NYC industrial rock band Uniform have announced their fifth studio album, American Standard, which will be out August 23 via Sacred Bones. They’ve also announced a NYC release show and West Coast dates which are listed below.
“Although our new record is best experienced as one cohesive piece, it isn’t exactly ‘Dopesmoker’,” says vocalist Michael Berdan about the new album, which features four lengthy, cohesive tracks that deal directly with themes of self destruction and his struggles with bulimia nervosa. “The songs on American Standard feed into an overarching narrative with the goal of retaining their own individual identities.”
Adds co-founder Ben Greenberg, “When we started this record, Berdan told me: ‘I trust you to come up with a solid foundation for this, however you envision this thing. I want you to realize it completely, because I believe in you.’ So I wanted to write something overwhelming and all-encompassing for Berdan to lead his narrative through… because I trust and believe in him.”
The band have shared the pummelling “This is Not a Prayer” which you can listen to now. Berdan says: “Existing in the netherworld between Public Image Ltd. and Butthole Surfers, ‘This Is Not A Prayer’ best exemplifies the bludgeoning percussive interplay between dual drummers Michael Sharp and Michael Blume. Similar to bands like Swans or even Meshuggah, the guitar, bass, and vocals on this track act in complete service to what’s happening on the kits. The song is as purely rhythmic as we’ve ever dared to attempt, and we hope that these beats will take you where you need to go. Drums should serve as lead instruments in extreme music more often, but I digress.”
Berdan also says “This Is Not A Prayer” touches on “the internal paradox that I’ve experienced while in the throes of an eating disorder. It’s about how the best I’ve ever felt about my physical appearance came when the people I love have told me that I look sick. Rather than taking their concerns to heart, I internalized these sentiments as proof that I was on the right track. I was not.”
Listen below.
Uniform will celebrate American Standard’s release on August 30 at Bowery Ballroom, with Poison Ruïn also on the bill. West Coast dates are in September with World Peace. Check out their schedule below.
American Standard:
1 – American Standard
2 – This Is Not A Prayer
3 – Clemency
4 – Permanent Embrace
Uniform Live Dates:
Aug 30: New York City, NY – Bowery Ballroom (Record Release Show) !
Sep 03: Landers, CA – Giant Rock
Sep 04: Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon #
Sep 05: San Francisco, CA – Thee Parkside #
Sep 06: Eugene, OR – John Henry’s #
Sep 07: Seattle, WA – Black Lodge #
Sep 08: Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios #
Sep 09: Vancouver, BC – The Pearl #
Sep 10: Tacoma, WA – Elks Temple #
! w/ Poison Ruin and LEYA
# w/ World Peace