The Soft Moon Shares New Single & Video "It Kills", Announced Spring 2018 Tour Dates, Criminal Out February 2nd on Sacred Bones

Last month The Soft Moon - aka Luis Vasquez - announced his signing to Sacred Bones and his fourth studio album Criminaldue for release February 2nd. With the announcement he shared the heavy-hitting single “Burn” and today he returns with another cut from the album, “It Kills.” This latest single, accompanied by a Kelsey Henderson-directed video, trades some of the industrial menace of ”'Burn” for the shimmering melodies of post-punk, yet retains the dark edge that permeates all of Criminal.

Speaking on the track, Vasquez says; “'It Kills' represents my constant struggle with making the same mistakes in order to feed my desires. A continual battle with the conscience. Some inspiration comes from a quote by William Blake: 'Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.'”

LISTEN TO & WATCH THE SOFT MOON - “IT KILLS” HERE:
https://youtu.be/0gsXdT7mjoI

The Soft Moon also announces his 2018 tour dates, including a month-long North American run with Boy Harsher. See those dates below.

EU TOUR DATES:
02/02 - Baden, CH - One of a Million Festival
02/03 - Marghera, IT - C.S. Rivolta
02/06 - Copenhagen, DK - Pumpehuset
02/07 - Gothenburg, SE - Pustervik
02/08 - Stockholm, SE - Slaktkyrkan
02/09 - Oslo, NO - Bla
02/11 - Berlin, DE - Urban Spree
02/12 - Berlin, DE - Urban Spree
02/14 Paris, FR - Le Trabendo
02/15 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Noord
02/16 - London, UK - The Dome
02/17 - Brussels, BE - Orangerie (Botanique)
02/18 - Luxembourg, LU - De Gudde Wëllen
02/20 - Yverdon Les Bains, CH - L’Amalgame
02/21 - Milan, IT - Magnolia
02/22 - Rome, IT - Monk
02/23 - Napoli, IT - Lanificio
02/24 - Bologna, IT - Covo
03/07 - Munich, DE - Kranhalle
03/08 - Leipzig, DE - UT Connewitz
03/09 - Hamburg, DE - Hafenklang
03/10 - Cologne, DE - Gebaude 9
03/11 - Saarbrucken, DE - Garage Club
03/13 - Nijmegen, NL - Doomroosje
03/14 - Lille, FR - Les Paradis Artificiels
03/15 - Nantes, FR - Stereolux
03/16 - Lyon, FR - Epicerie Moderne


NA TOUR DATES:
03/27 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s *
03/28 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *
03/29 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount
03/30 - Toronto, ON - Longboat Hall *
03/31 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle *
04/02 - Saint Paul, MN - Turf Club *
04/04 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge *
04/06 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
04/07 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
04/08 - Vancouver, BC - The Cobalt *
04/11 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
04/13 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
04/14 - San Diego, CA - Casbah *
04/16 - Las Vegas, NV - The Bunkhouse *
04/17 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar *
04/19 - Dallas, TX - Three Links *
04/20 - Austin, TX - Barracuda *
04/21 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger *
04/22 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa *
04/24 - Gainesville, FL - The Wooly *
04/25 - Miami, FL - Gramps *
04/26 - Tampa, FL - The Crowbar
04/27 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5 *
04/28 - Asheville, NC - The Mothlight *
04/29 - Washington, DC - DC9 *

* w/ Boy Harsher

Criminal, The Soft Moon's fourth studio album, is a confessional work. Through the stark lens of shame and guilt that has followed Luis Vasquez since a violent childhood growing up within the humming ambient sprawl of 80s Mojave Desert, here he documents the gut-wrenching sound of going to war with himself. Battling with his own sanity, self-hatred, insecurity, self-entitlement and grappling with the risk of these things transforming him into a person he despises, Vasquez has laid his feelings bare with this: his confession and most self-reflective work to date.

“Guilt is my biggest demon and has been following me since childhood. Everything I do strengthens the narrative that I am guilty” Vasquez reflects. “The concept of ‘Criminal’ is a desperate attempt to find relief by both confessing to my wrongdoings and by blaming others for their wrongdoings that have affected me.”

Criminal marks a striking and important chapter in his self-exploration, both artistically and emotionally. As a young musician living in Oakland, Vasquez began to try and process the narrative of his difficult upbringing veiled through musical exploration. Taking krautrock's motorik beats and Post-Punk deconstructions and honing them into a hushed percussive incantation, The Soft Moon's self-titled debut album took shape. The album was released in late 2010 by Captured Tracks and was praised by critics and emulated by contemporaries.

