Tomorrow, Friday, March 15th, marks the release of Boeckner!, the self-titled full-length debut and solo outing from Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Operators, Divine Fits). Today, he is sharing the Poltergeist-meets-Beetlejuice-inspired official video for “Dead Tourists,” an album standout co-written by Jeremy Gaudet of labelmates Kiwi Jr. The nightmarish video was directed by Sasha Solodukhina, and stars Boeckner as a ghostly character haunted by an array of unfortunate souls.
Boeckner! is an eight-song, thirty-two-minute collection featuring the highlights “Lose,” “Euphoria,” and “Dead Tourists,” and was produced, engineered, and mixed by Randall Dunn at Circular Ruin in New York City and mastered by Heba Kadry in Brooklyn, New York.
Boeckner’s international touring in support of the album begins with a west coast leg on April 24th in Los Angeles, CA, at The Lodge Room and runs through Thursday, June 27th, with a just-announced headline show in London, UK at Oslo.
Boeckner will perform material from the new album and highlights from Operators, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits, and Wolf Parade catalogs. The band lineup for all North American dates will include Sam Brown (Operators, Divine Fits, New Bomb Turks) on drums, Alex Fischel (Spoon, Divine Fits) on keys, and Brad Laner (Medicine, Savage Republic) on guitar.
Wed. Apr. 24 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room Thu. Apr. 25 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent Sun. Apr. 28 - Portland, OR - Polaris Hall Mon. Apr. 29 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Tue. Apr. 30 - Vancouver, BC - The Pearl on Granville Wed. Jun. 05 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle Thu. Jun. 06 - Detroit, MI - El Club Fri. Jun. 07 - Toronto, ON - The Horseshoe Tavern Sat. Jun. 08 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz Mon. Jun. 10 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Wed. Jun. 12 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg Thu. Jun. 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s Fri. Jun. 14 - Washington, DC - The Atlantis Thu. Jun. 27 - London, UK - Oslo
Boeckner! is available on CD/LP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP purchases of the album from megamart.subpop.com, Mega Mart 2 (the new, UK-based sibling site to the world-famous Sub Pop Mega Mart), select independent retailers in North America and the UK and Europe, and Boeckner’s live dates will receive the limited Loser Edition on Orange vinyl. A special Jalapeno Green vinyl edition is also available from select retailers in Canada (all color vinyl options available while supplies last).
Boeckner Boeckner!
Tracklisting: 1. Lose 2. Ghost in the Mirror 3. Wrong 4. Don’t Worry Baby 5. Dead Tourists 6. Return to Life 7. Euphoria 8. Holy Is the Night
Today, February 15th, Boeckner is announcing North American headlining touring plans for Spring and Summer 2024 to support his forthcoming self-titled Sub Pop debut. He is also sharing new album highlight “Euphoria,” a song that dips into that off-kilter darkness, dashes of vibraphone tossed against woozy waves of synth. “It’s too late/ Time accelerates/ From the cradle to the grave,” Boeckner calls like some nuclear fallout Ziggy Stardust, glitching electronics dripping off the mix. The track’s percussive thrum comes courtesy of Matt Chamberlain and serves to bolster Boeckner’s potent guitar throughout the record.
Boeckner will perform material from the new album along with deep cuts and highlights from Operators, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits, and Wolf Parade catalog. The tours will also feature different lineups for the April and June dates. For the west coast shows, the live band will include Sam Brown (Operators, Divine Fits, New Bomb Turks) on drums, Alex Fischel (Spoon, Divine Fits) on keys, and Brad Laner (Medicine, Savage Republic) on guitar. The east coast band line up will be announced soon. Tickets for these shows go on sale tomorrow at 10 am (local).
