In 2021, CHAI made their Sub Pop debut with WINK, securing their position as “a professional purveyor of whimsy” (The New York Times). Today, they are sharing the official video for “SURPRISE,” the band’s new single.
CHAI says of “SURPRISE,” “We all have that precious “something” that we can’t express in words. But sometimes those things happen to make it out as words, and we want to feel and love that “surprise”. Those become the surprises of our lives, and I become a brand new me♡. That’s what we had in mind when we wrote “SURPRISE”. Check it out♡”
As for the song’s official video, CHAI offers this, “When our trailer was stolen during our North American tour, we were able to continue our shows because of the overwhelming support and love from all of you. We never forget how much we appreciate you, and we want to continue to give back to our fans through music, forever and ever. This music video was shot under the blue skies of Los Angeles, with gratitude. Check it out♡.”
This weekend, CHAI will also be one of the artists featured in YouTube Japan’s streaming event “YouTube Music Weekend Vol. 5”, where they will premiere footage from their sold out Brooklyn show that took place on February 15th as part of their WINK TOGETHER NORTH AMERICA TOUR. The livestream will take place on May 7th 1:40 pm JST / May 6th 9:40 pm PDT, on CHAI’s official YouTube channel. Check out the livestream here (Available on archive until May 15th - 1:40 pm JST/May 14th - 9:40 pm PT).
CHAI’s international tour schedule in continued support of WINK spans Friday, June10th through Sunday, November 13th, 2022. In June, the band will visit Australia for a short tour, which includes stops at Vivid Sydney at Carriageworks (Jun. 10th) and Rising 2022 at Forum Melbourne (Jun. 11th). CHAI will then return to the US and Canada in September for appearances at Primavera Sound LA (Sep 18th) and Dover, DE’s Firefly Music Festival (Sep. 25th), and a direct support slot opening for Hippo Campus (Oct. 3rd-30th). Finally, in November CHAI will head to South America for appearances at Primavera Sound’s Sao Paolo, Brazil (Nov. 6th), Santiago, Chile (Nov. 12th) and Buenos Aries, Argentina (Nov. 13th). Please find a full list of tour dates below.
Fri. Jun. 10 - Sydney, AU - Vivid Sydney at Carriageworks Sat. Jun. 11 - Melbourne, AU - Rising 2022 at Forum Melbourne Sun. Sep. 18 - Los Angeles, CA - Primavera Sound LA Sun. Sep. 25 - Dover, DE - Firefly Music Festival Mon. Oct. 03 - Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theater * Tue. Oct. 04 - Grand Rapids, MI - 20 Monroe * Thu. Oct. 06 - Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Theater * Sat. Oct. 08 - Omaha, NE - The Admiral * Mon. Oct. 10 - Louisville, KY - Paristown Hall * Tue. Oct. 11 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater* Thu. Oct. 13 - Toronto, ON - Queen Elizabeth Theatre * Fri. Oct. 14 - Montreal, QC - Le National * Sat. Oct. 15 - Portland, ME - State Theater * Mon. Oct. 17 - Providence, RI - The Strand * Tue. Oct. 18 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall * Fri. Oct. 21 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz * Sat. Oct. 22 - Charlotte, NC - The Filmore* Tue. Oct. 25 - Miami, FL - North Beach Bandshell * Wed. Oct. 26 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues * Fri. Oct. 28 - St.Pertersburg, FL - Jannus Live * Sat. Oct. 29 - Mobile, AL - Soul Kitchen * Sun. Oct. 30 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City * Sun. Nov. 06 - Sao Paolo, BR - Primavera Sound Sao Paulo Brazil Sat. Nov. 12 - Santiago, CL - Primavera Sound Santiago Chile Sun. Nov. 13 - Buenos Aires, AR - Primavera Sound Buenos Aires Argentina * with Hippo Campus
TV Priest will release My Other People, the group’s follow-up to Uppers, their acclaimed debut, worldwide on June 17th, 2022 from Sub Pop. Today, the band is sharing the visualizer for “Limehouse Cut,” a new offering from My Other People.
Vocalist Charlie Drinkwater says of “Limehouse Cut,” “The song is about a feeling dislocated and displaced in an urban space you once felt you knew and ‘understood’, however, it’s also a coming to terms with an idea that you never really ‘own‘ somewhere as infinitely regenerative as a city. It’s a bit of a psycho-geographical study, a little bit of pathos at my own mortality and smallness in the great tide of history. We loved the idea of something quite abstract, something that references landscape, feels mesmeric, melancholic, a little sinister but also quite beautiful.”
