on RidingEasy Records today, sharing the lead single “Around You.” Hear & share “Around You” via YouTube, Spotify and Bandcamp.)

The band also announce tour dates with former RidingEasy labelmates Monolord in Europe in November-December, followed by North American shows with All Them Witches. Please see all dates below.

Empty surrounds all of me. It’s a poignant line from the third album by Blackwater Holylight that encapsulates the search for self when suddenly everything has changed. There’s a theme of processing vast personal trauma throughout Silence/Motion that eloquently — both lyrically and musically — and simultaneously embodies the crushing emptiness, sorrow, strength and rebuilding of recovering from personal devastation.

“There was so much grief both in the world and interpersonally during the process of creating Silence/Motion,” says vocalist/bassist Allison “Sunny” Faris. “The four of us gave one another more space to be ourselves, to experiment with each other’s ideas and to be gentle with one another more than we ever have before. So, we knew this tenderness would manifest in extremely honest arrangements, and I think that you can hear that throughout the record.”

Curiously, considering the dark times in which it was created, this is the band’s most melodic and catchy music so far. Blackwater Holylight, as the name suggests, is all about contrasts: It’s a fluid convergence of sound that’s heavy, psychedelic, melodic, terrifying and beautiful all at once. And, Silence/Motion finds the band honing those contrasts, letting ideas and moods fully develop from song to song, rather than filling every song with a full range of their capabilities. It allows the band to go fully prog-rock here, and simply stay hushed and intimate there. There’s a new confidence to the band in how seamlessly they wield their stylistic amalgam.

“Writing this album was extraordinarily difficult emotionally, however it did come to fruition fairly quickly,” Faris says. “In the past, the theme of vulnerability has always been a big player and it definitely showed up full force while writing this album.”
Blackwater Holylight recorded the album as a four piece: Faris on vocals and guitar (on “Silence/Motion”, “MDIII”, “Around You” and “Every Corner”) and bass for the remainder, Sarah McKenna on synths, Mikayla Mayhew on guitar (and bass when Faris plays guitar) and drummer Eliese Dorsay. New second guitarist Erika Osterhout will perform the songs with them live. For Silence/Motion the band chose to work with a producer for the first time, bringing in A.L.N. (of Mizmor, Hell) to produce, along with recording engineer Dylan White — who also helmed their previous album Veils of Winter (2019) — at Odessa Recording Studio in Portland, OR. Guest vocals on album opener “Delusional” are by Bryan Funck (Thou.) Mike Paparo (Inter Arma) and A.LN. (Mizmor, Hell) lend guest vocals to album closer “Every Corner.”

Silence/Motion opens softly with interwoven folky single note guitars over an ominous sounding drone for the first minute, akin to moments from Pink Floyd’s Echoes. Suddenly an irresistibly head-nodding, groovy droptuned riff kicks in with the drums and it’s a full on blackened rocker with soaring synths and Funck’s witchy whispers over the top. “Who The Hell,” the track quoted above, takes proceedings into a Krautrock direction, centered around McKenna’s arpeggiated synth loop and Dorsay’s tom-tom triplets, while 16-note guitar strums add tension as Faris wearily sings, “So tell me who the hell would want to live this way — so afraid/ To feel this void, to dwell in it… I can’t describe this pain I wear/ It suffocates and you left it here.” It’s an incredibly powerful 6 minutes. The title track delivers the 1-2-3 punch of the album’s brilliant opening trilogy. It starts with lightly plucked acoustic guitar, plaintive piano chords and Faris’ voice gliding so softly it sounds more like a Mellotron. The song builds slowly toward crescendo, led by a swinging tom pattern, that abruptly switches back to a heavier version of the opening melody.“Silence/Motion” is about digesting and healing from sexual assault. As Faris explains, “It is an ode to the juxtaposition of feeling paralyzingly blank and and like your entire life is moving through you simultaneously.” Elsewhere, Black Metal guitars collide with dreamlike melodies. “Around You” brandishes a hopeful, hummable synth melody and shimmering shoegaze guitars like throwing down a gauntlet. In the end, it becomes undeniably clear just how completely into their own Blackwater Holylight has come.

“The analogy is that with our first record (Blackwater Holylight, 2018) we were getting into to the car and buckling up,” Faris says. “The second (Veils of Winter, 2019) we were turning the car on, and with this third we have kicked into drive toward our destination. Our destination is a bit mysterious and has the ability to change from day to day, but we’re on our way.”