Wed. Apr. 24 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room Thu. Apr. 25 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent Sun. Apr. 28 - Portland, OR - Polaris Hall Mon. Apr. 29 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Tue. Apr. 30 - Vancouver, BC - The Pearl on Granville Wed. Jun. 05 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle Thu. Jun. 06 - Detroit, MI - El Club Fri. Jun. 07 - Toronto, ON - The Horseshoe Tavern Sat. Jun. 08 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz Mon. Jun. 10 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Wed. Jun. 12 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg Thu. Jun. 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s Fri. Jun. 14 - Washington, DC - The Atlantis
Boeckner! is an eight-song, thirty-two-minute collection that includes the aforementioned “Euphoria,” “Dead Tourists,” and “Lose.”
Boeckner was produced, engineered, and mixed by Randall Dunn at Circular Ruin in New York City and mastered by Heba Kadry in Brooklyn.
Boeckner! is now available to preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders of the album from megamart.subpop.com, Mega Mart 2 (the new, UK-based sibling site to the world-famous Sub Pop Mega Mart), and select independent retailers in North America and the UK and Europe will receive the limited Loser Edition on Orange vinyl. A special Jalapeno Green vinyl edition will also be available from select retailers in Canada.
March 15th, 2024, marks the release of Boeckner!, the self-titled debut solo outing from Daniel Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Operators, Divine Fits, Handsome Furs), which will be available worldwide on CD/LP/DSPs from Sub Pop.
Boeckner! is an eight-song, thirty-two-minute collection that includes the highlights “Euphoria,” “Dead Tourists,” and its first offering, the hopeful synth rocker “Lose.”
The album was produced, engineered, and mixed by Randall Dunn at Circular Ruin in New York City and mastered by Heba Kadry in Brooklyn.
Boeckner! also features Matt Chamberlain on drums, Medicine’s Brad Laner, who assisted with vocal arrangements and added guitar flourishes throughout the record, and Jeremy Gaudet of labelmates Kiwi Jr., who co-wrote the song “Dead Tourists.”
Boeckner! is now available to preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders of the album from megamart.subpop.com, Mega Mart 2 (the new, UK-based sibling site to the world-famous Sub Pop Mega Mart), and select independent retailers in North America and the UK and Europe will receive the limited Loser Edition on Orange vinyl. A special Jalapeno Green vinyl edition will also be available from select retailers in Canada.
More on Boeckner!: Daniel Boeckner understands the grit and gravel that accumulates in the heart and that it takes an unwavering courage to crack through that clutter and burrow to the other side. And in Boeckner’s hands, that quest comes via postapocalyptic synth and guitar heroism, a rallying cry for those always coming home through the scorched clouds. Throughout his work with Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits, Operators, Atlas Strategic, and more, the iconic Canadian indie rocker recognizes that few feelings are more gratifying—more memorable, more generative, more abundant—than hope. But it takes getting the hell out of your own way. A culmination of that deep library of musical reference, Boeckner is set to release his first album under his own name: Boeckner! “I think in a lot of ways in my mind I’m still playing in a punk band in Vancouver,” Boeckner laughs. “Starting back when I was a teenager, my life in music has been trying to develop my own musical language, and this record is the beginning of presenting that.”
No matter where his genre exploration has taken him, there’s something about growing up in punk and DIY spaces that puts collaboration in Boeckner’s blood. Composed of a collection of intimately familiar elements, Boeckner! elicits the same thrill of young passion and discovery. It’s a jet-powered chase through a tech-noir cityscape—fueled by a dream and that special someone in the passenger seat. Boeckner introduces this fused language immediately with the thumping opening track and lead single “Lose.” Buoyed by the scorched space-age synths developed across two records with Operators and the fist-pumping guitar push of Wolf Parade, the song charges headlong into a new world. “Now I’m a walking phantom/ Night watch at the radar station,” Boeckner sings, as if in a race against time to keep hope alive.
That urgency and passion have always been a trademark of Boeckner’s, and writing on his own pushes those feelings further into the center of the scope. But while Boeckner may be the clear driving force behind the album, he’s not without collaborators for his solo debut. After meeting producer Randall Dunn while contributing to the soundtrack to the Nicolas Cage-starring psychedelic horror film Mandy, Boeckner knew he’d found the perfect counterpart for his solo debut. “I’d been a fan of his forever, especially the Sunn0))) records he produced,” Boeckner says. “Working with Randall really unlocked some suppressed musical urges, things that I enjoy in my private life but don’t normally weave into what I’m releasing—like occult synth, pseudo-metal, krautrock, and heavy psych influences.”
