‘This album is a small miracle’ 
– Stereogum
‘There’s no artist whose music feels as inherently magical as Lenker’s does‘
– Paste Magazine (9.7/10) 
‘Bright Future shines with a certain acceptance: that everything – love, home, and the songs we write about them – will eventually pass into memory’
– Pitchfork ( 8.4, Best New Music)
‘Another accomplished record.”
– The Independent ****
‘One of the most important songwriters of her generation.’
-Brooklyn Vegan
‘Timeless… unvarnished but poetic personal snapshots in earthy, country-tinged song.’
– The Times
‘A milestone record founded in maturity and grace.’
– DIY ****
‘Lenker’s best work.’
– MOJO ****
‘It is a reminder of just how rare an artist Lenker truly is and how easy it can be to fall under her spell.’
-Treble 
‘We’re in the palm of one of the greatest songwriters.’
-The Skinny 
‘An early contender for album of the year’
– The Sunday Times 
‘This album feels stunningly natural, with a bucolic sense of quiet and serenity.’
– Slant Magazine 
‘Her Dylan-esque knack of taking the mundane and turning it into poetry feels as formidable as ever.’
– Record Collector 
‘One of the most distinct and prolific voices in modern music… this is a simply beatuiful record.’
– Dork 
‘A meditation on loving that shows off one of the things Lenker does best as a songwriter: taking words and memories into her hands and turning them in the sunlight to reveal new angles and new perceptions.’
– FLOOD Magazine 
‘Another triumph of human connection.’
– Far Out (4.5/5, Album of the Week) 
‘Adrianne Lenker extends her songwriting prime on the visceral Bright Future.’
– The Line of Best Fit (9/10) 
‘Her best yet… these fruits from this latest harvest have never been sweeter.’
– The List 

+ Buy Bright Future on recycled LP, black LP, CD and cassette via the 4AD store +
+ Buy from all stores +

Adrianne Lenker releases her new solo album, Bright Future, out today. The album marks Lenker’s first album since 2020’s songs & instrumentals, and features co-production from Philip Weinrobe, alongside contributions from Nick Hakim, Mat Davidson, and Josefin Runsteen.

On Bright Future, Adrianne Lenker, a songwriter known for turns of phrase and currents of rhyme, says it plainly, “You have my heart // I want it back.” Documented with analogue precision, what began as an experiment in collaboration, became proof Adrianne’s heart did return, full to the brim, daring her into the unknown.

During the high vibrance of autumn 2022, the Big Thief band member got lucky. Everyone could come. Three musical friends, “Some of my favourite people,” had space in their busy touring schedules to join her at the forest-hidden, analogue studio, Double Infinity. The musicians – Hakim, Davidson, and Runsteen – were known to Adrianne but newer to each other. “I had no idea what the outcome would be,” she recalls. The result? “It was magical,” she says. Adrianne’s musical risk became Bright Future, the studio’s first album, a 12-track telling of a journeyed heart. 

Bright Future’s co-producer and engineer, Philip Weinrobe, prepared the studio. He has been Adrianne’s partner on previous solo albums, but this was something new. Adrianne did not intend to make an album. They would instead explore the songs with no expectations. Even with an open outcome, from the start, Phil wanted to capture the sessions with the purest, technical honesty. He rolled onto Double Infinity’s old cherry wood floors an Otari 1/2 inch 8-Track and Studer console. 

Admirers of Adrianne’s solo music and Big Thief will find on Bright Future her reliable talent captured in stunning, magnetic clarity. In the company of parlour instruments, Adrianne’s modern melodic and lyrical inventions create new traditions. Her vocal flights at times outwit gravity, then land, guiding along an earthly path. The wholeness of the un-spliced recordings preserves a time of musical friendship during a golden season. The album also features the original recording of the now-beloved Big Thief song ‘Vampire Empire.’ Although they recorded for only some days, in Adrianne’s recollection, “It felt like we were together forever.”

Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future
4AD0719

1. Real House
2. Sadness As A Gift
3. Fool
4. No Machine
5. Free Treasure
6. Vampire Empire
7. Evol
8. Candleflame
9. Already Lost
10. Cell Phone Says
11. Donut Seam
12. Ruined

April 
19th – The Black Box, Galway, Ireland* (SOLD OUT)
20th – St. Canice’s Catherdral, Kilkenny, Ireland* (SOLD OUT)
21st – Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland* (SOLD OUT)
24th – Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, UK+ (SOLD OUT)
25th – The Hall at Aviva Studios, Manchester, UK + (SOLD OUT)
27th – Barbican Centre, London, UK= (SOLD OUT)
29th – Bristol Beacon, Bristol, UK+ (SOLD OUT)

