Detroit’s mighty Protomartyr are back with their first album in three years. It’s titled Hotel Usona and will be out September 25 via Domino. They made it with producer David Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, MGMT) at his Tarbox Road Studios in western New York. Preorder it on gold vinyl in the BV Shop.
The bio for the album from Domino was written by another son of Motor City, Iggy Pop. “I’ve been listening to these guys for quite a while now and I get the feeling that they are a slow growth item, something that is gaining followers, listeners, and respect little by little, over the long haul,” Iggy sas. “There’s a lot of content here. The four of them can shift rhythms and harmonics very, very smoothly in a way that seems effortless. It’s the mark of fine arts in a popular group.” Read the whole bio below.
The first single from Hotel Usona is “Sounds We Cannot Hear” which has Protomartyr’s signature sound augmented with horns, tubular bells, xylophone, and more, with Casey’s lyrics setting a dark tone from the start: “Another 81 dead since dawn / Spiders crawling ‘cross the ceiling.” It’s big, it’s new for the group, but still 100% Protomartyr. The video, a disquieting psychological thriller set at a hibachi restaurant, was directed by Danny Scharar & Harris Mayersohn and features comedian and actor Nate Varrone (Maddie’s Secret). Watch below.
Protomartyr will be on tour this fall, with Accessory (West Coast) and J.R.C.G. (Midwest, East Coast). The NYC show is at Webster Hall on November 12. All dates are listed below.
Hotel Usona
1. The Old Hotel
2. Sounds We Cannot Hear
3. Converts
4. Exalted Eagles
5. The Knife Dream
6. Feed the Sewer
7. Lavender – Gospel
8. Third Country
9. Checking Out
IGGY POP ON PROTOMARTYR / HOTEL USONA:
What is a Protomartyr? I don’t really know, but I imagine it may refer to an earthly being who wants a little more than the usual shit out of life. A person or persons who want to be part of something beautiful and interesting, with the understanding that you may pay a price for that, and that others who come after will have an easier time. Kind of like Jesus.
So then there is Protomartyr the band. Four guys who are very, very skilled musicians and creators who I suspect would be totally fucked without the intervention of their talents, which are considerable. They are, to put it crudely, a kind of rock band out of Detroit. That’s a subject I know something about. And they’ve made a new album. It is highly themed and symphonic in its reach. I could call it a kind of drive-through Sgt. Peppers, but that would miss the mark. This record is Wagnerian, it reminds me very much of the Opera Tristan and Isolde (by Richard Wagner). Musically, it sounds modal, and kind of chromatic, like I imagine Celtic war horns might sound in some forgotten battle. The singer, Joe Casey, is blessed with a beautiful voice that you want to listen to, but he stays perverse enough to keep things interesting when he wants to get petulant or a little bitchy.
One of my favorite moments on the record is when he simply announces, all alone, “We got a bad review.” Which presides a furious outpouring from the entire group. Wow! I wish I thought of that! And in today’s world, how relatable! Who hasn’t gotten a bad review? Plumbers, shoe salesmen, etc etc etc. right up to Influencers. All is reviewed… I’m trying hard not to let this attempt at biography turn into a review, but hey, I’ve been listening to these guys for quite a while now and I get the feeling that they are a slow growth item, something that is gaining followers, listeners, and respect little by little, over the long haul. There’s a lot of content here. The four of them can shift rhythms and harmonics very, very smoothly in a way that seems effortless. It’s the mark of fine arts in a popular group.
Protomartyr Tour Dates:
Mon. Oct. 19 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom *
Tue. Oct. 20 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah *
Thu. Oct. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Regent *
Fri. Oct. 23 – San Jose, CA @ the Ritz *
Sat. Oct. 24 – San Francisco, CA @ August Hall *
Tue. Oct. 27 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
Wed. Oct. 28 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl *
Thu. Oct. 29 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin *
Sat. Oct. 31 – Austin, TX @ Far Out Lounge ^
Sat. Nov. 7 – Toronto, ON @ Concert Hall #
Sun. Nov. 8 – Montreal, QC @ Les Foufounes Électriques #
Tue. Nov. 10 – Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom #
Wed. Nov. 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
Thu. Nov. 12 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall #
Fri. Nov. 13 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat #
Sat. Nov. 14 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle #
Sun. Nov. 15 – Asheville, NC @ Eulogy #
Tue. Nov. 17 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East #
Wed. Nov. 18 – St. Louis, MO @ Duck Room #
Thu. Nov. 19 – Chicago @ Metro #
Fri. Dec. 4 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic
Thu. Feb. 11 – Leeds, UK @ Irish Center
Fri. Feb. 12 – Glasgow, UK @ The Garage
Sat. Feb. 13 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
Mon. Feb. 15 – Bristol, UK @ The Lantern
Tue. Feb. 16 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton
Thu. Feb. 18 – Lille, FR @ L’Aeronef
Fri. Feb. 19 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
Sat. Feb. 20 – Brussels, BE @ Le Botanique
Mon. Feb. 22 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Tue. Feb. 23 – Hamburg, DE @ Bahnhof Pauli
Wed. Feb. 24 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset
Fri. Feb. 26 – Berlin, DE @ Bi Nuu Club
Sat. Feb. 27 – Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz
Sun. Feb. 28 – Prague, CZ @ Meet Factory
* w/ Accessory
^ w/ the Jesus and Mary Chain
# w/ J.R.C.G