TV Priest will embark on its first-ever North American tour, in support of My Other People, beginning Tuesday, July 26th in Brooklyn at Union Pool and ending Sunday, August 7th in Seattle at The Clock-Out Lounge. The 9-date run will include stops in US and Canadian cities including Philadelphia, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Vancouver, and Seattle. The band will also appear at Pickathon Festival in Happy Valley, Oregon August 5th and 5th. Tickets for these shows are on sale Friday, April 29th at 10 am (local). Preceding these shows, TV Priest has scheduled a series of UK and EU festivals for late Spring through late Summer 2022, which include Liverpool’s Sound City and Brighton’s The Great Escape in May, and Salisbury, UK’s End of the Road in September. TV Priest also has a series of UK in-store performances to celebrate My Other People’s release week (June 17th - 23rd), which fans can gain entry to with proof of preorder through the participating retailers. Please find a current list of tour dates below.
Sun. May 01 - Liverpool, UK - Sound City Festival Fri. May 13 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival Fri. May 20 - Laval, FR - Les 3 Elephants Festival Fri. Jun. 05 - Brittany, FR - Art Rock Festival Sat. Jun. 06 - Tours, FR - Le Temps Machine Fri. Jun. 17 - London, UK - Rough Trade East Mon. Jun. 20 - Brighton, UK - Resident* Tue. Jun. 21 - Southsea Portsmouth, UK - Pie & Vinyl* Wed. Jun. 22 - Totnes, UK - Drift* Thu. Jun. 23 - Leeds, UK - The Vinyl Whistle* Sun. Jul. 03 - Toulon, FR - Pointu Festival Tue. Jul.26 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Pool Wed. Jul. 27 - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA Fri. Jul. 29 - Montréal, QC - Bar le Ritz PDB Sat. Jul. 30 - Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern Sun. Jul. 31 - Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen Thu. Aug. 04 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Fri. Aug. 05 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Sat. Aug. 06 - Vancouver, BC - Fox Cabaret Sun. Aug. 07 - Seattle, WA - Clock-Out Lounge Fri. Sep. 02 - Salisbury, UK - End of the Road Festival Fri. Sep. 09 - Heusden, NL - Misty Fields Festival Sat. Sep. 17 - Leicester, UK - Wide Eyed Festival Sun. Oct. 30 - Bristol, UK - The Louisiana Mon. Oct. 31 - Birmingham, UK - Hare & Hounds Tue. Nov. 01 - Dublin, IE - The Workman’s Cellar Thu. Nov. 03 - Manchester, UK - Yes (Pink Room) Fri. Nov. 04 - Glasgow, UK - Broadcast Sat. Nov. 05 - Leeds, UK - Belgrave Music Hall Mon. Nov. 07 - Cambridge, UK - Portland Arms Tue. Nov. 08 - Leicester, UK - Firebug Bar Thu. Nov. 10 - London, UK - Scala Fri. Nov. 11 - Reading, UK -The Face Bar Sat. Nov. 12 - Southampton, UK - The Joiners Sun. Nov. 13 - Brighton, UK - Green Door Store * Stripped down performances
My Other People, which features the aforementioned “Limehouse Cut” and additional highlights “One Easy Thing” and “Bury Me In My Shoes,” was produced by band member/multi-instrumentalist Nic Bueth at Studio East in London.
My Other People is now available to preorder from Sub Pop. LPs purchased through megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers in North America will receive the Opaque Pink w/white smoke vinyl version (while supplies last). Meanwhile, LP preorders in the U.K. and Europe through select independent retailers will receive the album on clear vinyl.