May 
2nd – Le Trianon, Paris, France+ (SOLD OUT) 
3rd – Cirque Royale, Belgium, Brussels+ 
5th – The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands= (SOLD OUT)
6th – Admiralspalast, Berlin, Germany = 
7th – Kampnagel, Hamburg, Germany =
10th – The Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen, Denmark= (SOLD OUT)
11th – Berns, Stockholm, Sweden= (SOLD OUT) 
12th – Chateau Neuf, Olso, Norway= (SOLD OUT) 

June
9th – The Paramount Theatre, Austin TX, US % 
10th – The Paramount Theatre, Austin TX, US %
12th – KiMO Theatre, Albuquerque NM, US % (SOLD OUT)
13th – Rialto Theatre, Tucson AZ, US % 
15th – The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles CA, US= (SOLD OUT)
16th – The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles CA, US + (SOLD OUT) 
17th – Fox Theatre, Oakland CA, US = (SOLD OUT)
20th – Revolution Hall, Portland OR, US = (SOLD OUT)
21st – Revolution Hall, Portland OR, US + (SOLD OUT)
22nd – Paramount Theatre, Seattle WA, US + (SOLD OUT) 
25th – The Depot, Salt Lake City UT, US = (SOLD OUT) 
26th – The Mission Ballroom, Denver CO, US = 
28th – Chicago Theatre, Chicago IL, US = (SOLD OUT)
29th – State Theatre, Minneapolis MN, US= (SOLD OUT)

November
11th – Academy of Music Theatre, Northampton MA, US^ (SOLD OUT) 
12th – Boch Centre Shubert Theatre, Boston MA, US (SOLD OUT) 
13th – Boch Centre Shubert Theatre, Boston MA, US
15th – L’Olympia, Montreal QC, Canada^ 
16th – Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto ON, Canada^ (SOLD OUT) 
18th – Kings Thheare, Brooklyn NY, US^
19th – Kings Theatre, Brooklyn NY, US^
21st – The Eastern, Atlanta GA, US^
22nd – Venue TBC, Durham NC, US^
23rd – The Anthem, Washington DC, US^
25th – Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, US^
26th – Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, US^

* w/ Ellie O’Neill
+ w/ Nick Hakim
= w/ Twain
% w/ Steve Fisher
^ w/ Suzanne Vallie

We are heartbroken to have lost our friend and long-serving colleague Jo Brooks who sadly succumbed to a long illness over the weekend.

Joining the Beggars Group from music distributor 3MV in 1999, Jo quickly became a key part of the team.  With an incredible eye for detail and a fun outlook, she started out by setting up the mail order department – a role she excelled in doing, often going above and beyond to make sure everyone got what they wanted.  She also spent a lot of time in her early days working on AV:Deck, the company’s then online radio station, interviewing bands in the nascent days of podcasting.

A deep fan of music with unrivalled enthusiasm, she later took her knowledge and passion across to an operational role where she first headed up digital production for the Group before managing our day-to-day workings with YouTube; a huge undertaking that involved managing myriad channels and rights in an ever-evolving landscape.  She made it look easy.

Beggars Group CEO Paul Redding, who worked with Jo throughout her time at the company, said, “Jo’s passing is a huge loss to Beggars.  She guided us through our first moves into D2C, was part of our first digital team and continued to be an integral part of our digital operation department through her diagnosis.  Underpinning everything though was an encyclopaedic knowledge of our catalogues and her love of music.  We will miss you Jo” 

Global Head of Digital Operations Tim Roddis pays tribute, “As the longest standing member of the Digital Operations team at Beggars, Jo was central to what we do, with us through every change, every up and down.  Her limitless knowledge of our catalogue proved invaluable countless times on the many projects we worked on together.  Always keen for an early morning chat and a cup of coffee to catch up on what was going on.  I know I speak for the whole team, past and present, when I say we will miss Jo immeasurably both as a colleague and more importantly, as a friend.”

A huge fan of 4AD, the label’s Head of A&R Ed Horrox, who also worked with Jo throughout her time at Beggars, remembers her fondly, “In the days before social media, Jo was a perfect bridge between 4AD artists and a group of seriously committed fans.  They knew they could turn to Jo for any information and she would sometimes correct them if necessary when things got heated in the chat rooms.  She loved to know as much as possible about developments in an artist’s career.  I can remember distinctly the look of excitement and the sound of her voice as we would talk, for example, about a new Breeders record.  She is a legend in the world of 4AD and will be sadly missed.”

Leaving us too soon, nothing was ever too much for Jo.  She was always warm and welcoming, wanting the best for everyone and never shy of taking on new tasks.  We are going to miss her terribly.  We were so lucky to know her and even luckier to be able to call her one of our own.

Our love and deepest condolences to Jo’s family and her friends, of whom there are many – a reflection on just how special Jo was.

