Japanese noise rock legends Melt-Banana have announced their eighth album and first in 11 years, 3+5, due August 23 via the band’s own A-Zap Records (pre-order). The album bio was penned by the BBC’s Olli Siebelt, and it reads in part:
The album showcases the duo’s visionary musical approach and extraordinary abilities as performers: Yasuko Onuki’s giddy, hyperactive vocalizing and Ichiro Agata’s glitchy, cyberpunk guitar, delivered at dizzying speed, bathed in aggressive electronic sounds. Their aesthetic approach is exultantly experimental, fusing diverse genres imbued with chaotic energy. As on their previous works, the music on 3+5 is unpredictable, always filled with surprises and excitement.
3+5 synthesizes elements of a variety of extreme musics, hyper-pop, classic punk, vintage metal, and noise. It partakes of Japanese culture overall, especially the subcultures of gaming, anime and underground music.
No song is out yet, but there’s an album trailer that gives you a small taste of the noise. Check it out below.
Melt-Banana also just began a North American tour this week, including a Brooklyn show on June 5 at Elsewhere Hall with The Flying Luttenbachers, Tomato Flower, and babybaby_explores. All dates are listed below.
Tracklist
1 Code
2 Puzzle
3 Case D
4 Stopgap
5 Scar
6 Flipside
7 Hex
8 Whisperer
9 Seeds
Melt-Banana — 2024 Tour Dates
May 23 – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA (%)
May 24 – Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR (%)
May 25 – Neurolux – Boise, ID (#. %)
May 26 – Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT (%)
May 27 – Meow Wolf – Denver, CO (%)
May 29 – xBk Live – Des Moines, IA (%)
May 30 – Fine Line Music Hall – Minneapolis, MN ($,%)
May 31 – High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI ($,%)
June 01 – Battom Lounge – Chicago, IL ($, #, %)
June 02 – Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH T$, %)
June 04 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA (5. %)
June 05 – Elsewhere Hall – Brooklyn, NY ($.%)
June: 06 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA ($. %)
June 07 – Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD (%: %)
June 08 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VA (%)
June 09 – Eulogy – Asheville, NC (%)
June 10 – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA (%)
June 12 – Chelsea’s Live – Baton Rouge, LA (%)
June 13 – White Oak Music Hall Upstairs – Houston. TX (%)
June 14 – Deep Ellum Art Co. – Dallas, TX (%)
June 15 – Empire Control Room – Austin, TX (%)
June 18 – Meow Wolf – Santa Fe, NM (%)
June 19 – The Rebel Lounge – Phoenix, AZ (%, +)
June 20 – Music Box – San Diego, CA (%, +)
June 21 – El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA (%, +)
June 22 – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA (%)
% w/ BABYBABY_EPLORES
$ w/ THE FLYING LUTTENBACHERS
+ w/ SQUIDPISSER