In 2012 the apocalyptic conceptual work of Zeros emerged, shortly followed by Vasquez moving to Venice, Italy in 2013, acting as a catalyst for 2014’s release, Deeper. While previous albums were primarily instrumental records, where Vasquez’s voice was diffused amidst the music as another instrument, Deeper marked the beginning of a new musical direction where vocals and lyrics became something more than a mere presence. Deeper was a descent into the womb of childhood trauma, anxiety and fear, and although Vasquez survived this dark exploration of himself, he did not return alone.

Working once more with Maurizio Baggio, who produced Deeper, at La Distilleria in Bassano Del Grappa, Italy, Criminal sees Vasquez further explore putting his lyrics at the forefront and letting his raw emotions flow. The album begins with a confrontation with his true self through the torrid bass lines and searing vocals of “Burn”; a song evoking a loss of control akin to demonic possession, stating: “Eyes, reflecting the person that I am, and it burns”. In this track Vasquez's guilt bores deeper and deeper into a condemnation that ultimately is: “Fire, hell is where I'll go to live, so I burn”.

“Burn” is followed by the caustic bass, mechanized rhythms, and numbing emulsions of “Choke,” a song about the amplifying and anesthetizing effect of cocaine, a drug whose darker side Vasquez is not unfamiliar with. The next track “Give Something” is a subterranean love song from the deepest depths, with harrowingly despondent lyrics, seeking hope in a sea of shame.

The album continues its thematic inner conflict in the Industrial/EBM percussion and distorted high attack bass of “Like a Father”, a song reflecting Vasquez's anger towards the father that abandoned him. “This head is a problem/You're the ghost of my problem/Something's got to give” pleads Vasquez as revving guitars invoke chainsaws before the song’s final lines search for closure: to kill the father within himself.

The album closes with title track “Criminal”; a despondent resignation to guilt; bereft, broken, and bruised, with lyrics that confess: “It's the way I cross the line, it's the way I open, it's the way to my decline, it's the way I'm broken”. The song, like the album itself, is Vasquez's way of holding himself accountable and seeking redemption for the abuse he inflicts on himself, and acknowledges roots in the abuse which, inflicted upon him as a child, broke him.

Bonobo Receives Grammy Nominations For Best Dance Recording and Best Dance/Electronic Album

Rounding off a phenomenal year, Bonobo has received two Grammy nominations for Best Dance/Electronic Album for Migration and for Best Dance/Electronic Recording for 'Bambro Koyo Ganda (feat. Innov Gnawa)'.

WATCH: Bonobo – “Bambro Koyo Ganda (feat. Innov Gnawa)” Video

Acclaimed in publications ranging from the Guardian, Pitchfork to i-D, Migration, released early 2017 on Ninja Tune, peaked at #1 on the iTunes Electronic Album charts in over 50 territories and hit #1 on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic albums, proving itself a touchstone for both Bonobo’s career and for an audience looking for substance and emotion from the music they listen to. Perhaps more than any other tune on the album, ‘BambroKoyo Ganda’ sonically embodies the album - a journey through cultural and locational displacement and the strange familiarity that inevitably surfaces out of transient life, featuring Moroccan by-way-of New York City band Innov Gnawa.

Following multiple sold out global live tours, headline festivals slots at Wilderness, Manchester International Festival and the 6Music Festival in Glasgow, a main stage performance at Coachella and further appearances at Citadel, Melt, Roskilde and Fuji Rock, Bonobo recently announced two triumphant homecoming shows at Alexandra Palace in London on 31st May(Jordan Rakei support) and 1st June 2018 (Gogo Penguin support, now sold out).

Tickets: https://bonobo.lnk.to/AllyPallyy

“Migration is the most sophisticated effort of his career.” - Pitchfork 

“Migration is as broad-stroked and genre-defiant as ever.”  - Vogue

“A music-making masterclass.” - Mixmag (Front Cover Feature)

Panda Bear Announces New Vinyl Only Release 'A Day With The Homies' | Out January 12th via Domino

Domino is excited to share news of the forthcoming 12" EP from Panda Bear, entitled A Day With The Homies, to be released on January 12, 2018.