 

Today, Erika de Casier shares a new video for the track ‘Ex-Girlfriend’ from her recent album Still, that was released on 21 February. The ‘Ex-Girlfriend’ video features Shygirl and was co-directed by Isa Castro-Cota and Tiff Pritchett.  A reference to the Kate Moss / Nick Knight 1996 fashion film inspired by the Vogue editorial ‘Courreges Edge’, the visual nods to the voyeuristic culture of celebrities and plays with the ideas of fame and privacy. The video similarly features scenes of Erika styled in Courrèges, a continuing collaboration after Erika performed at brand’s Copenhagen Fashion Week dinner and attended their show at Paris Fashion Week.

Official video directed by Isa Castro-Cora and Tiff Pritchett

The video arrives a week ahead of Erika’s North American tour, which begins on 26 March in Montreal. Erika will then head to Europe on 4 May, ending the tour at KOKO in London on 29 May.

Featuring the singles ‘Lucky’ and ‘ice (ft. They Hate Change)’, Still is classic de Casier, her idiosyncratic mix of luxuriant electronica and moonlit R&B drilled further into that one-of-a-kind sound here. Her song writing is as masterful and universal as ever, and her proficiency as a producer heightened as she produces other voices (Blood Orange, Shygirl and the aforementioned They Hate Change). She also invites new collaborators, working with live musicians in addition to samples. N, co-producer of her previous albums Essentials (2019) and Sensational (2021) returns here, but added to the fold are Jonathan Jull Ludvigsen, Carl Emil Johansen, Niels Kirk, Christian Rhode Lindinger, Nick León, Kirsten Nyhus Janssen and Tobias Sachse, adding live drums, synths, guitar, bass and more. 

+ Buy Still on exclusive transluent vinyl, black vinyl and CD via the 4AD Store +
+ Stream and buy from all stores +

UPCOMING TOUR DATES

March​
26th – Theatre Fiarmont, Montreal QC, Can
27th – Velvet Underground, Toronto ON, Can
29th – The Foundry, Philadelphia PA, US
30th – Warsaw, Brooklyn NY, US
31st – The Atlantis, Washington DC, US

April 
3rd – Lincoln Hall, Chicago IL, US
5th – Madame Lou’s, Seattle WA, US
6th – Polaris Hall, Portland OR, US
9th – The Independent, San Fransico CA, US
13th – Coachella, Indio CA, US
20th – Coachella, Indio CA, US

May
4th – Melkweg (Oude Zaal), Amsterdam, Netherlands
5th – Orangerie (Les Nuits 2024), Brussels, Belgium
8th – Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark
22nd – Hole 44, Berlin, Germany
23rd – La Gaité Lyrique, Paris, France
29th – Koko, London, UK

Today, Adrianne Lenker shares a new single ‘Free Treasure’ from her upcoming album, Bright Future, out this Friday 22 March. Delicate and intimate, the stunning new song is made sturdy by dual vocals and guitars paired shoulder-to-shoulder.  With Mat Davidson on vocal and guitar harmonies, ‘Free Treasure’ takes us home, where we find the best cooking, a warm fire, understanding, and “love without measure.”  It is a road-worn traveller’s paradise, full of adventure and whimsy, free to whomever lays it all down. “Just when I thought I couldn’t feel more, I feel a little more.”

+ Stream ‘Free Treasure’ on all platforms here + 

Additionally, Adrianne will be bringing ‘Free Treasure’ to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tomorrow night.

+ Pre-order Bright Future on recycled LP, black LP, CD and cassette via the 4AD store +
+ Pre-save and pre-order from all stores + 

Bright Future marks Lenker’s first album since 2020’s songs & instrumentals, and features co-production from Philip Weinrobe, alongside contributions from Davidson, Nick Hakim, and Josefin Runsteen. During the high vibrance of autumn 2022, the Big Thief band member got lucky. Everyone could come. Three musical friends, “Some of my favourite people,” had space in their busy touring schedules to join her at the forest-hidden, analogue studio, Double Infinity. The musicians – Hakim, Davidson, and Runsteen – were known to Adrianne but newer to each other. “I had no idea what the outcome would be,” she recalls. The result? “It was magical,” she says. Adrianne’s musical risk became Bright Future, the studio’s first album, a 12-track telling of a journeyed heart. 

Bright Future’s co-producer and engineer, Philip Weinrobe, prepared the studio. He has been Adrianne’s partner on previous solo albums, but this was something new. Adrianne did not intend to make an album. They would instead explore the songs with no expectations. Even with an open outcome, from the start, Phil wanted to capture the sessions with the purest, technical honesty. The result has the best qualities of thoughtful engineering with the spontaneous swim of a field recording. There are details to savour, fingertips on strings, felt pads nodding in the piano, the harmonies a few steps back, all smoothly laid to tape. It comes together to allow Adrianne’s songs to be as they are, unarmoured and light-footed.