What people have said about TV Priest: “On these new tracks, vocalist Charlie Drinkwater continues to resemble Joe Talbot, but I can just as easily hear Nick Cave, Jim Morrison, and Protomartyr’s Joe Casey in those bellows. His bandmates sound spry and adventurous, brimming with ideas and kinetic energy.” [“Bury Me In My Shoes”] Stereogum
“The music has a real wielding tone throughout buzzing guitars and yelled vocals offering itself up with plenty of on the side feels.” [“Bury Me In My Shoes”]Closed Captioned
“Frontman Charlie Drinkwater makes a startling statement. “I’m going to take these clothes off now,” he sings, offering up an image that seems to reveal the very core of this stunning new offering.” [“One Easy Thing”] Far Out
“Charlie Drinkwater’s vulnerable side comes to the fore in ‘One Easy Thing’, with a voice that lends itself as capably to emotive ballads as it does to hook-heavy punk” [“One Easy Thing”] Riot Mag
“Beautifully sparse in it’s opening refrain, the track points to a change of direction for the band. Sonically, the new single seems lighter than their previous output, aligning more with the booming British Post-Punk scene than with their krautrock inspired roots.” [“One Easy Thing”] - When The Horn Blows
“The song is dark, a rock with a riff that is pleasant, Charlie Drinkwater’s vocals over the top are reminiscent of Johnny Cash. The song evokes the feeling of exhaustion without being exhausting to listen to.” [“One Easy Thing”] - ASBO Magazine
“Fuzzed-out post punk from London four-piece…harsh, brittle eruptions offering up a variety of teeth-rattling noises.” [Uppers] Uncut
“The post-punk band have caught attention with a string of superb singles, exemplifying their scorching post-punk sound.” [Uppers] CLASH
“Uppers…should rubber stamp TV Priest as one of, if not your favorite new act” [Uppers] The Line of Best Fit
“Ragged yet tight, sprawling yet focussed, it’s a singular vision of a disparate time.” [Uppers] ★★★★DORK
“Scratch the surface, peel away the layers and you’ll find something here to make you think there might be something more to come.” [Uppers, Best Albums of 2021] Louder Than War
“Sultry, prophetic lyricism with brash instrumentation…” [“This Island”] Brooklyn Vegan
TV Priest My Other People
Tracklisting 1. One Easy Thing 2. Bury Me In My Shoes 3. Limehouse Cut 4. I Have Learnt Nothing 5. It Was Beautiful 6. The Happiest Place On Earth 7. My Other People 8. The Breakers 9. Unraveling 10. It Was A Gift 11. I Am Safe Here 12. Sunland
Alicia Bognanno of Bully wrote the theme song and scored the series for a new NBC News Original Podcast entitled Tiffany Dover Is Dead which is currently the #1 podcast on Apple. “Welcome to one of the internet’s weirdest obsessions. Back in December of 2020, a nurse named Tiffany Dover fainted on camera while she was talking to reporters after getting her first COVID shot. She got right back up and gave another interview, but it was too late. A conspiracy theory was already racing around the world: Dover had died. She’d been replaced by a body double.” You can listen to the podcast here.
Bognanno has also contributed “Never Needed”, a new song to the limited-edition Portraits of Her charity album, created by Record Store Day in partnership with VANS. The compilation features songs from Taylor Swift, Asiahn, Julien Baker, Banks, Leyla Blue, Boyish, Alice Longyu Gao, Laura Jane Grace, Girl in Red, Girl Ultra, K. Flay, Mariah the Scientist, Julia Michaels, Joy Oladokun, and Princess Nokia, features artwork by Sophia Enriquez, will benefit We Are Moving The Needle, a nonprofit organization supporting all women recording industry professionals, audio engineers, and producers. (‘Portraits of Her’ will be available on Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 as an exclusive RSD release). Bognanno also appears on the song “Wrecked,” off the self-titled debut from labelmate Weird Nightmare (the new project from METZ frontman, Alex Edkins), which you can listen to here.
Bully has a series of headlining, support, and festival dates for the summer of 2022. On Saturday, June 25th, Bognanno and her band will perform at Nashville’s Pride Festival at the city’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. Bully will then hit the road for a 10-date run of shows beginning Tuesday, August 23rd in Charleston, West Virginia at Mountain Stage and ending Saturday, September 3rd at Baltimore, Maryland’s Ottobar. Along the way they’ll support Jason Isbell and Lord Huron (select dates). See full list of dates below.
Sat. Jun. 25 - Nashville, TN - Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park (Nashville Pride Festival) Tue. Aug. 23 - Charleston, WV - Mountain Stage * Wed. Aug. 24 - Stacks, Bethlehem, PA - Levitt Pavilion Steel * Thu. Aug. 25 - Boston, MA - Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre ^ Fri. Aug, 26 - Vineyard Haven, MA - Veterans Memorial Park (Beach Road Weekend!) Sat. Aug. 27 - Olympia, WA - South Sound Block Party Mon. Aug. 29 - Holyoke, MA - Race Street Live Tue. Aug. 30 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford Healthcare Amphitheatre * Wed. Aug. 31 - Providence, RI - Columbus Theatre Fri. Sep. 02 - New York, NY - Rooftop at Pier 17 * Sat. Sep. 03 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
Wolf Parade has added headlining Pacific Northwest dates to its 2022 tour schedule, which begins Friday, July 8th in Portland, Oregon at Wonder Ballroom and runs through Wednesday, July 13th in Eugene, Oregon at Sessions Music Hall.