The limited 12" is now available to pre-order at the Animal Collective store. It is also available to pre-order at these select retailers and will be available physically in-stores on January 12, 2018.

PRE-ORDER HERE.

Panda Bear a.k.a. Noah Lennox on A Day With The Homies:

"It's been my perception that these things tend to homogenize experience so I hope you’ll forgive me if I don't outline, in any specific way, the many choices involved in its creation. I appreciate your role as filter or translator, and by withholding my own blueprints for the album, I mean to encourage and cultivate your part in its trip.

The songs aren't lyrically linear or narrative as such, though I did scatter pieces of longer-chewed themes across the tracks. I find they still work satisfactorily alone, but strengthen each other's messages when combined.

I hoped to make something without frills or much embellishment, principally because I've found more fluff tends to equal less power. Since the juiciest action is entirely focused in the deeper zones of the frequency spectrum (at least from where I’ve sat), power was key.

It's not often anymore I find something specific to my life that feels worthwhile setting to song for others to consume. It's a tough sell convincing myself that my own troubles warrant as much attention as those we all share. The strokes of the messages themselves are broad enough, then, that I think anybody can find a familiar face, if they care to look.

The lion's share of the noise is centered, or nearly, so both speakers get a taste. This is another nod towards power, but it also means HOMIES doesn't work in the same way through headphones as it does out in the air.

My greatest hope with this stuff is for it to live like my favorite songs do, which is to say like comforts or companions. Thank you very much for listening and I hope A Day With the Homies can mean something to you."

A Day With The Homies 12” EP tracklisting

Side A

A1. Flight

A2. Part of the Math

Side B

B1. Shepard Tone

B2. Nod to the Folks

B3. Sunset

Huoratron's 'XXVI Crimes of Love' To Be Released 12/8 on Last Gang Records

Earlier this year, Huoratron – aka Finnish producer Aku Raski – announced his sophomore album, XXVI Crimes of Love, the follow up to his 2012 debut Cryptocracy. Today he announces it's due for release December 8th on Last Gang Records. Pre-order is available this Friday, November 24th.

To comprehend what's in store with this album, turn to Raski's description of lead single "Mortality Salience." The producer says it "showcases my current interests in dance music of late, dirty, rough and not watered down with intellect. Void of neon edam and happy places." More simply put, he calls it a "theme to forget your looming demise to."

If that doesn’t lure you in, listen to the equally cataclysmic single "Autocannibalism," described by Raski as "the sound of humanity devouring itself limb by limb." 

(XXVI Crimes of Love album artwork)

More about Huoratron:

The music of Huoratron is so driven, anyone can embrace it.

This is something to remind you of music's ability to shake you up, get you off your ass, and... well, frankly, to punish. And yet, while you're taking Huoratron's beat-battering, you find yourself smiling. It's a cathartic musical assault. There'll be blood, sweat and tears, but at the end of it all you'll feel like a better person.

Finally, someone who doesn't think his vision needs to be watered down for people to get it. People do get it. But how does Huoratron get both hardcore punks and hipsters to line up for hugs after soul purging gigs? Sure, they're won over by his zero tolerance to compromise, but there’s more. The man behind the moniker, Aku Raski, has a multitude of forces working within him. On one hand he is an intuitive artist and composer, an alchemist of the esoteric art of sound. On the other hand he is a scientist, who crafts sounds and beats with the care of a 17th century violin maker. And he is also a performer — a bearded showman who moshes his way into the hearts of his audiences.

Huoratron was formed as a dogmatic underground art concept: he took limited technology – Nintendo Gameboys – and forced the gadgets to spit out a distorted wall of sound like no one had done before. The equipment has evolved in a logical progression with the music ever since, and helped lead to Huoratron's debut album, Cryptocracy and his forthcoming album XXVI Crimes of Love.  It serves up refined dynamics of aggression, its nuances adding to the impact. And, like it's been from the beginning, the music is defined by a fearless attitude, a disrespect of the rules and a dedication to the cause.

With Huoratron you get the whole package. One man executing one vision with total control of his medium. And the secret ingredient? It has to come from the disarming charm and presence of the man behind it all. He makes it all human. 