Adrianne will play a sold-out tour throughout the UK and Europe this Spring followed by a Summer tour of North America. A full schedule can be found below. For tickets and more information, head HERE.  

 

March 
21st – Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, TN, USA

April 
19th – The Black Box, Galway, Ireland* (SOLD OUT)
20th – St. Canice’s Catherdral, Kilkenny, Ireland* (SOLD OUT)
21st – Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland* (SOLD OUT)
24th – Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, UK+ (SOLD OUT)
25th – The Hall at Aviva Studios, Manchester, UK + (SOLD OUT)
27th – Barbican Centre, London, UK= (SOLD OUT)
29th – Bristol Beacon, Bristol, UK+ (SOLD OUT)

May 
2nd – Le Trianon, Paris, France+
3rd – Cirque Royale, Belgium, Brussels+
5th – The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands= (SOLD OUT)
6th – Admiralspalast, Berlin, Germany =
7th – Kampnagel, Hamburg, Germany =
10th – The Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen, Denmark= (SOLD OUT)
11th – Berns, Stockholm, Sweden=
12th – Chateau Neuf, Olso, Norway= 

June
9th – The Paramount Theatre, Austin TX, US %
10th – The Paramount Theatre, Austin TX, US %
12th – KiMO Theatre, Albuquerque NM, US % (SOLD OUT)
13th – Rialto Theatre, Tucson AZ, US %
15th – The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles CA, US= (SOLD OUT)
16th – The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles CA, US + (SOLD OUT)
17th – Fox Theatre, Oakland CA, US =
20th – Revolution Hall, Portland OR, US = (SOLD OUT) 
21st – Revolution Hall, Portland OR, US + (SOLD OUT)
22nd – Paramount Theatre, Seattle WA, US + (SOLD OUT) 
24th – Treefort Music Hall, Boise ID, US 
25th – The Depot, Salt Lake City UT, US = (SOLD OUT) 
26th – The Mission Ballroom, Denver CO, US = 
28th – Chicago Theatre, Chicago IL, US = (SOLD OUT)
29th – State Theatre, Minneapolis MN, US= (SOLD OUT)

November
11th – Academy of Music Theatre, Northampton MA, US^ (SOLD OUT) 
12th – Boch Centre Shubert Theatre, Boston MA, US
13th – Boch Centre Shubert Theatre, Boston MA, US
15th – L’Olympia, Montreal QC, Canada^
16th – Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto ON, Canada^ (SOLD OUT) 
19th – Kings Theatre, Brooklyn NY, US^
21st – The Eastern, Atlanta GA, US^
22nd – Venue TBC, Durham NC, US^
23rd – The Anthem, Washington DC, US^
25th – Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, US^
26th – Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, US^

* w/ Ellie O’Neill
+ w/ Nick Hakim
= w/ Twain
% w/ Steve Fisher
^ w/ Suzanne Vallie

Today, the reissue of Pixies at the BBC, 1988-91 is released on 4AD, pressed for the first time on vinyl and available digitally and on double CD. The day also marks the first night of the band’s sold-out UK and European tour at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin.

+ Available to buy from the 4AD Store here +
+ Buy and stream on all formats here +

Between 1988 and 1991 – during the band’s 4AD years – Pixies recorded six sessions for the BBC, five for John Peel and one for Mark Goodier. Catching the raw energy of the band’s live performances, these sessions felt immediately noteworthy, timestamping a moment when Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering were motoring out front.

Among the twenty-four tracks they recorded in this period (inc. two doubles – ‘Allison’ and ‘Wave of Mutilation’) are favourites from mini-album Come on Pilgrim and three of their four 4AD studio albums. Also recorded were three covers; reworks of The Beatles’ ‘Wild Honey Pie’, Eraserhead’s ‘(In Heaven) Lady in the Radiator Song’ and The Beach Boys’ ‘Hang On To Your Ego’, a track Black Francis covered a few years later on his debut Frank Black solo album.

Originally released on CD in 1998, this reboot now sees all tracks from the six sessions included and presented in chronological order. Something fans have been asking for. Coming as both a triple black vinyl LP and double CD, the sleeve is also new with a wonderful black and gold design by Chris Bigg now adorning it. A design that really stands out, Chris pays loving tribute to the band’s late-visual director Vaughan Oliver, using unseen archival Pixies imagery by long-time collaborator Simon Larbalestier.

Pixies kick off their sold-out Bossanova x Trompe Le Monde tour tonight in Dublin, playing both albums in full. A limited edition Bossanova apricot vinyl will also be available when the tour begins at one record store in each of the locations (listed below), with spare copies available online when the tour ends.