Silence/Motion will be available on LP, CD and download on October 22nd, 2021 via RidingEasy Records.

BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT LIVE 2021 – 2022: 11.18 – Oberhausen (DE) – Kulttempel / *11.19 – Utrecht (NL) – DB’s / *11.20 – Nijmegen (NL) – Doornroosje / *11.21 – Antwerp (BE) – Zappa / *11.22 – Bristol (UK) – Exchange / *11.23 – Glasgow (UK) – Stereo / *11.24 – London (UK) – Underworld / *11.25 – Manchester (UK) – The Bread Shed / *11.26 – Dunkerque (FR) – 4 Ecluses / *11.27 – Paris (FR) – Petit Bain / *11.28 – Toulouse (FR) – Rex/ *11.30 – Madrid (SP) – Caracol / *12.01 – Barcelona (SP) – Boveda / *12.02 – Annecy (FR) – Brise Glace / *12.03 – Aarau (CH) – Kiff / *12.04 – Vienna (AT) – Arena / *12.05 – Dresden (DE) – Chemiefabrik / *12.06 – Berlin (DE) – Zukunft am Ostkreuz / *12.07 – Hamburg (DE) – Bahnhof St. Pauli / *12.08 – Copenhagen (DK) – Stengade / *12.09 – Gothenburg (SE) – Pustervik / *12.10 – Stockholm (SE) – Debaser Strand / *12.11 – Malmö (SE) – Babel / *12.12 – Oslo (NO) – Youngs *
* w/ Monolord
01.21 – Dallas, TX – Trees # / 01.22 – Austin, TX – Mohawk # / 01.23 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger # / 01.24 – Phoenix, NV – Crescent Ballroom # / 01.27 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up Tavern # / 01.28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater # / 01.29 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore # / 01.31 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom # / 02.01 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom # / 02.02 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox # / 02.04 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court / 02.05 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theater # / 02.06 – Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theater #
# w/ All Them Witches

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]

Weak Signal release “Barely a Trace” ahead of their eagerly anticipated album re-release this October.

In classic punk-fashion, but also in normal-human, I-have-no-idea-what-the-future-holds-because-it’s-a-pandemic fashion, Weak Signal, led by one of New York’s most sought-after guitarists Mike Bones, dropped their new album Bianca on Bandcamp out of nowhere in May of 2020 (it’s since been taken down). Although it was unmastered and flew mostly under the radar, it was reviewed by a few spots, and Iggy Pop graciously featured the track “Drugs In My System” on his BBC radio show.

Now, thanks to Colonel Records, Bianca is seeing a proper digital and vinyl release on October 15th, and the band is celebrating today’s announcement with the single “Barely A Trace,” which comes paired with a new music video directed and edited by the band’s drummer Tran. Additional exciting news includes a release show at Brooklyn venue Union Pool on October 8th, followed by a two-week run opening for beloved psych-rockers Garcia Peoples.

“Barely A Trace is about feeling lingering presences around you, swirling confusion from sudden disappearances, like when you discover someone found your stash spot,” says Mike Bones. “Our drummer Tran made the video during the early days of the COVID lockdown in Vietnam, Spring 2020. The song and video are our attempts to affect an approximation of the perfect loneliness and separation present in the work of writers like Marguerite Duras or David Markson.”

Mike Bones has made deep and deeply loved solo albums as a singer and guitarist, and with ad hoc supergroup Soldiers of Fortune. The versatile instrumentalist has also played on albums by Cass McCombs, Endless Boogie and Run the Jewels. Weak Signal, the band he’s put together with Sasha Vine and Tran, is his hardest and leanest group to date, the quality of the songs and music on this album is matched by the supreme style of the band members.

Weak Signal represent a constant on the NYC underground… the trio’s dark cinematic pop evokes late summer nights, apathy and urgency, buzz guitars over garbage trucks. The range of Mike Bones’ guitar suggests he’s been lured by the sweet tone of Peter Green, as well as the metallic attack of Paul Reynolds. The rhythm section of Sasha and Tran – bass and drums – is the sound of summer thunder.

On their sophomore LP – Bianca – Weak Signal have amplified every aspect of their magnetism. The pop is lusher, the drums more bludgeoning and the guitar tone is nastier than ever. They’ve created a thick sonic morass that’s simultaneously tranquil and exhilarating. Weak Signal have truly found their stride with Bianca, and it’s a full-blown gallop

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[Thanks to Jake at Ramp Global.]