Album highlight “Euphoria” dips into that off-kilter darkness, dashes of vibraphone tossed against woozy waves of synth. “It’s too late/ Time accelerates/ From the cradle to the grave,” Boeckner calls like some nuclear fallout Ziggy Stardust, glitching electronics dripping off the mix. The track’s percussive thrum comes courtesy of Matt Chamberlain—whose credits include work with Bowie and Fiona Apple, not to mention a stint as drummer for Pearl Jam—and serves to bolster Boeckner’s potent guitar throughout the record.
That solid base allows Boeckner to thoughtfully weave between emotional imagism and more grounded storytelling. Throughout the record, his imagery delves into science fiction, but it’s charged first and foremost by experience. “With the exception of early Wolf Parade, I’ve always tried to put myself into a fictional mindset, but with this record, I was tapping into something raw and personal,” he explains. As a prime example, the desperate reach of “Euphoria” is felt in every line, pushed to its titular state only through some unhealthy choices, the gloom drawing near.
The trio of Boeckner, Dunn, and Chamberlain formed a sort of dark engine for the album, and Chamberlain’s ingenious approach of triggering a vintage Arp synthesizer simultaneously with each drum track helped Boeckner shape the record’s atmosphere. That layered shadow colors the acoustic-tinged haze of “Dead Tourists,” a song littered with bad omens—steel-eyed cattle, bodies lined on church pews, overturned luxury cars. That tense futurism was influenced by Boeckner’s time staying in Dunn’s Circular Ruin studio, a dusky, electronic aura singed into every track…He often found himself falling asleep under the synth rack in a sleeping bag, looking up through a tiny skylight at the Brooklyn lights, the faint thump of Daniel Lopatin recording his latest Oneohtrix Point Never record next door coming through the wall.
In addition to tapping into his own rock roots, Boeckner brought in one of his personal guitar heroes. “As a teenager, I imported cassettes of Medicine’s flawless shoegaze noise records, and I absolutely loved Brad Laner’s sandblasting, Chernobyl guitar,” he says. And while Boeckner first reached out hoping Laner would contribute to one track, the Medicine guitarist wound up adding guitar layers throughout the album, as well as helping arrange vocal harmonies. The haunted, wordless choir on “Don’t Worry Baby” stand especially tall in that regard, Laner delivering Boeckner’s writing through his trademark Medicine guitar ravage.
“This record is like an autobiography—Atlas Strategic music concrete synth explosions, lush synth stuff from Operators, the noise guitar from Handsome Furs, drawing influence from everything from Stockhausen to Tom Waits all at the same time,” Boeckner says. And as the record fades away on the low-slung “Holy is the Night,” the mutated skyline fades away, replaced by blue skies “after the plague.” No longer a sci-fi epic, Boeckner! eases into something more akin to a torched VHS copy of a John Cassevetes film, the chemtrails and nuclear fallout fading long in the distance. “How much pain can we deliver before the sunrise, baby/ Holy is the night we can get some peace,” he sighs. “How much blood can this world want from you and me together?” Like all good sci-fi, the emotion and pain hits home for the author and listener alike, and genre flourishes there to bolster the human experience. And in revealing more than ever before, Boeckner! both ratchets up the musical intensity to unforeseen levels and hopes to find some peace at the end of the journey.
Boeckner is Daniel Boeckner, the multi-disciplinary artist, songwriter, musician, producer, and member of several great bands you may know, including Wolf Parade, Operators, Divine Fits, and Handsome Furs. Last night, in an interview with Chris Wade of Chapo Trap House, he announced signing to Sub Pop Records to release music for the label in early 2024 (see interview Wednesday, November 8th).