Record Stores for limited edition Bossanova vinyl

Tower Records – Dublin, Ireland

Piccadilly Records – Manchester, UK

Rough Trade East – London, UK

Concerto – Amsterdam, The Netherlands

FNAC – Paris, France
 

Pixies –  Pixies at the BBC, 1988-91
4AD0635

John Peel Session 3rd May 1988 
1. Levitate Me
2. Hey
3. In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song)
4. Wild Honey Pie
5. Caribou 

John Peel Session 9th October 1988 
6. Dead
7. Tame 
8. There Goes My Gun 
9. Manta Ray 

John Peel Session 16th April 1989 
10. Down To The Well
11. Into The White
12. Wave Of Mutilation

John Peel Session 11th June 1990 
13. Allison
14. Velouria 
15. Hang On To Your Ego 
16. Is She Weird

Mark Goodier Session 18th August 1990 
17. Monkey Gone To Heaven
18. Ana 
19. Allison 
20. Wave Of Mutilation

John Peel Session 23rd June 1991 
21. Palace Of The Brine
22. Letter To Memphis
23. Motorway To Roswell 
24. Subbacultcha

March 2024
8th – Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland [SOLD OUT] 9th – Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland [SOLD OUT] 10th – Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland [SOLD OUT] 12th – Albert Hall, Manchester, UK [SOLD OUT] 13th  – Albert Hall, Manchester, UK [SOLD OUT] 14th – Albert Hall, Manchester, UK [SOLD OUT] 16th – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK [SOLD OUT] 17th – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK [SOLD OUT] 18th – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK [SOLD OUT] 20th – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands [SOLD OUT] 
21st – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands [SOLD OUT] 
22nd – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands [SOLD OUT] 
25th – L’Olympia, Paris, France [SOLD OUT] 26th – L’Olympia, Paris, France [SOLD OUT] 27th – L’Olympia, Paris, France [SOLD OUT]

May 
31st – Firefly Distillery, North Charleston SC, US * 

June
1st – PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte NC, US *
2nd – Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville TN, US *
4th – Cadence Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park, Atlanta GA, US *
5th – The Andrew J Brady Music Center, Cincinnati OH, US *
8th – Budweiser Stage, Toronto, Canada*
9th – Place Bell, Laval, Canada, *
11th – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, Gilford NH, US*
12th – TD Pavilion at The Mann, Philadelphia PA, US *
12th – Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia MD, US*
15th – Forest Hills Stadium, Queens NY, US *
16th – Xfinity Center,  Mansfield MA, US *
18th – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill,  Sterling Heights MI, US*
19th – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, Chicago IL, US *
20th – Surly Brewing Festival Field, Minneapolis MN, US *
22nd – Breese Stevens Field, Madison WI, US *
23rd – Vibrant Music Hall, Waukee IA, US *
24th – Starlight Theatre, Kansas City MO, US *
26th – Germania Insurance Amphitheater, Austin TX, US *
27th – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, Irving TX, US *
28th – Walmart AMP, Rogers AR, US *
30th – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village CO, US *

July 
30th – Châteadu de l’Empéri, Salon-de-provence, France

August
1st – Openluchtteater de Goffert, Nijmegen, Netherlands [SOLD OUT] 2nd – Openluchtteater de Goffert, Nijmegen, Netherlands [SOLD OUT] 4th – Ronquiéres Festival, Ronquiéres. Belgium 
5th – Lokerse Feesten, Lokeren, Belgium
7th – den Atelier, Luxembourg-city, Luxembourg [SOLD OUT] 8th – Schlossgarten Schwetzingen, Schwetzingen, Germany
10th – Forum Karlin, Karlin, Czechia
13th – Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, Finland [SOLD OUT] 14th – Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, Findland [SOLD OUT] 16th – Parkenfestivalen, Bodø, Norway
17th – Pstereo, Trondheim, Norway
21st – The Piece Hall, Halifax, UK [SOLD OUT] 23rd – All Points East, London, UK
24th – Victorious Festival, Old Portsmouth, UK
27th – Galway Summer Sessions, Carnmore East, Ireland
28th – Custom House Square, Belfast, UK [SOLD OUT] 29th – RDS Simmons Court, Dublin, Ireland 

* – w/ Modest Mouse and Cat Power

Today, Dry Cleaning release the remastered reissue of their first two EPs, Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks / Sweet Princess. Available digitally and as one single vinyl, the former is also available on cassette for the first time and includes an exclusive bonus single, a demo of New Long Leg single, ‘Strong Feelings’, recorded during the sessions for Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks. To celebrate the release, the band have released a new visualiser for each track on the EPs created by original ‘Magic of Meghan’ video collaborator Lucy Vann.

+ Buy ‘Boundary Road Snacks & Drinks / Sweet Princess’ + 

After a prolific 18-month period releasing two critically acclaimed John Parish-produced studio albums, New Long Leg (2021) and Stumpwork (2022), as well as last year’s companion release the five-track Swampy EP, South London’s Dry Cleaning are taking a moment to reflect on their journey and pay homage to their roots.