The Bogie Band releases a wild new single – “The Witness.”

The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo has released a new single, “The Witnesses” (listen/share).

The 10-piece ensemble founded by saxophonist Stuart Bogie and drummer Joe Russo is comprised by musicians who hail from a long list of groups, including Antibalas, The Dap Kings, Red Barat, Arcade Fire, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, David Byrne’s American Utopia, St. Vincent, The Budos Band and Superhuman Happiness. A collaboration between old friends, Bogie’s horn arrangements meet Russo’s propulsive drumming in an explosive combination of woodwind and brass instruments that reimagine wind music in bold and dynamic new ways.

“‘The Witnesses’ speaks to urgency of the times in a musical language that laid the ground work for the Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo,” says Stuart Bogie. “The brass knocks you right and left, the saxophones scream, and the drums keeping you running for your life.”

The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo will release their debut album in early 2022 via Royal Potato Family.

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[Thanks to Kevin at Royal Potato Family.]

Hubert Lenoir releases second single from upcoming album.

In June, Hubert Lenoir returned to announce his second album, with a track called “SECRET” that featured drums from Mac DeMarco and contributions from Kirin J Callinan, and arrived alongside a feature on the exciting Quebecois artist in The FADER. Today, Lenoir is sharing a second preview from the album in the form of the single “DIMANCHE SOIR,” which involves Future producer High Klassified, and coincides with the formal announce of the album’s September 15th release date and a new change to its title, which is now PICTURA DE IPSE : Musique directe.

WATCH: the video for Hubert Lenoir’s “DIMANCHE SOIR” video on YouTube

“Coming from a conservative background and going to school in the countryside of Quebec, a lot of my parents’ friends or partners thought I was this weirdo queer artsy no good loser and once I achieved success with my art in the last 2-3 years the whole vibe started to change,” says Lenoir of the track. “I remember being so confused by it. The song talks about social pressure coming from your family circle and materialism. How weirdly your social status and wealth can switch the opinion people have on you.”

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Gustaf throw the “Book” at us with their new single.

Formed in 2018, Brooklyn’s Gustaf have built a kind of buzz that feels like it comes from a different era. The art punk 5 piece rapidly established a reputation as one of New York’s “hardest working…and most reliably fun bands” (BrooklynVegan), and early excitement about their danceable, ESG-inspired post punk expanded outside of their city with remarkable effect despite having released no recorded music and barely having an online presence. As a result of their magnetic live show the band found unlikely early champions, catching the attention of luminaries like Beck – who had the band open for him at a secret loft party he played around the release of his latest album – the New York no wave legend James Chance, and shared stages with buzzing indie acts like Omni, Tropical Fuck Storm, Dehd and Bodega, while word of mouth led to sell out shows when they played their first LA headline dates in late 2019. They finally released recorded music in the form of their debut 7 inch at the end of 2020, which only furthered the growth of their reputation, earning them comparisons to acts like Television, Talking Heads, The B-52s and LCD Soundsystem from NPR (who made them a Slingshot artist for 2021), Paste, DIY, Under The Radar, BrooklynVegan and NME among many others.

Today, the band are announcing their debut LP, the magnificently titled Audio Drag For Ego Slobs, which will be out on October 1st on Toronto’s Royal Mountain Records (Wild Pink, Alvvays, Mac DeMarco), and sharing their new single “Book.”

WATCH: the video for Gustaf’s “Book” on YouTube

“‘Book’ is a song about the fallacy and fight of getting ahead vs being a head. It is seeking validation in the wrong places and from the wrong people,” singer Lydia Gammil explains. “The hook, “I got ahead, I got a head” is a fun little taunt that we find either being thrown in our face or coming out our mouth. Everyone gets their moment up on the pedestal and everyone gets their turn falling off of it. Whether it’s up or down, ‘Book’ is about accepting whatever level you’re on.“

To coincide with the announce Gustaf are announcing an extensive itinerary of touring in the US, UK and Europe that will see them playing with IDLES and Pillow Queens. Full details can be found below.

Gustaf’s Audio Drag for Ego Slobs will be released on October 1st on Royal Mountain Records. It is available for preorder here.

