Unknown Mortal Orchestra — a.k.a. the band your mom is always getting confused with Electric Light Orchestra and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark — have finally announced their rival to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and you’ll never guess what they put at the top: Sex & Food!
Coincidentally, that’s also the name of their new album, which is out April 6 on Jagjaguwar.
UMO skipper Ruban Nielson, between filling my Twitter feed with topical and incisive quips of a droll nature, somehow found the time to record the album in studios around the world, from Seoul to Reykjavik to Mexico City like some kind of electric guitar-wielding Carmen Sandiego for our times. The record is said to investigate “real-deal serious themes such as ‘What are we consuming? How is it affecting us, and why does everything feel so bad and weird sometimes?’ through a vibrant sonic lens that spans battered drum-machine funk, doomy and thrashing rock, and pink-hued psychedelic disco.” C’mon, tell me more about those hues, PR people!
UMO’s wild globetrotting adventure (which I’m currently pitching to Paramount) culminated in the release of the psych-rock-rippin’ jam “American Guilt” last month, which now has a new animated video directed by Greg Sharp and produced by Truba Animation. Watch it below, and get those shreddin’ fingers ready! (Mostly because you need to actually click the embed to get it to start playing.)
Oh yeah! There’s also new album art, a tracklisting, and a whole mortal orchestra’s worth of world tour dates, all of which you can find somewhere in this article if you look hard enough (and believe!). Also, you may need this pre-order link because I’m pretty sure Googling “buy sex and food” will get you put on some kind of watchlist. (That’s right; you’re not the only funny one, Ruban!)
Sex & Food tracklisting:
01. A God Called Hubris
02. Major League Chemicals
03. Ministry of Alienation
04. Hunnybee
05. Chronos Feasts on His Children
06. American Guilt
07. The Internet of Love (That Way)
08. Everyone Acts Crazy Nowadays
09. This Doomsday
10. How Many Zeros
11. Not in Love We’re Just High
12. If You’re Going to Break Yourself
UMO Do The Western Hemisphere:
04.22.18 - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street w/ Makeness
04.23.18 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall w/ Makeness
04.25.18 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel w/ Makeness
04.26.18 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel w/ Makeness
04.27.18 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club w/ Makeness
04.28.18 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer w/ Makeness
04.30.18 - Boston, MA - Royale w/ Makeness
05.01.18 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre w/ Makeness
05.02.18 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall w/ Makeness
05.03.18 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre w/ Makeness
05.04.18 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue w/ Makeness
05.07.18 - Seattle, WA - The Moore Theatre w/ Makeness
05.08.18 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom w/ Makeness
05.09.18 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater w/ Makeness
05.10.18 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater w/ Makeness
05.11.18 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern w/ Makeness
05.12.18 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy and Harriet’s w/ Makeness
05.18.18 - Hamburg, Germany - Uebel & Gefährlich w/ Makeness
05.19.18 - Berlin, Germany - Kesselhaus w/ Makeness
05.20.18 - Heidelberg, Germany - Karlstorbahnhof w/ Makeness
05.21.18 - Düsseldorf, Germany - zakk w/ Makeness
05.22.18 - Paris, France - La Gaîté Lyrique w/ Makeness
05.24.18 - London, United Kingdom - Roundhouse w/ Makeness
05.25.18 - Bristol, United Kingdom - SWX w/ Makeness
05.26.18 - Manchester, United Kingdom - Strange Waves
05.27.18 - Leeds, United Kingdom - World Island
05.28.18 - Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique w/ Makeness
06.10.18 - Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands - Best Kept Secret Festival
07.06.18 - Richmond, VA - The National w/ Shamir
07.07.18 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel w/ Shamir
07.08.18 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse w/ Shamir
07.09.18 - Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre w/ Shamir
07.11.18 - New Orleans, LA - Republic w/ Shamir
07.12.18 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall w/ Shamir
07.13.18 - Austin, TX - Stubbs BBQ w/ Shamir
07.14.18 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater w/ Shamir
07.16.18 - Englewood, CO - Gothic Theatre w/ Shamir
07.17.18 - Ogden, UT - Ogden Amphitheatre w/ Sylvan Esso, Shamir
07.18.18 - Las Vegas, NV - Vinyl at Hard Rock
07.19.18 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
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