Dry Cleaning’s origin story is well known by now. Guitarist Tom Dowse, drummer Nick Buxton, and bassist Lewis Maynard had been friends and musical collaborators for years, and invited mutual friend Florence Shaw – a visual artist, picture researcher and drawing lecturer – to join the band in 2017. With clear musical influences from the Feelies, the Necessaries, the B52s and Pylon, and constrained by the small garage space they rehearsed in, Dry Cleaning were drawn to making simple music; direct and uncomplicated, anything superfluous was left behind.

By March 2018 the group had recorded the six-track debut EP Sweet Princess with producer Kristian Craig Robinson at Total Refreshment Centre in a single day. Two months later, in May 2018, the band played their first live show in Dalston at the Shacklewell Arms, and released the EP in August. Sweet Princess was a thrilling debut, its dizzying and restless instrumentals with Shaw’s sardonic vocals delivering a satirical collage of witty observations and social commentary. A further 6 songs in the form of the Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks EP quickly followed two months after. It was named in tribute to the band’s rehearsal space in Maynard’s family’s south London (Sidcup) home, and to his mother Susan whose home-cooked meals sustained the four friends in between sessions. With singles like ‘Sit Down Meal’ and ‘Viking Hair’, Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks is a powerful companion to Sweet Princess. They share a similar pent-up energy, unsurprising given they came to life in the same environment those EPs were created in, an environment that had a huge influence on the band during those formative years.

Having celebrated another ‘National Dry Cleaning Day’ with a show at The Lexington last Sunday (3rd March), the band will be back on the road later this month. Sets on this upcoming headline tour will lean heavily on songs from Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks and Sweet Princess and offer fans the chance to see the band play in more intimate venues. Full tour dates are listed below and for tickets and information, head here.

Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks:
A1. Dog Proposal
A2. Viking Hair
A3. Spoils
A4. Jam After School
A5. Sombre One
A6. Sit Down Meal

Sweet Princess:
B1. Goodnight
B2. New Job
B3. Magic of Meghan
B4. Traditional Fish
B5. Phone Scam
B6. Conversation

March 2024
10th – Empty Bottle, Chicago IL, US
11th – Empty Bottle, Chicago IL, US
13th – SXSW, Austin TX, US
14th – SXSW, Austin TX, US
15th – SXSW, Austin TX, US
16th – SXSW, Austin TX, US
18th – Roxy, Los Angeles CA, US
19th – Roxy, Los Angeles CA, US
21st – The Independent, San Francisco CA, US
22nd – The Independent, San Francisco CA, US
23rd – Treefort Festival, Boise ID, US
25th – Bowery Ballroom, New York NY, US
26th – Bowery Ballroom, New York NY, US

April
5th – Saint Lukes, Glasgow, UK
6th – The Grove, Newcastle, UK
7th – Future Yard, Birkenhead, UK
9th – Whelan;s, Dublin, Ireland
10th – Whelan’s, Dublin, Ireland
12th – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
13th – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK 
15th – Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, UK
16th – Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, UK
18th – EartH Theatre, London, UK
20th – Motel Mozaique, Rotterdam, Netherlands
21st – Trix Hall, Antwerp, Belgium
23rd – Gleis 22, Munster, Denmark
24th – Halle am Berghain, Berlin, Germany
26th – La Gaite Lyrique, Paris, France

May 
24th – Tomavistas Festival, Madrid, Spain

June
29th – Solid Sound Festival, North Adams MA, US 

Kicking off 2024 with a bang, Manhattan four-piece cumgirl8 (aka cg8) return with a brand new single entitled ‘glasshour’. It’s a spiky post-punk haze, showcasing all that’s exciting and unique about cumgirl8 via jarring electro-punk flourishes, industrial sludge, and an irrepressible hook tying it all together. A live highlight of their incendiary underground shows, the new track also previews the group’s upcoming debut 4AD record (due later this year). The release additionally marks the band’s long-awaited return with new material, following last year’s EP release, phantasea pharm.

Speaking on the track, the band writes: “‘glasshour’ is a reinterpretation of ‘hourglass,’ one of the first songs we ever wrote and released. Thematically, it feels more relevant than ever; as we’re all ready to flip the glass and watch the sands run thin in this necrocapitalist power structure. The cowbell tolls like a doomsday alarm while we talk about justice. It felt right to slow the whole song down and punctuate that desire.” 

+ Stream ‘glasshour’ on all platforms here + 

In addition to their newest release, cumgirl8 recently shared a live session for Onassis’ ‘Stages Alive’ series — it is available to view in full HERE. This live session serves as the perfect precursor to the band’s upcoming stint at SXSW, followed by a one-off gig opening for the inimitable Bratmobile in Brooklyn this April and a headline show at Brooklyn Made in May. See the full list of upcoming cumgirl8 live shows below and find more information HERE. 