Tour Dates
10/1 – Charlotte, NC – Snug Harbor
10/2 – Knoxville, TN – Mill and Mine
10/3 – Cincinatti, OH – MOTR Pub
10/4 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
10/6 – Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club
10/7 – Saint Paul, MN – Palace Theatre #
10/8 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre #
10/9 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall #
10/10 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall #
10/12 – Boston, MA – House of Blues #
10/13 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore #
10/15 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 #
10/16 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 #
10/17 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club #
10/18 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club #
10/20 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel #
10/21 – Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom #
10/22 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – Heaven Stage #
10/25 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s #
10/26 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater #
10/27 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger #
11/2 – Birmingham, UK – The Sunflower Lounge $
11/3 – Bristol, UK – Rough Trade Bristol $
11/4 – London, UK – The Dome $
11/6 – Brighton, UK – Mutations Festival @ The Green Door Store
11/8 – Leeds, UK – Hyde Park Book Club $
11/9 – Manchester, UK – YES (Pink Room) $
11/10 – Liverpool, UK – Arts Club Loft $
11/11 – London, UK – The Windmill, Brixton
11/13 – Utrecht, NL – Le Guess Who Festival
11/14 – Kortrijk, BE – Sonic City Festival
11/14 – Brussels, BE – Witloof Bar
11/16 – Berlin, DE – Cassiopeia
11/17 – Haldern, DE – Haldern Pop Bar
11/18 – Paris, FR – Les Femmes S’en Melent @ Petit Bain
11/19 – Lille, FR – The Black Lab
11/20 – Luxembourg City, LU – Rotondes Klub
12/09 – Portland, OR – Bunk Bar (headline)

# – supporting Idles

$ – supporting Pillow Queens

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[Thanks to Tom at Hive Mind PR.]

Dry Cleaning release double A-side single – “Bug Eggs / Tony Speaks!”

Dry Cleaning is “one of the most exciting bands in rock” (Rolling Stone). Earlier this spring, they released their debut album New Long Leg via 4AD, which has already become one of the best records of 2021 thus far. Following praise from The New York Times, Pitchfork, Entertainment Weekly, The FADER, Esquire, and more, and preceding their completely sold out fall US tour, they today present a special one-off double A-side single, “Bug Eggs” b/w “Tony Speaks!” Recorded at Rockfield Studios in July and August 2020 during the same session for New Long Leg, “Bug Eggs” and “Tony Speaks!” were previously only available in an expanded Japanese edition of the album. Explaining the two tracks Florence Shaw says, “’Bug Eggs’ is about the confidence that comes with age, fragility and sexual desire. The lyrics to ‘Tony Speaks!’ were written days after the Conservative party won the December 2019 UK election. I was thinking about climate change, environmental catastrophes and political campaigning.”

Listen to Dry Cleaning’s “Bug Eggs” b/w “Tony Speaks!”

Born from the combined creative talents of Nick Buxton (drums), Tom Dowse (guitar), Lewis Maynard (bass) and Florence Shaw (vocals), Dry Cleaning’s debut album New Long Leg was produced by John Parish at Rockfield Studios and features the singles “Scratchcard Lanyard,” “Strong Feelings” and “Unsmart Lady.” Intertwining Shaw’s spoken vocals tightly with the band’s restless instrumentals they extract the meaning from the most trivial things; little witty asides about supermarkets, cupboards, beauty products and body parts add up to sonic landscapes that teem with the strange magic of ordinary life.