Boeckner’s last recorded output was Wolf Parade’s Thin Mind, the group’s fifth effort, from February 2020. Since the release of that album, he’s worked as a producer (labelmates Kiwi Jr’s stellar third record, Chopper), as a touring member of the Arcade Fire, and dived further into his work in the podcasting space as a co-host for The Bottlemen and Fortune Kit podcasts. Boeckner has also relocated to New Orleans, where he is currently putting the finishing touches on his full-length Sub Pop debut.
Label cofounder Poneman says of the signing, “Welcoming Dan to the Sub Pop family is always a thrill.”
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
Today, Monday, August 9th marks the release of Washed Out’s “Sidney’s Lullaby” b/w “Miles’ Lullaby” and Porridge Radio’s cover of Wolf Parade’s “You Are A Runner And I Am My Fathers Son,” available now on all DSPs.
The songs are from their contributions to the Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 6, which continues Sub Pop’s limited-edition, subscription-only 7” vinyl singles. While the vinyl editions are only available to Singles Club subscribers – which you can become via the Sub Pop Mega Mart! – the music can now be heard on all digital music services. If you want the 7”s, hurry up and subscribe, as the 1,000 available subscriptions are nearly sold-out.
For Washed Out’s (aka Ernest Greene) contribution, he recorded two very sweet, ambient lullabies named for his sons, Sidney and Miles. He offers this on the recording, “For me, the process of writing a traditional song (with verses, choruses, etc.) can be a very time-consuming practice. There is always an initial feeling of excitement upon discovering an interesting chord progression or melody, but the nuts and bolts of actually seeing the song through until the end can be quite maddening.
“I love to offset this way of working by improvising short instrumental sketches simply for the fun of creating and I feel like this material often has a purity and spontaneity that is often missing in my more “produced” work.
“Much like every other musician who was forced to stop touring because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I spent a lot of time at home and because of quarantine measures spent more time with my two young children than I ever have before. As any parent can tell you, it is an amazing experience seeing them discover the world around them and their minds are so pure, honest, and open. I thought these two instrumental sketches had a sweetness and playfulness about them that characterized certain aspects of their development during this time. I tried to capture both of their unique spirits but also the tenderness I feel for them as their father.
“Perhaps these songs might come across as too personal or sentimental - like sharing an intimate family photograph with a stranger. However, I hope that listeners might think back to their own childhoods and how it felt to have such an innocent view of the world around you.”
Washed Out recently announced a headlining North American tour for late winter 2022. For up to date information on tickets please visit https://washedout.net/Tour.
Porridge Radio’s cover of “You Are A Runner…,” the Wolf Parade fan favorite, is the A-side to their contribution to Sub Pop Singles Club (and follows the release of their cover of The Shins’ “New Slang,” its B-side, late last month). Porridge Radio’s Dana Margolin had this to say, “Sub Pop are a label I’ve loved for a long time, and when they asked if we wanted to release some songs with them this summer, I looked through their back catalog and chose 2 songs to cover that had a big impact on me as a teenager.”
Beginning as Margolin’s sadcore bedroom project, Porridge Radio developed into an idiosyncratic post-punk 4-piece after she moved to Brighton and met her future bandmates. They inelegantly knot together Margolin’s vicious, furious emotional outpourings with beautiful pop melodies. After a series of demos, and the growing legend of their intense live shows, their lofty debut Rice, Pasta and Other Fillers came out via Memorials of Distinction in 2016, documenting struggles with life, love and boredom, and showcases the scrapbook absurdism at Porridge Radio’s core.
The band’s 2020 Secretly Canadian debut, Every Bad, is a culmination of what has been in their head for some time. Every Bad arrived full of grand, sweeping ambition – with vocals so urgent that it often feels like it is moved by compulsion rather than choice, with all the rawness of early Karen O, and influences as disparate as Charli XCX and The Cranberries. After receiving wide critical acclaim across the board, Every Bad was shortlisted as one of the Hyundai Mercury Prize’s albums of 2020.
Porridge Radio’s updated international tour schedule now runs August 2021 through June 2022. Please visit the band’s tour dates page for more info. https://porridgeradio.com/tour