March
14th – Hotel Vegas – Psychic Hotline Party (SWSX), Austin TX, USA
15th – Dedstrange x Synasthesie Showcase (SWSX), Austin TX, USA 
TBD – Parish – Marshall Fun House (SXSW), Austin TX, USA 
16th – Shiner’s Saloon – Future of Music Showcase (SXSW), Austin TX, USA
17th – TBD – Pop Sickle Presents: Green Witch Recordings Showcasw (SXSW), Austin TX, USA 

April
27th – Warsaw*, Brooklyn NY, USA

May
2nd – Brooklyn Made, Brooklyn NY, USA

*w/ Bratmobile

Today, GRAMMY-award winning rock bands The National and The War On Drugs announced their 2024 Zen Diagram Tour across North America, marking the first time the two bands have toured together. Produced by Live Nation, the 19-date fall run kicks off on Thursday, September 12 in Gilford, NH at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, with stops in New York, Toronto, Chicago, Vancouver, Berkeley, and more before wrapping up with a performance at Mexico City’s Palacio De Los Deportes on Thursday, October 10. The tour also includes a show at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Special guest Lucius will be joining across all dates except Mexico City. 

TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting with presales beginning Tuesday, February 27 at 10 AM local time. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Friday, March 1 at 10 AM local time at livenation.com. 

The tour will feature sets packed with great music from both bands, highlighting each group’s deep catalog. The Zen Diagram Tour follows The National’s solo global run across New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and the UK this year. Additionally, The War On Drugs has several UK headline performances and Europe festival dates scheduled for this summer.  

 

THE ZEN DIAGRAM TOUR 2024 DATES:

September
12th – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, Gildford NH, US
13th – Forest Hills Stadium, New York NY, US
14th – Xfinity Center, Mansfield MA, US
16th – Merriweather Post Pavillion, Columbia MD, US
17th – TD Pavillion at the Mann Center for Performing Arts, Philadelphia PA, US
19th – Place Bell, Laval QC, Canada
20th – Budweiser Stage, Toronto ON, Canada
21st – Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls OH, US
24th – United Center, Chicago IL, US
25th – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, Sterlington Heights MI, US
26th – Breese Stevens Field, Madison WI, US
28th – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Englewood CO, US
29th – Granary Live, Salt Lake City UT, US

October
1st – Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle WA, US
2nd – Pepsi Live at Rodgers Arena, Vancouver BC, Canada
3rd – Moda Center, Portland OR, US
6th – The Greek Theatre, Berkely CA, US
7th – Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles CA, US
10th – Palacio De Los Deportes, Mexico City, Mexico 

“Big records demand big claims, so here’s the lowdown; Still is one of the best pop albums of all time.“
– Treble Zine
“Erika de Casier has made her ambitions clear: she is ready to fill bigger boots. With Still, she may just do so”
– Crack Magazine (8/10)
“Erika de Casier is one of pop music’s preeminent, joyful architects”
– The FADER
“This is going to be the sound of pop music”
– NPR (Most Anticipated Albums of 2024)
“Erika de Casier does not leave a note out of place.”
– Stereogum (Best Songs of the Week)
“She’s poised for a breakout year”
– GQ

Today, Erika de Casier releases her highly-anticipated third album Still, via 4AD.

+ Buy Still on exclusive transluent vinyl, black vinyl and CD via the 4AD Store +
+ Stream and buy from all stores +

Featuring previously-released singles ‘Lucky’ and ‘ice feat. (They Hate Change)’, Still is classic de Casier, her idiosyncratic mix of luxuriant electronica and moonlit R&B drilled further into that one-of-a-kind sound here. Her songwriting is as masterful and universal as ever, and her proficiency as a producer heightened as she produces other voices for the first time (Shygirl, Blood Orange, and the aforementioned They Hate Change). 

She also invites new collaborators, working with live musicians in addition to samples. N, co-producer of 2019’s Essentials and 2021’s Sensational, returns here, but added to the fold are Jonathan Jull Ludvigsen, Carl Emil Johansen, Niels Kirk, Christian xRhode Lindinger, Nick León, Kirsten Nyhus Janssen and Tobias Sachse, adding live drums, synths, guitar, bass and more. 

Later this spring, de Casier will also bring Still to some of her biggest venues yet. Beginning March 26th in Montreal, she’ll play nine shows across North America including stops in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Chicago, and more, before concluding April 9th in San Francisco. She’ll then head to the desert to play both weekends of Coachella on the 13th and 20th. There will be support from Contour on all dates and you can buy tickets here.