Stream/Purchase New Long Leg

Watch the “Scratchcard Lanyard” Video

Watch the “Strong Feelings” Video

Watch the “Unsmart Lady” Video

Dry Cleaning Tour Dates
Wed. Nov. 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram – SOLD OUT
Thu. Nov. 11 – San Francisco, CA @ Chapel – SOLD OUT
Sat. Nov. 13 – Portland, OR @ Vitalidad – SOLD OUT
Sun. Nov. 14 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile – SOLD OUT
Tue. Nov. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle – SOLD OUT
Wed. Nov. 17 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle – SOLD OUT
Fri. Nov. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel – SOLD OUT
Sat. Nov. 20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel – SOLD OUT
Wed. Jan. 19, 2022 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie *
Thu. Jan. 20, 2022 – Lyron, FR @ Le Périscope *
Fri. Jan. 21, 2022 – Milan, IT @ Circolo Magnolia *
Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 – Bologna, IT @ Covo Club *
Mon. Jan. 24, 2022 – Vienna, AT @ Chelsea *
Tue. Jan. 25, 2022 – Prague, CZ @ Futurum *
Wed. Jan. 26, 2022 Berlin, DE @ Zukunft am Ostkreuz *
Fri. Jan. 28, 2022 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen *
Sat. Jan. 29, 2022 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow *
Mon. Jan. 31, 2022 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje *
Tue. Feb. 1, 2022 – Brussels, BE @ Orangerie, Botanique *
Wed. Feb. 2, 2022 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord *
Fri. Feb. 4, 2022 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown *
Sat. Feb. 5, 2022 – Tourcoing (Lille), FR @ Le Grand Mix *
Mon. Feb. 14, 2022 – Liverpool, UK @ Arts Club Theatre %
Tue. Feb. 15, 2022 – Dublin, IE @ The Button Factory – SOLD OUT %
Wed. Feb. 16, 2022 – Belfast, IE @ Empire Music Hall %
Fri. Feb. 18, 2022 – Edinburgh, UK @ Summerhall (Venue upgrade) – SOLD OUT %
Sat. Feb. 19, 2022 – Glasgow, UK @, Queen Margaret Union (Venue upgrade) %
Sub. Feb. 20, 2022 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club – SOLD OUT %
Tue. Feb. 22, 2022 – Birmingham, UK @ The Mill %
Wed. Feb. 23, 2022 – Bristol, UK @ SWX %
Fri. Feb. 25, 2022 – Manchester, UK @ Academy 2 %
Sat. Feb. 26, 2022 – Sheffield, UK @ Leadmill %
Sun. Feb. 27, 2022 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms %
Tue. March 1, 2022 – Portsmouth, UK @ Wedgewood Rooms %
Wed. March 2, 2022 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 %
Thu. March 3, 2022 – London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town %

* = w/ Maria Somerville
% = w/ PVA

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[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Levitation France announces full 2021 lineup, and it’s a doozy.

The 2021 Levitation France full lineup has been announced, and it’s a great one.

The show will be at an outdoor venue this year to be a bit safer during the tail end of the pandemic. The Friday night shows include sets by The Limiñanas and Mars Red Sky, while Saturday night has sets by Shame, SLIFT, Zombie Zombie, Anika, and Wild Fox.

I’d be at this festival were it not for a nephew’s wedding that same weekend, but you should go in my stead.

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Buffalo Daughter release first new music in seven years – “ET (Densha)” – from their upcoming album.

Photo by Enno Kaptiz / digitally altered by Kosuke Kawamura

Japanese art-rock pioneers Buffalo Daughter have announced We Are The Times, their first new album in seven years, out on September 17th, 2021, alongside the first single from the record “ET (Densha)” available on all digital streaming services now.

Since their 1996 debut on the legendary Beastie Boys-run label Grand Royal, Buffalo Daughter has been recognized as an original and energetic standout in the modern Japanese music scene. Over their decades long career, The band has pushed their unique post-rock, new wave, and techno influenced sound to global success, from numerous world tours to collaborations with many prominent acts including Air, Blonde Redhead, Cibbo Matto, and Shonen Knife.

The music video for their new single “ET (Densha)” was created by Berlin based artist Ryoichi Kurokawa, illustrating the worldbuilding sensation of the track with a sense of delicate power. “ET (Densha) is our soundscape for the world we currently live in,” the band wrote in a statement. “Darkness and light, chaos and harmony, intensity and ease – they seem to be black and white, but are they really? Where are we going? Take the ET (electric train) and let the journey begin.”

We Are The Times started from an improvisation session with Masaya Nakahara as part of a tribute program for Takahiro Muramatsu(Smurf Otokogumi). The album took quite some time to record, growing and changing with the band members’ shifting lives and world views as they navigated the covid-19 pandemic. Though the record was created during a tumultuous period, it starts with the phrase “Music is the vitamin,” indicating Buffalo Daughter’s hope for positivity in the world of 2021; the band sought to create an energetic and optimistic project to combat our anxious times. The vibrancy of their sound on the album is perhaps best summed up in this quote from collaborator Masaya Nakahara:

“A bright fruit of electronic sound! Buffalo Daughter’s new sound shows the light for where we should head to in this chaotic world.”

“We Are The Times” will be released digitally and physical CD (only available in Japan) on September 17th with vinyl to follow on October 15th.