Presales start Wednesday, April 27th via Bandsintown, with general on sale Friday, April 29th at 10 am (local).
Preceding the July run, Wolf Parade will play Apologies to the Queen Mary, the group’s classic debut album, in its entirety over a three-show run from Friday, May 20th through Sunday, May 22nd, 2022. These special performances will feature the album’s original lineup of Dan Boeckner, Spencer Krug, Arlen Thompson, and Hadji Bakara, and will include a stop at Pasadena’s Just Like Heaven Festival (May 21st).
Fri. May 20 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour [Sold Out] Sat. May 21 - Pasadena, CA - Just Like Heaven Festival Sun. May 22 - San Francisco, CA - August Hall Fri. Jul. 08 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom Sat. Jul. 09 - Bellingham, WA - NW Tune-Up Festival Mon. Jul. 11 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Wed. Jul. 13 - Eugene, OR - Sessions Music Hall
What people have said about Wolf Parade: “A triumphant fifth full-length that stands up there with the band’s very best.” [Thin Mind] ★★★★★Record Collector
“A triumphant, full-throttle resurrection (Album of the Week, 8.5/10).” [Thin Mind] The Line of Best Fit
“Wolf Parade have carefully crafted another winning record…a solid addition to a sparkling oeuvre.” [Thin Mind] ★★★★ The Skinny
“The album brims with 80s synthesizers and 90s MIDIs. They combine with a myriad drum fills and sharp guitars for a sleek, lively listen. Whether or not the future is as dark and dire as Wolf Parade make it out to be, critically-minded works like Thin Mind will stave off a total eclipse (8.5/10).” [Thin Mind] NorthernTransmissions
“A paradoxical treat for our zombified minds.” [Thin Mind] CLASH
“An edgy, anxious-sounding, synth-drenched set, full of intriguing references… retro-futurism at its best.” [Thin Mind] UNCUT
“Wolf Parade…have created an album that manages to utterly invigorate you.” [Thin Mind] ★★★★★NARC
“Now a trio, the group has only deepened its talents and personal musical aesthetic, while their lyrical themes have taken on both a newfound maturity and optimism.” [Thin Mind] Treble Zine
“…An expansive and vigorous listen.” [Thin Mind] Loud & Quiet
“Wolf Parade has taken in and put to use a host of sounds and vibes from that powerful, past era, and yet found a way of expression that is consistently forward looking both musically and artistically (4.5/5).” [Thin Mind] The Fire Note
“Wolf Parade… has defied expectations and maintained a cohesive, distinct sound.” [Thin Mind]SF Weekly
“Wolf Parade are proof that if you hold your ground long enough, the cultural tide starts to surge back in your direction.” [Thin Mind] ★★★★ NOW
“Wolf Parade are still finding exciting ways to deconstruct the essentials of their sound.” [Thin Mind] Guitar.com
“Something of a rallying cry against our reliance on tech, Thin Mind is a short, sharp shock to the senses. You’ll be whistling its tunes all year (8/10).” [Thin Mind] Hot Press
On May 20th, Sub Pop will release the debut album from Weird Nightmare, the electrifying new project from METZ guitarist and singer Alex Edkins. Hot on the heels of the album’s debut track, “Searching For You,” and its anthemic follow-up single “Lusitania,” comes the driving, ardent “Wrecked.” Edkins says of the song, “Wrecked” is about missing someone. For me, it’s about missing my wife and son while on tour. Being away has become harder and harder to do. I think most people can relate to it. Feeling impossibly far away from the ones you love and coming to the realization that you won’t feel whole again until you return. I was really happy to collaborate with Alicia (Bognanno) on this song and I love what she adds to it. Alicia has a one in a million voice. A voice that you recognize immediately and she really lifts the song way up. Directed by Ryan Thompson, the video for “Wrecked” is a tail as old as time. When a pooch with no pack strays into the park, you know things are gonna get ruff…
As previously announced, Weird Nightmare has a clutch of North American shows, including a hometown album release show on May 21st in Toronto, ON at The Baby G. The band will also hit the road on a 7-date co-headlining tour with labelmates Kiwi Jr. Click here for a full list of shows.
Weird Nightmare S/T
1. Searching for You 2. Nibs 3. Lusitania 4. Wrecked 5. Sunday Driver 6. Darkroom 7. Dream 8. Zebra Dance 9. Oh No 10. Holding Out