Erika de Casier – Still
4AD0639 

1. Right This Way
2. Home Alone
3. Lucky
4. The Princess
5. ice (ft. They Hate Change)
6. Test It
7. ooh
8. Believe It
9. Anxious
10. Ex-Girlfriend (ft. Shygirl)
11. Toxic
12. My Day Off
13. Twice (ft. Blood Orange)
14. Someone

UPCOMING TOUR DATES

March​
26th – Theatre Fiarmont, Montreal QC, Can
27th – Velvet Underground, Toronto ON, Can
29th – The Foundry, Philadelphia PA, US
30th – Warsaw, Brooklyn NY, US
31st – The Atlantis, Washington DC, US

April 
3rd – Lincoln Hall, Chicago IL, US
5th – Madame Lou’s, Seattle WA, US
6th – Polaris Hall, Portland OR, US
9th – The Independent, San Fransico CA, US
13th – Coachella, Indio CA, US
20th – Coachella, Indio CA, US

May
4th – Melkweg (Oude Zaal), Amsterdam, Netherlands
5th – Orangerie (Les Nuits 2024), Brussels, Belgium
8th – Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark
22nd – Hole 44, Berlin, Germany
23rd – La Gaité Lyrique, Paris, France
29th – Koko, London, UK

In celebration of Record Store Day 2024, 4AD presents a trifecta of RSD special editions, availability in limited qualities and exclusively online and in-stores on April 20, 2024.

Kristin Hersh – Hips & Makers (30th Anniversary Edition)
Spoonfed Hybrid – Spoonfed Hybrid (30th Anniversary Edition)
Gene Clark – No Other Sessions (1974-2024: 50 Years of No Other)

Find more information on these releases below and via the official Record Store Day website. 

Kristin Hersh – Hips & Makers (30th Anniversary Edition)
Expanded 30th Anniversary Edition 2LP (the album plus B-sides and string versions) available on double green vinyl, with lyrics and sleevenotes by Kristin. CD will be available on the 26th April.

TRACKLISTING (2LP | 2CD)
Hips and Makers

A1. Your Ghost
A2. Beestung
A3. Teeth
A4. Sundrops
A5. Sparky
A6. Houdini Blues
B1. A Loon
B2. Velvet Days
B3. Close Your Eyes
B4. Me and My Charms
B5. Tuesday Night
C1. The Letter
C2. Lurch
C3. The Cuckoo
C4. Hips and Makers
C5. Hysterical Bending [BONUS TRACK]

Your Ghost EP
C6. The Key
C7. Uncle June and Aunt Kiyoti
C8. When the Levee Breaks

Strings EP
D1. A Loon (String Version)
D2. Sundrops (String Version)
D3. Me and My Charms (String Version)
D4. Velvet Days (String Version)
D5. The Key (String Version)
D6. Velvet Days (String Instrumental)

Gene Clark – No Other Sessions (1974-2024: 50 Years of No Other)
50th Anniversary celebration of Gene Clark’s classic 1974 album — Double black vinyl edition of studio outtakes that shine a light on the making of a timeless album + beautiful mirrorboard sleeve ft. rare in the studio photographs & track-by-track notes by Sid Griffin. 

TRACKLISTING (2LP)
A1. From A Silver Phial Version 4
A2. Silver Raven Version 2
A3. Some Misunderstanding Version 3
A4. Life’s Greatest Fool Version 2
A5. Train Leaves Here This Morning Version 2
B1. Lady Of The North Version 2
B2. The True One Version 2
B3. Strength Of Strings Version 2
B4. No Other Version 2
C1. From A Silver Phial Version 1
C2. Life’s Greatest Fool Version 1
C3. No Other Version 1
C4. Lady Of The North Version 1
C5. Some Misunderstanding Version 1
D1. Silver Raven Version 1
D2. Train Leaves Here This Morning Version 1
D3. The True One Version 1
D4. Strength Of Strings Version 1

Spoonfed Hybrid – Spoonfed Hybrid (30th Anniversary Edition)
The original album plus a bonus dic of outtakes & demos, available on double black vinyl (one-time pressing).

TRACKLISTING (2LP)
Spoonfed Hybrid
A1. Heaven’s Knot
A2. Naturally Occurring Anchors
A3. Tiny Planes
A4. Stolen Clothes
A5. Lynched
A6. 1936
B1. Getting Not to Know
B2. Somehow Some Other Life
B3. A Pocketful of Dust
B4. Ecnalubma
B5. Boys in Zine

Demos & Outtakes
C1. Scary Verlaine
C2. Bullets and Bees
C3. The Sun Always Changes My Mind
C4. Messrs. Hyde (Demo)
C5. Naturally Occurring Anchors (Demo)
D1. Token She Van (Truncated)
D2. Tiny Planes (Demo)
D3. Violence of Violins
D4. Make a Fist
D5. Lynched (Demo)