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[Thanks to Jake at Ramp Global.]

Little Kid release “John Arnott,” their first new music in years.

The career of the Toronto band Little Kid, the long-running project of songwriter Kenny Boothby, has taken a path as unlikely and idiosyncratic as their gorgeous, and intricately arranged songs. Formed in 2011, the band spent most of a decade accruing a cult audience as a DIY band, self-releasing 5 albums and numerous unusual releases (perhaps most memorably a run of made to order cassettes on which Boothby recorded songs chosen by the purchaser), before signing to Solitaire Recordings for their 2020 album Transfiguration Highway. The album was a massive success for the band, precipitating an explosion of critical appreciation that included earning comparisons to Damien Jurardo, Sufjan Stevens, Neil Young, Alex G, and Bon Iver in a Stereogum Album of The Week piece and high praise from outlets like NPR, The AV Club, Paste, DIY, Secret Meeting, Exclaim, World Cafe, Loud & Quiet, No Depression, and The Line of Best Fit among many others. Today the band are sharing their first new music since the LP, a single entitled “John Arnott” to celebrate ten years as a band and to mark the release of the Solitaire Recordings reissue the band’s fan favorite 2017 LP Sun Milk.

LISTEN: to Little Kid’s “John Arnott” on YouTube
(Lyrics can be found here)

In keeping with the Christian themes that are often central to Boothby’s songs, “John Arnott” is a song about Pastor John Arnott, a central figure in a ’90s charismatic Christian revival centered around the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church known as the Toronto Blessing, as Boothby explains.

“The song is inspired by Pastor John Arnott, who started the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship in Toronto, the site of the so-called Toronto Blessing – a charismatic Christian revival in the 90s and early 00s,” says Boothby. “I actually traveled up from Petrolia with my family to attend a service there, and later learned my partner was attending at the same time (though we didn’t meet until about 15 years later). Most of the churches I attended in my teens and early adulthood were led by pastors inspired by the movement that started at TACF: focused on performing miracles, receiving the Gifts of the Spirit, having direct spiritual experiences with God – frankly, they were all a bit ‘out there.‘”

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Cuffed Up sing like “Canaries” on their new single.

Formed in 2019, LA-based Cuffed Up were born out of a search for “self acceptance and self-realization”, drawing lines from across the globe to the burgeoning post-punk scene in the UK, while leaning into ‘90s indie rock and grunge, creating a loud and rhythmic rainbow of post-punk that is fluid and versatile. Today, the band are sharing their crushing and vital new single “Canaries,” a rip-roaring track about reckoning with one’s shame, alongside the news that they have signed with Toronto-based record label Royal Mountain Records, home to Alvvays, Wild Pink, METZ and more.
WATCH: Cuffed Up’s “Canaries” on YouTube
The band explains that ““Canaries'” is about going down a path that you know is wrong, yet you keep going because some form of shame is driving you. Sometimes, we become numb to the burdens we carry. “Carrying the weight of stones/with pins to his bones” reflects that and the need to be vulnerable with yourself and not accept fate as is.”“

Pairing up with producer Brad Wood (Touché Amoré, Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair), “Canaries” is soaring yet direct, a visceral statement of intent from the band that expands on their refreshing self-titled debut that saw love from the likes of KEXP, NME, DIY, Bandcamp, and The Line Of Best Fit, as well as radio play on BBC 6Music and BBCRadio 1 and a supporting run with Silversun Pickups.

With support already from KCRW in Los Angeles and Double J in Australia, “Canaries” sees Cuffed Up embarking on a full US tour as main support for The Joy Formidable, beginning in Seattle on 11/26 and making stops in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia along the way and ending in Burlington on 12/18.

“Canaries” is out now on Royal Mountain Records. It is available here.

Tour Dates
11/26 – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA
11/27 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
11/29 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
11/30 – The Roxy Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
12/02 – Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ
12/04 – Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
12/05 – The Riot Room – Kansas City, MO
12/07 – Turf Club – Minneapolis, MN
12/09 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
12/10 – A&R Music Hall – Columbus, OH
12/11 – Thunderbird Music Hall – Pittsburgh, PA
12/12 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
12/13 – The Sinclair – Boston, MA
12/14 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
12/16 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
12/17 – Empire Underground – Albany, NY
12/18 – Higher Ground Showcase Lounge – Burlington, VT

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[Thanks to Conor at Hive Mind PR.]