Huoratron Twitter

Huoratron Facebook 

Huoratron Soundcloud

Huoratron Instagram

About Last Gang:

Last Gang is a music company founded in 2003 and credited with launching the careers of Metric, Death From Above 1979, MSTRKRFT and Crystal Castles. The company is also well known for its work with Arkells, Ryan Hemsworth, Purity Ring, Lights, and Chromeo. Last Gang is an Entertainment One company. http://www.lastgang.com/ /https://www.entertainmentone.com/

Entertainment One Music is home to Dualtone, Death Row, and Light Records releasing some of the most popular music in the world including The Lumineers, The Game and Lalah Hathaway.

Young Fathers: Watch Powerful New Video from Mercury Prize-Winning Group

Young Fathers recently announced the completion of a new album, set for release on Ninja Tune in 2018. The UK-based trio and 2014 Mercury Prize winners also recently released their latest track “LORD” last month and, today, released the video for the song, directed by Rianne White.

Watch the “LORD” video now HERE

Speaking about the “LORD” video, Young Fathers’ Alloysious Massaquoi states, “For me, the video stemmed from... Like how do you describe an emotion, clearly and precisely when you’re completely immersed in it all? An act of internal withdrawal from the outside world, when all you need from the outside world is for someone, anyone, to show they care.” Graham ‘G’ Hastings adds, “Kayus brought a rocking horse into the studio one day. God knows why. After we wrote the song, Ally sat on it, took his top off and started riding majestic. Then we thought, ‘Why not?’”

Young Fathers will perform a run of UK and EU dates throughout March and April 2018 including their biggest headline show to-date, at London’s 3000-capacity Roundhouse on March 21. Tickets for all dates are on sale now, with full details available via http://www.young-fathers.com.

YOUNG FATHERS LIVE 2018

03/20/18 Birmingham, UK - O2 Institute 2

03/21/18 London, UK - Roundhouse

03/22/18 Bristol, UK - Trinity Centre

03/23/18 Manchester, UK - O2 Ritz

03/24/18 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland Ballroom

03/28/18 Dublin, Ireland - Academy

04/06/18 Brussels, Belgium - AB Box

04/07/18 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso Noord

04/09/18 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theatre

04/10/18 Prague, Czech Republic - MeetFactory o.p.s

04/11/18 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote Fabrik

04/12/18 Paris, France - La Badaboum

Official Site / Spotify / Apple Music / Facebook / Twitter / Soundcloud

ABOUT YOUNG FATHERS

They are: ‘G’ Hastings, from Edinburgh, Alloysious Massaquoi, originally from Liberia via Ghana and KayusBankole, born in Edinburgh to Nigerian parents but partially raised in Maryland, USA. Their live shows are complimented by Steven Morrison on drums.

The group formed after meeting at an under-16s hiphop night at the infamous Bongo Club in Edinburgh when they were all in their teens. Almost immediately they started writing and recording together, initially on an old karaoke machine plugged into a cheap cassette recorder at G’s parents house.

In 2011, they set about recording a mixtape TAPE ONE in just over a week, finishing a track a day and having it available for download within two weeks of recording. They quickly followed this up with TAPE TWO, which was written and recorded in a similar fashion. Los Angeles based label, Anticon, discovered them online and within a few months had signed them for a short deal that saw both TAPEs officially released in 2013.

The group, meanwhile, continued to tour, gathering an impressive reputation as a formidable live act. They played all over Europe and made their U.S. debut at SXSW in March 2013.

Following support from the BBC’s Zane Lowe and Lauren Laverne, and an appearance on, Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2014, TAPE TWO won Scottish Album Of The Year (‘The SAY Award’), while their next album, DEAD, received the highly prestigious Mercury Prize for best album of 2014.

Immediately after winning the Mercury Prize, Young Fathers travelled to Berlin where they continued making a new album in a freezing basement in a building near the railway yards. Returning to the more familiar (and warmer) basement studio in Edinburgh to finish their critically album White Men Are Black Men Too, which was released in April 2015 to widespread acclaim.

Young Fathers toured extensively in 2015, playing the UK, large swathes of Europe and did a six week stint in the USA.

In 2016, they played at Coachella among other festivals, and were invited to support Massive Attack on their UK and European tour after working together on Massive Attack’s single “Voodoo In My Blood”, which was released in January 2016.

Earlier this year, Young Fathers wrote the song “Only God Knows” for the film T2 Trainspotting, where they had a total of six songs featured in the film and soundtrack. Director Danny Boyle noted, “Their songs are my heartbeat for the film. And ‘Only God Knows’ is that rush again. The ocean. The heart.”

Young Fathers has just finished recording a new album.